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  1. #1
    Best Friend Retriever Java's Avatar
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    Too cold for a walk?

    With high wind tonight & tomorrow and temps currently/predicted to be -20 deg C/-4 deg F plus fresh snow cover, do you think this is too cold to walk a dog? Personally, -17 deg C/1 deg F is my limit. Even when I'm bundled up, I find the air hurts to breathe.

    All those in favour of staying indoors, say, "Aye!"

    Doing training, ball retrieves and find-it games instead. All topped by a series of "watch me" - always a good way to tire Boomer out.

    Too bad it won't be warmer, maybe -10 deg C/14 deg F or so. Love walking in fresh snow on a crisp, cold winter day.

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  3. #2
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    We rarely get temperatures that low, but yep, we still go for walks.
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  5. #3
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    When it's seriously cold, we take much shorter walks (about 1/2 mile)...sometimes just potty trips if there's cold and wind. They get bundled up really good. Your conditions qualify as seriously cold.

    But note: My dogs are noticeably uncomfortable in wind even when it's warm out. My dogs get some sort of jacket/coat when the temps/wind chill hits freezing. It's tough to walk dogs who want to cower and look at you beseechingly. I've had Labs do that in the past, too...but these guys are real wimps (they don't even like the sound of wind when we're in the house). I never know whether or not they're uncomfortable or just annoyed at the inconvenience. Since Sunnie's a "do or die" walker, I opt to think uncomfortable.

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  7. #4
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I think cold is more of a limiting factor for me than it is for my dogs. Chase has a very heavy coat so I don't think cold bothers him too much, he'll happily lie in a pile of snow in a blizzard. Lark's is less heavy so she might feel cold sooner but she keeps moving. Between your temps and especially the wind? Yeah, I don't think a walk is in the cards. It was 27 degrees F when I took them out this morning and I didn't feel the cold but on our walk yesterday, probably in the 40s, it was also very windy and it just felt colder.

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  9. #5
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    When my dogs are in good health i've walked 40-60 minutes if -30 and lower degree celcius (mind you this was in the woods so protected from wind). Booties to help with snow clumping in their paws but not jacket. If the dogs are moving and in good health and seem ok - off we go. If I stopped walking at -20 we'd not get many walks in during the winter Ice stops us much more often than cold.

    But yes if I can't get protection from the wind we may not do very very long walks below -30 (Celcius). And now that Rocky is a senior his tolerance was reallly gone way down so he gets a jacket as well as booties and we'll have to keep the walks shorter if it's too cold.

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  11. #6
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    We've been out in single digits (F) on more than a few occasions, but like Sundance, much shorter walks than normal. It's also the reason I grown a full beard in the winter.

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    Java (12-09-2016)

  13. #7
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    It rarely gets that cold down here- maybe once or twice a year in the winter- but I know we've walked anyway because I don't forget that kind of misery. It doesn't bother Kimber one dang bit. Now that she's a senior, we can cut it to a mile each evening. Yesterday, it was in the 20s with a windchill in the single digits. Kimber was thrilled and didn't want to go back inside. The only thing that keeps us from walking is ice.

    I'd also consider how winters are in your part of Canada. If this cold is unusual, one or two days of not walking aren't going to matter much. But if this is what winter is like, you'll need to figure out some way to get you and Boomer out. He can't stay inside for months.
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  15. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    We've been out in single digits (F) on more than a few occasions, but like Sundance, much shorter walks than normal. It's also the reason I grown a full beard in the winter.
    I've considered that....

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  17. #9
    Senior Dog Bamps's Avatar
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    Ok, now I feel kind of silly for whining about our low 40's Fahrenheit . . . I'm still gonna whine and stay inside but once in a while I'll think of this and feel silly. GEEZ!!!

  18. #10
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kimbersmom View Post
    I'd also consider how winters are in your part of Canada. If this cold is unusual, one or two days of not walking aren't going to matter much. But if this is what winter is like, you'll need to figure out some way to get you and Boomer out. He can't stay inside for months.
    Definitely this. It is pretty rare for us to have highs that are in the single digits or even teens where I live. So on days like that, we do just skip walks. But I know in Canada and other parts of the US, this is normal and not walking in those conditions would mean staying inside for months. Also I think when dogs live in a cold environment like that, they are used to it (and so are the people!). We aren't as well adapted to it here. This morning it was in the teens and my dogs were picking up their feet in the backyard just from the frost on the grass and the cold temps.

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