Snow + Basenji = ?
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LOL about the coats… mine always hated coats too. Not that we have freezing temps here in No Calif...... or at least not very often. When I have a litter, by the time they are 4 to 5 wks they are already going outside to potty. I would take them out in the early, early AM (usually before the sun was up) and put them in an xpen to quickly do their business. In the winter (when not raining) we would have frost on the ground and they did just fine even at that age. Granted they were only out for a few minutes. And smart as whips they are, even at that age. They quickly learned that potty outside means a cleaner inside pen for all of them. In fact my last litter after the age of 5wks never pooped in their pens indoors and would yell very loud to be taken outside. Of course that didn't include peeing, since that was a lot harder for them them to control when excited.
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Mine do fine with their coats. I have fleece/flannel "house" coats and I have outdoor coats. Some are homemade, some are store bought. They wear the housecoats in the house as I don't keep the house at 80 in the winter. Digital, the brindlewonderkid, will be 15 this winter and has always had a short, short coat, so he puts up with his housecoat. Jet, the trying, has a longer thicker coat and he doesn't seem to benefit as much from his housecoat. Zest, superstar in training, has a shorter coat too and is a bit of a fashionesta, so as long as she looks good in her coat, she doesn't mind it a bit. We are also color-coordinated when we can be. D has green leash/coats, Jet is blue and Z, the baby girl, is pink/purple. :rolleyes:
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Living in Kansas City we get snow a few times every winter and have fleece lined parka's with hoods for our 2. My very frugal wife also shops at the local goodwill store for toddler size sweatshirts that she tailors to fit, she turns them around backwards and tailors the back to fit their chest area. They are great for layering under the parka's.
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Mine love it in the snow, for ten minutes or so of play they don't need a coat in our area as the temps seldom get colder than 20 degrees. On those rare occasions when we have taken a winter walk with friends a lfleece coat has been sufficient.
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When I used to live in Northern Ontario, my girl and I would go out cross country skiing. Although it was often pretty cold, she did fine minus coat and boots. Since I have lived further south, I find the dampness is more of a problem for dog's feet. The actual temperature may be warmer, but they sure seem to feel it more…...as do I! Here is one of my favourite pictures of Lady in the snow, taken after we had trekked about a mile across the lake to a cottage road on the far shore....
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HAHAHA I am looking at all of the snow pictures and kind of laughing. Last year we had so much snow when we shovelled the deck the snow piles were up to the top railing…and then bitter cold. When I get home I will post some pictures on here of 'real' snow......and I hope this message doesn't offend anyone.
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Congo has Foggy mountain coats for when he is outside and we are hiking or hunting. They have a great waterproof coat. Sometimes I take him skiing with me if we do backcountry stuff. I also have a couple fleece coats for milder weather. I have never done booties with him. When we are at our freezing cold cabin, I have an electric blanket for him by the fire.
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No coats or booties for quick pees. When the snow is deep, we shovel paths and an area for the quick potty breaks.
If we are going for walks, the fleece-lined coat goes on and the MuttLuk booties go on. Unfortunately a lot of people still use chemicals to clear the ice from their walks, and that burns their paws, so booties are a must where I am. You'll know it's the chemical when they scream.
At the farm, the coat goes on, but not the booties. The other dog like to chew them too much and she really can't run away when all three of them tackle her for her feet…
