Tobi is a labradoodle who simply LOVES playing in the snow. However, being a
labradoodle, it is hair and not fur - and he ends up with LOTS of snow stuck to
his legs. Serious - not a few little snowballs, but almost up to his belly. Like
huge white boots. And the only easy way to get them out is to wash his with warm
water.

The problem is that I am planning to do some snow-shoeing this winter, and want
to take him with me. However, not only he will accumulate lots of snow
(seriously heavy to walk with), but I am also worried about the time it will
take to get back home, with all that snow on him. Frostbite?

Thoughts/suggestions/ideas to prevent the whole thing?

For instance, I even though of rubbing some kind of oil on his legs, to prevent
the snow from sticking on the hair... who knows...

Thanks,
Simon & Tobi

In article ,
Simon G wrote:
to take him with me. However, not only he will accumulate lots of snow
(seriously heavy to walk with), but I am also worried about the time it will
take to get back home, with all that snow on him. Frostbite?

Not likely unless you live someplace extremely cold.

For instance, I even though of rubbing some kind of oil on his legs, to prevent
the snow from sticking on the hair... who knows...

I wouldn't, because you don't want the coat to lose its
insulative quality. You could experiment, I guess, with
spray-on cooking oil (Pam, for example), which would be less
likely to saturate the coat and doesn't require pressure to
apply.

By the way, a number of years someone ran an all-poodle team
in the Iditarod and had a huge problem with snow sticking to
the dogs (and vice versa), and the following year the race
was restricted to traditional northern-breed dogs because of
it.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Don't think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence
that they ever existed. -- Dwight D Eisenhower

By the way, a number of years someone ran an all-poodle team
in the Iditarod and had a huge problem with snow sticking to
the dogs (and vice versa), and the following year the race
was restricted to traditional northern-breed dogs because of
it.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -


Speaking of that race, totally OT nonetheless, Melinda, I've been meaning to
warn you--if you have not seen the film "Kevin of the North", for God's sake
DON'T!!!!! I know bupkiss about sledding and so forth and *I* was insulted.
MAN, what a stupid film! A guy has 48 hours to prepare for the race from
never having heard of it and he participates with a pack of random breeds
from the dog pound with no training (couple of cute dogs, though, chiefly
the St. Bernard and the boxer and the reddish shepherd mix). Anyway, the
film is bad, bad, bad on so many other levels it's just scary. I watched
probably 2/3 of it recently when it came on TV and I was sick and there was
nothing else on and I'd finished my book and was just trying to get sleepy.
I gave up and watched a documentary on Akhenaton I've seen four times on
Discovery Civilization. OK, I'm done interrupting this thread. I have no
good suggestions about keeping the snow off the dog's legs, sorry.
--Katrina

on 2005-12-06 at 07:44 wrote:

Not likely unless you live someplace extremely cold.

i would worry about discomfort more than frostbite. those
hard ice balls that form in the snow have got to be
uncomfortable, especially on a poodley coat.

--
shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net
http://cat-sidh.blogspot.com/

"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
By the way, a number of years someone ran an all-poodle team
in the Iditarod and had a huge problem with snow sticking to
the dogs (and vice versa), and the following year the race
was restricted to traditional northern-breed dogs because of
it.

That would be awful..I know Coda's coat holds snow like crazy.
However, there's a team out of MT that runs w/ Belgian Sheepdogs and huskies
of some sort, probably mixes of the two as well I am unsure. But, the
Belgians, with proper coat anyway, don't seem to have much of an issue with
the clinging snowballs.

Bodhi got a few up in his britches back when we had snow enough for them to
play in, but Coda had them hanging all over him and stuck in between his
toes and everywhere.
I'm hoping for snow here, just because I think that the puppy will love it.
Shelly w/ Coda & The Black Pack

In article ,
White Monkey wrote:
MAN, what a stupid film!

I thought so, too. On beyond bad, plus pretty racist &
homophobic - not really the kind of thing you want kids to
see, I would think.

There's a Siberian kennel in BC that among other things
provides dogs and training for sleddogs in films and
commercials, and they were involved in "Kevin of the North."
Photos at http://www.nakitsilik.com/Portraits&Brags.htm

My favorite sledding movie, hands down, is "Iron Will." It
has stupid elements but it's a good story, the protagonist
really is heroic, and it's got some beautiful, beautiful
dogsledding scenes.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Don't think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence
that they ever existed. -- Dwight D Eisenhower

In article ,
Shelly & The Boys wrote:
But, the
Belgians, with proper coat anyway, don't seem to have much of an issue with
the clinging snowballs.

I don't think I've ever had snow cling to my Siberians'
coats, even when snowshoeing in deep, wet snow. They have
amazing coats.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Don't think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence
that they ever existed. -- Dwight D Eisenhower

On 6 Dec 2005 10:15:44 -0500, (Melinda Shore) wrote:

In article ,
Shelly & The Boys wrote:
But, the
Belgians, with proper coat anyway, don't seem to have much of an issue with
the clinging snowballs.

I don't think I've ever had snow cling to my Siberians'
coats, even when snowshoeing in deep, wet snow. They have
amazing coats.

Boomer comes in from outside with a couple of inches of snow on his
back and just strolls through the house like that. He usually thinks
of shaking himself off when standing right next to a partially-clad
human.

Mustang Sally

on 2005-12-06 at 10:14 wrote:

My favorite sledding movie, hands down, is "Iron Will." It
has stupid elements but it's a good story, the protagonist
really is heroic, and it's got some beautiful, beautiful
dogsledding scenes.

i'll second that.

--
shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net
http://cat-sidh.blogspot.com/

On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:44:22 -0500, shelly
wrote:

on 2005-12-06 at 10:14 wrote:

My favorite sledding movie, hands down, is "Iron Will." It
has stupid elements but it's a good story, the protagonist
really is heroic, and it's got some beautiful, beautiful
dogsledding scenes.

i'll second that.

Third. It's great.

Mustang Sally