Does anyone run with their dog in the winter? My two-year-old Lab has
been running with me for the last six months and as I prepare for
winter (trail shoes, cold weather clothing, etc.) I'm wondering if I
need to do anything for her? She has a neoprene vest (which she hates,)
but I'm more concerned about her feet. I take her to one of the area
lakes every Sunday (our day off from running) and never noticed that
she had any problems the last two winters. I'm wondering if running on
the rough, uneven, snow encrusted bike path on the leash could cause
problems for her feet. We currently do 5 miles a day, and while I'm not
say anything about pace, I will admit we're out there for awhile. I'd
appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on whether my running buddy needs
dog shoes for those particularly nasty days of winter, and if so what
one would recommended.

Thanks for your help.
Larry Dawson
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Larry Dawson

http://homepage.mac.com/capnlarry/

I don't know whether it's a virtue or a vice in me, but regularly
rereading favorite books has always been one of the quasi-
religious ceremonies with which I occupy my life.
Fritz Leiber

Larry Dawson wrote:

Does anyone run with their dog in the winter? My two-year-old Lab has
been running with me for the last six months and as I prepare for winter
(trail shoes, cold weather clothing, etc.) I'm wondering if I need to do
anything for her? She has a neoprene vest (which she hates,) but I'm
more concerned about her feet. I take her to one of the area lakes every
Sunday (our day off from running) and never noticed that she had any
problems the last two winters. I'm wondering if running on the rough,
uneven, snow encrusted bike path on the leash could cause problems for
her feet. We currently do 5 miles a day, and while I'm not say anything
about pace, I will admit we're out there for awhile. I'd appreciate
hearing anyone's thoughts on whether my running buddy needs dog shoes
for those particularly nasty days of winter, and if so what one would
recommended.

If you're going to keep her on lead, and if you're already doing 5 miles
a day she may do okay barefoot. My dogs run barefoot on snow, mostly
without problems, but we've had a cut pad or two as well. That happens
in the summer, though, too. Salt and other ice-melting chemicals are a
different matter. If you're going to do street running you definitely
need foot coverings.
The only brand of dog boot I've tried were Muttluks and they didn't
stay on very well at all no matter how tight I cinched them. There was
also a lot of slop in the fit and combined with sweaty pads the boots
themselves tended to cause blisters on hot days. Keep in mind that my
dogs run off lead and I'm on a mountain bike so we're moving
substantially faster than a runner's pace, and that the dogs are free to
leap, spin and dodge around - not conducive to keeping your boots on. A
dog moving at a moderate pace in a relatively straight line may do okay
with boots.

Kathleen

In article 2005102019385750073%ldawson@macosxcom,
Larry Dawson wrote:
Does anyone run with their dog in the winter?

Yes.

My two-year-old Lab has
been running with me for the last six months and as I prepare for
winter (trail shoes, cold weather clothing, etc.) I'm wondering if I
need to do anything for her?

Probably not. I'd tend to forgo the vest, and if it's
really cold use a coat designed for sleddogs. They allow
better freedom of movement. You may have problems finding a
large enough size, however. A neoprene vest will tend to be
too warm, I think, but may also tend to rub.

As for feet, I haven't found it to be a particular issue,
but if you live in a place where chemicals are used to melt
snow or if the roads tend to accumulate a lot of grit you'll
want to wash off her feet when you get home. Definitely
check her feet, including between the pads, for little
tears, dings, and whatnot, in any event. I saw that Kathryn
recommended Muttluks. I would tend to stay away from them
for running, although they're fine for walking. They're
just too darned tall and too darned stiff. Again, if you
really need booties, take a look at sledddog booties.
They'll wear out faster but they tend to be pretty cheap and
they're designed for a foot in motion. But again, I'd give
booties a pass unless there's an actual need for them. If
you do use booties, after you take them off following a run
check to make sure that the pressure from the booties isn't
causing the dewclaw to rub against the leg and cause
irritation (or worse).
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

What we have here is a form of looting. -- Nobel laureate in
economics George Akerlof, on Bush economic policy

Melinda Shore wrote:

Probably not. I'd tend to forgo the vest, and if it's
really cold use a coat designed for sleddogs. They allow
better freedom of movement. You may have problems finding a
large enough size, however. A neoprene vest will tend to be
too warm, I think, but may also tend to rub.

I made vests for my dogs out of international orange 1000 denier
cordura, lined with lightweight polarfleece and trimmed with scotchlight
reflective silver tape. They provide a certain amount of warmth and
pretty good scratch protection across the back and around the front of
the shoulders but the main purpose is to make the dogs highly visible in
both daylight and dark. The vests also make it immediately obvious to
anyone encountering them that they are out there on purpose.

As for feet, I haven't found it to be a particular issue,
but if you live in a place where chemicals are used to melt
snow or if the roads tend to accumulate a lot of grit you'll
want to wash off her feet when you get home. Definitely
check her feet, including between the pads, for little
tears, dings, and whatnot, in any event. I saw that Kathryn
recommended Muttluks.

