Question About Snow and Cairns

[JerryLv]

It is obvious that most Cairns love the snowed. Zen is no exception. We had a freaky snowstorm here in Las Vegas last month. It snowed about an inch and was gone the next day. However, while it

was fresh on the ground we took Zen to a school yard and let him romp. He loved it. Here is my question: Next winter we plan on being in western Washington State where the snow gets measured

in feet rather than inches and the temperature is subzero. I know that dogs have a built in protection from the cold in their paws (or you can buy dog mutlucks) and that Cairns have a nice undercoat

to keep them warm on most parts of their body.....BUT what about their belly. I notice that there is not much fur covering that part of their body. As they are built so close to the ground it seems like

that part would freeze rather quickly in 9 or 10 inches of snow. Is this a problem or what?

[LizzieP]

We live in Las Vegas, too, but we came from Idaho two years ago. We are lucky in that we still have our home in Garden Valley and use it for vacations. We were just there for Christmas and it snowed 32" in two weeks. Finnegan is a true nut job in the snow and will not come in until his entire underbelly and his "legpits" are covered in huge snowballs that stick to his fur. It does not seem to bother him until he can't move and only then does he head indoors, sits in front of the fire, melts and then he is back in the snow again. Finn manages to move around in deep snow just fine but my DH makes tire tracks for him on our road when it gets too deep. Regarding subzero temperatures, he doesn't seem to be too bothered by the cold. Loved his long walks even when it was 6 degrees. My DH didn't realize it was that cold one morning but Finn just did his usual morning mile like it was 72 degrees and sunny.

Hope this helps.

[avusblue]

Don't worry too much about the cold. But be more worried of the iceballs that usually form on their underbelly when they've been romping in the snow

Put on a little t-shirt or sweater and they'll be fine, and you'll save a lot of time thawing out the iceballs.

[Greg P]

Jerry:

"Next winter we plan on being in western Washington State where the snow gets measured in feet rather than inches and the temperature is subzero."

Hey Jerry, we're a Northern State, but........W. Washington isn't on the leading edge of the polar ice cap....yet. (At least I thought so until last week!)

Seriously, this is the first winter in many that we've had much in the way of measurable snow for quite a few years. It happens, but some years we'll get nada. As for subzero? Never happens. Mid teens is about as low as it will go.

When they play, they don't seem to feel the cold. I'll leave them play for 20-30 minutes tops.

When the pups get those little ice balls on them after a good romp, just pad a cozy crate with lots of towels and throw them in it. The ice balls will melt, they'll warm up and dry off in no time!

[Idaho Cairns]

I've had Cairns for years in snow country and there is no problem for them. They are, in my opinion, one of the most rugged breeds of dogs, bar none. The snowballs on the fur are annoying when they come in but it doesn't slow them down in the least.

My older dog loves the water and spends time in some pretty cold water without any obvious negative reactions. She spent an hour every day in the Colorado River last winter.

Remember where these dogs were bred--the Moors of Scotland aren't necessarily a hospitable climate. Tough customers these little terriers.

[Jessica H]

I live in NH where we do get FEET of snow (we got 18" in 2 days last week) and well below zero, especially with windchill. It was -5 when I left my house the other morning and honestly I do not WANT my dogs out in that. It is far too cold, they go out do their business and come right back in (because I make them). My Shepherd on the other hand will stay out there and play. Scooter after being out in those temperatures with the snow (and ice) on the ground will hold his feet up but he LOVES the snow. If you are going to have your dog exposed to weather like that for more than 15 minutes or so I would get a sweater and booties (especially if they are not used to it). My dogs are used to it so I don't need any of that but I have been considering booties.

[cairnrescueleague]

I live in NH too, and most of my cairns are pretty sensible about the snow. I can tell if they think it's too cold, they'll just go out to do their business and come right back in. I do have a couple at the moment whose paws seem to get cold, if they're out too long, they'll start limping and not wanting to put any of their paws on the ground, which can be interesting, but at that point, they come back in and are fine.

I have a foster who was bred in Michigan, and he LOVES the snow, would stay out forever. Not so my fosters from Florida and southern Alabama! I also have a foster that was deprived of water, and I have to watch him, because he can go nuts eating snow.

Fortunately, I like the snow, because we do get lots.

[mjones]

we plan on being in western Washington State where the snow gets measured

in feet rather than inches and the temperature is subzero.

