When traveling with your furry friend in winter, you want to ensure they are comfortable and warm. To be sure, you need to consider packing supplies and picking places that are pet friendly for your travels—you should prepare to take good care of your Fido to ensure their safety and comfort.
That said, here are eight ways to keep your dog comfortable during winter travels:
1. Research About Your Destination
Before you go anywhere, you need to know that not all spots are dog-friendly. To avoid disappointment, ensure to research before leaving. There are numerous dog-friendly accommodations. Just be sure to call ahead or check from their site to find out if the place you’ll be staying in is dog-friendly.
Trying to tag your dog along to places that aren’t dog-friendly will only result in you arriving at a place that doesn’t have amenities to cater to your furry friend. In some cases, the establishment will not allow your dog in at all, which might leave you trying to make last-minute reservations elsewhere. To avoid all this, you can just plan ahead and do your research on your destination.
2. Bring A Dog Carrier
Since dogs suffer from much cold because of their exposed paws, it is wise to bring a dog carrier to place your dog. This would keep them warm and prevent them from getting frostbite. It’s also a great way of keeping your dog comfortable. It’s recommended that you choose fluffy dog carriers to ensure your dog is all warmed up and comfortable.
3. Give Them Paw Protection.
To avoid your dog feeling uncomfortable during your winter travels, you should let them wear paw protection. This will lessen the amount of cold the dog suffers from. It’s a safe way of avoiding hypothermia. Since the paws are sensitive, you should ensure to buy dog boots. They provide adequate protection for their feet in winter and on any hiking trips you might have.
4. Check Your Dog’s Tolerance To Cold
Dogs don’t tolerate the cold weather the same way. Their tolerance varies; hence you should test your dog’s tolerance before you finally decide to travel with them. Doing so will avoid your dog getting unexpectedly sick during your travels and worsening health conditions like arthritis that worsen with cold. You should ensure you know how your dog reacts to the cold weather. This way, you know what to prepare to make them comfortable.
5. Consider Putting A Coat On Your Dog
If your dog seems to be having a hard time with the cold weather, you should consider putting on a coat or sweater to ensure they are comfortable during your travels. However, you should ensure that if the coat or sweater gets wet, you replace them with a dry one since wet coats could cause hypothermia. It’s also advisable to replace your dog’s coat regularly since a wet coat could be even colder. Consider choosing a coat made of wool or fleece inside since they are natural insulators. However, be cautious not to get them wet.
6. Pay Attention To Your Dog
A great way to ensure your dog is comfortable is by being super attentive to them. Since your dog can’t talk and tell you what is wrong, they might give off signs showing they’re uncomfortable or probably has hypothermia. Your dog might start whining, shivering, and slow down; if you see this, you should take them to the vet immediately since frostbite in dogs is a little bit hard to detect. For these reasons, you should also ensure that you have an emergency first aid kit for your dog in case you suddenly need it on the road!
7. Keep Their Paws Clean And Dry
When dogs move around, their feet and paws accumulate moisture which could freeze due to cold and cause frostbite. Therefore, it’s vital to dry their feet as soon as they get indoors. Make sure to also dry the fur near their feet since it might have trapped some volumes of water that can ice up and make your dog uncomfortable. You should also make sure that their fur is clean.
8. Maintain A Routine
Try to maintain your dog’s usual routine to avoid making it uncomfortable and confused during your trip. If your dog is used to a specific meal time, then let that be the meal time even when traveling, and if it also has a particular time you used to take it for a walk then you should still do so. You should maintain that and keep your dog comfortable.
Just because you are traveling doesn’t mean you should change your dog’s usual routine. Doing so will get your dog confused and anxious. Since dogs are animals of habit, their happiness comes from them doing what they usually do. So, be careful to continue with their routine.
Conclusion
As a dog owner, your dog is your furry baby, so you want it to be comfortable even in the coldest weather and in new places. You should ensure their health is well taken care of for them to be comfortable as you make memories with them during your travels. Since winter is a difficult time for even humans to manage, you should consider your dog’s warmth and comfort too. Buying coats and boots for your dog really ensures their warmth and comfort, as well as keeping your dog healthy.