I wouldn't call it a recommendation. I wrote:
......
The only brand of dog boot I've tried were Muttluks and they didn't stay
on very well at all no matter how tight I cinched them. There was also
a lot of slop in the fit and combined with sweaty pads the boots
themselves tended to cause blisters on hot days.
......

I would tend to stay away from them
for running, although they're fine for walking. They're
just too darned tall and too darned stiff.

Agreed.

Again, if you
really need booties, take a look at sledddog booties.
They'll wear out faster but they tend to be pretty cheap and
they're designed for a foot in motion. But again, I'd give
booties a pass unless there's an actual need for them. If
you do use booties, after you take them off following a run
check to make sure that the pressure from the booties isn't
causing the dewclaw to rub against the leg and cause
irritation (or worse).

We play flyball and I am eternally grateful that my dogs' breeders saw
fit to remove their dew claws when they were neonates. I've seen some
horrific dewclaw injuries. There's a 9 month old male BC puppy, a
rescue, who is beginning training on my flyball team. He has both front
and back dew claws. The front ones are normal. The bone has grown down
into them and removing them at this stage would be seriously traumatic.
In fact his vet refused to do it. The back dew claws are another
matter. They're just floppy little skin bags with a claw growing out of
the end. Those will be removed when he gets neutered (next week).

Kathleen

"Larry Dawson" wrote in message
news:2005102019385750073%ldawson@macosxcom...
Does anyone run with their dog in the winter? My two-year-old Lab has been
running with me for the last six months and as I prepare for winter (trail
shoes, cold weather clothing, etc.) I'm wondering if I need to do anything
for her? She has a neoprene vest (which she hates,) but I'm more concerned
about her feet. I take her to one of the area lakes every Sunday (our day
off from running) and never noticed that she had any problems the last two
winters. I'm wondering if running on the rough, uneven, snow encrusted
bike path on the leash could cause problems for her feet. We currently do
5 miles a day, and while I'm not say anything about pace, I will admit
we're out there for awhile. I'd appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on
whether my running buddy needs dog shoes for those particularly nasty days
of winter, and if so what one would recommended.


Hi Larry,
I run with my two smooth collies all year around. I can't comment on a
neoprene vest since I don't know anything about that (isn't neoprene what
they make wet suits out of?).

Depending on where you live & your dog, you may or may not need dog boots.
If you dog is well-furred between his toes, he probably doesn't need them.
But if he's like my Pablo, a smooth collie, and has fine thin fur inbetween
his toes, he might benefit from wearing booties. I get Pablo's booties from
dogbooties.com and get the spandura with stretchy velcro fasteners. Pablo's
booties aren't really meant to keep his feet warm but rather keep snow from
getting inbetween his toes. His booties are also useful when we encounter
frozen slush while walking on city streets. The nice thing about Spandura
is that it doesn't get heavy when wet and stays on fairly well.

Pablo has a cozy bright red winter coat but he only uses it when I take him
to some sort of outdoor winter event where he might be standing around. When
he's running, as long as we keep moving, he does best without a coat.

Chris and her smoothies, Pablo & Lucy in Ithaca, NY

I run with my dogs thru out the winter, and we all do just fine.


Chris Jung wrote:
"Larry Dawson" wrote in message
news:2005102019385750073%ldawson@macosxcom...
Does anyone run with their dog in the winter? My two-year-old Lab has been
running with me for the last six months and as I prepare for winter (trail
shoes, cold weather clothing, etc.) I'm wondering if I need to do anything
for her? She has a neoprene vest (which she hates,) but I'm more concerned
about her feet. I take her to one of the area lakes every Sunday (our day
off from running) and never noticed that she had any problems the last two
winters. I'm wondering if running on the rough, uneven, snow encrusted
bike path on the leash could cause problems for her feet. We currently do
5 miles a day, and while I'm not say anything about pace, I will admit
we're out there for awhile. I'd appreciate hearing anyone's thoughts on
whether my running buddy needs dog shoes for those particularly nasty days
of winter, and if so what one would recommended.


Hi Larry,
I run with my two smooth collies all year around. I can't comment on a
neoprene vest since I don't know anything about that (isn't neoprene what
they make wet suits out of?).

Depending on where you live & your dog, you may or may not need dog boots.
If you dog is well-furred between his toes, he probably doesn't need them.
But if he's like my Pablo, a smooth collie, and has fine thin fur inbetween
his toes, he might benefit from wearing booties. I get Pablo's booties from
dogbooties.com and get the spandura with stretchy velcro fasteners. Pablo's
booties aren't really meant to keep his feet warm but rather keep snow from
getting inbetween his toes. His booties are also useful when we encounter
frozen slush while walking on city streets. The nice thing about Spandura
is that it doesn't get heavy when wet and stays on fairly well.

Pablo has a cozy bright red winter coat but he only uses it when I take him
to some sort of outdoor winter event where he might be standing around. When
he's running, as long as we keep moving, he does best without a coat.

Chris and her smoothies, Pablo & Lucy in Ithaca, NY