Are you sure you don't mean EASTERN Washington? Like GregP said, we don't usually get much snow in Western WA, and temps are rarely in the teens and never below zero. However, Eastern WA is a whole other ball of wax. Lots of snow and very cold temps. Anything West of the Cascade Mtns is considered Western WA and anything East of them is Eastern WA. There is a big difference in climate between the two. Either way, I'm sure you Cairn will be fine. Mine loved the (very rare) 16" of snow we just had and would stay out for about an hour before I had to force him to come in.

[beanena36]

I have a harness that protects Sway's belly from the snowballs that form in his coat.

[Hagar]

I'm in Montana and we get quite a bit of snow. We had the first snow, of only a couple of inches when Renny was about 4-5 months old ( He's 3 now), I took him out and at first he didn't know what to make of it. He gave it a tentative sniff, then licked it, then ate some of it. Within a minute or so he was rolling snowballs with his nose and tossing them in the air and having a blast.

He still loves snow, but if it's more than a few inches, he has trouble finding a place to take care of business. I do clear a couple of fairly large areas in the back yard and he seems to appreciate them. But, after a few days, he will bulldoze his way through the deeper snow to "go" next to the fence or other area that catches his fancy.

We've had snow through the entire month of December that built up to the most we had on the ground in a long time. We did continue to take most of our walks, but when it was sub-zero out, I shortened the walks considerably. Renny is not one of those dogs who will go out, pee, and be ready to come back in. He has to walk around until he's ready to do what he has to do. Even then, he will take his time and also takes advantage of being able to run like crazy in the back yard. He will run back and forth until he is nearly out of breath. I think it's his way of making up for the short walks and lack of his usual exercise.

Does anyone have a good way to pull off the snowballs that gather on his legs and chest? Just pulling them off seems to hurt him and he will fight it.

[jimnconnie]

Does anyone have a good way to pull off the snowballs that gather on his legs and chest? Just pulling them off seems to hurt him and he will fight it.

I use the wide-spaced end of my metal comb to gently pull those leg & belly snowballs out, and then follow it up with a good rub down with a towel. That seems to work pretty well for us.

[JerryLv]

Thanks you guys for all your imput. I never heard of 'ice balls' before now. You learn something new every day.

To: mjones - your right I ment Eastern Washington around the Spokane area. Duh!

[Idaho Cairns]

"Does anyone have a good way to pull off the snowballs that gather on his legs and chest? Just pulling them off seems to hurt him and he will fight it"

I haven't but someone on another forum suggested some kind of silicone spray that prevented them--didn't say how long the stuff lasted or what kind to use. I know my Sammi gets huge snow balls hanging off her in certain kind of snow and it drives her crazy--she spends half her time outside trying to dislodge them. Then there is the carpet in the house after she comes in! I have used a wire comb but she fights me if I get too aggressive.

[Maggie15]

The biggest thing you want to watch out for are iceballs under their feet... the temps you have there will be no problem for your cairn -and they'll let you know if it is! usually trying to walk on 3 feet!

It's -30 here and she likes to go outside, although i cant handle it! I only get to experience 'snowballs' when its really warm out! Typically its too cold for snow to ball up for most of the winter, its pretty much like sand or concrete for most of the winter...

as for the balls, i'll just let them melt off in the house...

[Greg P]

Again, as for the ice balls, pad a create with towels and throw them in. Keeps the water off the floor and allows the dog to warm up quickly. No need to try to remove them.

[Jessica H]

I just let them melt

[Hagar]

This is sort of a fun topic. You folks in warmer climates are missing out on a lot of fun with Cairns and snow.

Thanks for the tips on "snowballs" on the legs and belly. Since Renny doesn't care for me trying to pull them off, just letting them melt seems to work the best, and they are gone in a short time. He will be nearly dry within about 10 minutes on his own. I do use silicone spray on my snowblower to help keep snow from sticking, but I'm wary of spraying the dog with it.

A and J, I have noticed him walking on three feet especially when it's very cold out. I didn't realize it could be ice balls on his feet. He seems to alternate which foot is up. A couple of times I have picked him up and carried him for a bit, but he wants to get back down within a matter of 50 feet or so. When he starts the "3 foot dance", I cut it short and head back home.

One thing I have noticed about Cairns is how quickly they can dry off when they get caught in rain or snow. Renny can be quite wet, and usually by the time I can get a towel out to dry him off, he has simply shaken himself out and is nearly dry.

[brooklyn_cairn]

We have snow in the forecast here in NYC for tomorrow-- the first big snow of the year, really. I can't wait to see Mr. Bo's reaction! I'll be sure to post some photos of him having fun in the white stuff. Before we adopted him he was at a shelter in TN so my guess is he's never seen snow before