Hello folks

I know this may seem like a strange question but...

Our dog ( a Westie) is a bit of a wimp, he doesn't like the rain, wind or cold.
We couldn't bear to leave him behind so I guess he will have to toughen up!

Just wanted to know how other dogs have adapted to the Canadian winter
and how they get exercise in the extreme cold. Have a picture in my mind of wee icicles!

Cheers

My aunt who lived in Timmins ON had a westie. It was also a complete wimp; she could take it for walks in the summer, but come the cold weather (about 8 months of the year in Timmins) it was more like a daily carry around the block, despite the many coats that dog had. It's my understanding you don't see a lot of whippets and lurchers in Canada for a reason...

We took our boxer(female) over there for 18 months and what a sissy. She would try to tiptoe in the snow as she didnt like getting her feet wet, so much for the breed having a rough image lol.

Seriously though she managed fine never had to get a winter coat or similar and being a boxer was extremely short haired.

Thanks
I'm sure he'll be ok, once around the block sounds about right for me too!
From one extreme to the other- our friends moved to Perth,WA and took their black labrador-she stays inside all day to avoid the heat.

LOL, we brought our 3 dogs, one of them being a lurcher and they all have coats to wear in the bad weather.

Hmmm, will be interesting to see what they make of a decent snowfall!!!

i have a berneese mountain dog, although she loves snow, she wouldnt come out in the summer as she couldnt cope with the heat.

I hate to admit this - I have shih-tzus - three of them - the youngest and the oldest are a bit of a problem in the cold weather. Given a slight chance they will pee and poop in the house. The middle one is good. If I take my eyes off the other two come the cold weather - they sneak into a room where they can't be seen. I am really going to try and keep them confined this winter until I actually see them go.

This might be a problem with your dog. But as I said, my middle dog is pretty good.

Their dog is slowly adjusting, she goes for very early morning and very late evening walks. They have a swimming pool,I think she likes that!

My dog gets walked twice a day 365 days a year, (even when it's raining - he hates getting his feet wet and I have to pull him off the stoop) the trails get quite quiet in the winter as all the little dogs stay inside.

Our friends have a mini snauzher - can't for the life of me spell it today. When the cooler weather comes he refuses to go for a walk, when the cold weather comes he refuses to go off the deck.

Purley
Maybe we shall look for a house without carpet!
We also need one with a sturdy fence, he has a habit of escaping. He might not be so keen to do that there, digging through the snow might not be so much fun!

Mine gets walked regardless,in inclement weather he does what he has to do and then sits down until we turn around and head for home.I'm afraid I don't usually argue with him.

Hmmmf! The only time Henry wants to head home early is if it's raining or if it's -50 anything else - we're good to go!

-50! We had to wrap Ted in a blanket for two days when he had an over enthusiastic grooming session. I did say he is a wimp!

Ah bless You can get nice down doggy jackets and bootees - I think your pupster might want those.

Where in Canada are you?

I'm on the west coast and this just isn't an issue as your winters are just wet and not really cold. However I used to live in Nova Scotia and remember noticing that people didn't let their doggies out for very long in the winter when it got much below freezing, especially the little ones. My advice would be to not let them out a whole lot except to do their business in the winter, but if you want to take them out for a bit of excercise do it in the the day when it's a bit less cold and get them a doggie sweater. There are boots for dogs too, but that's up to you and fido whether it's needed.