# Whats a person to do in this freezing weather?



## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

So its now officially winter for us here in the great white north and its been very hard excersizing Cesar but lately on walks Cesar has not been doing to well even with a coat.
he will be walking perfectly fine then suddenly a gust of wind and he tries to bolt forward ive seen him when hes outside going potty (on a line) he does the same thing he bolts a few feet forward then sits down and shivers for a second then once the wind dies down goes back to normal walking (or sniffing) he isnt fearful hes cold what he has is >>Casual Canine Snowsuits for Dogs | PetEdge.com

its not as nice as the one i wanted to get him but it covers his legs and was a good price im planning on getting a better one come tax rebate time.

so becuase of this behavior its been a nightmare trying to walk with him even for 45 minutes becuase he is walking fine then jerks me hard if i keep a firm grip on the lead so he doesnt get loose he will spin around a few times then huddle up to my legs ive tried to ask him to sit which he does once hes done spinning but its very frustrating and im trying hard to not get annoyed with him on walks.
and i really dont want to keep him inside all winter.

also i was wondering if anyone has any advice about where i can take him to get him more what i like to call "social training" this summer we were out and about everyday in public meeting people on the ebach,at the river,in town ect but now that its so cold i dont know how i can keep socializing him which i really want to do becuase he still gets a little too excited for my taste when new people pet him and i want to work on that with him but it seems near impossable to do untill spring atleast and by that time who knows maybe he will revert back to when i first brought him home with no manners around people at all o.0


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## GoingPostal (Sep 5, 2011)

Is he great and calm about greeting people at your house? I would start there before trying it with a ton of distractions outside. The other thing is since it is cold, maybe just spend indoor time training a solid "watch me" and getting him super focused on you as a standby behavior. I don't even bother walking my dogs in the winter here because nobody shovels and the streets are far too icy, one good jerk and I'd be flat on my feet. It's been a pretty nice winter so far so we spend some time in the backyard but normally it's just too cold to spend much time out there.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

yes, we pretty much hibernate also. There is no way Snorkels can walk on any kind of surface besides dry. And Rebel has almost no coat - by the time I get him all bundled up he can barely move. AND once the streets get icy it's too hard to walk anyway.

We used to go to the dog park (which I know you don't do) but after several snows it's really hard to get around out there, also.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

> Is he great and calm about greeting people at your house? I would start there before trying it with a ton of distractions outside


yes hes very good about greeting people at home he was my official trick-or-treater greeter this halloween there were a few times he got a little excited with the kids mostly towards the more hyper kids but otherwise he did very well. im practicing taking him over to my bfs mom and dads house they have 2 dogs Cesar plays with outside in there yard only but he gets very very excited there and also sometimes i take him into the corner store and he gets excited in there as well so i really want to challange him more.

i hate walking in this weather today the wind was so cold i wore a thermal shirt,2 sweatshirts and a winter jacket and still froze my bum off! i would love to be able to skip going outside altogether but i think with cesar thats an impossability! hes to young and hyper to not take out to run and at home we have a small yard,no fence and are about 25 feet from a very busy highway i planned on putting up a fence when we first moved in but the landlord asked us not to. in his words "The realitor says putting a fence in will lower the value and make people not even want to look at it" i really dont understand that one but oh well


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## Mondo (Dec 20, 2011)

Shorter walks might work. I live in Edmonton, this year has been unseasonably warm, but -30 is not unusual. My Tibby has a thick coat, but the Shih Tzu gets cut short. We never miss a walk, but sometimes they are 5 or 10 minutes. No coats or boots. The worst is the salt some folks use, that is not pet friendly. I'll take my gloves off and give the boys feet a rub if it starts to burn. If it is cold, 45 minutes is way too long, at least for my guys. -10c or so, and we can do 45 minutes on a weekend, or in the afternoon while we have some light. 7 hour days in the winter, 17 in the summer. It all balances out.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

socializing:


stand in front of the Supermarket (near the doors).

24 hour store.

play ground.

day care.

invite family, friends and neighbors to visit.

pet stores.

go to any store that allow dogs.

walk downtown.

dog park (with caution).

invite some people to visit with their dogs.

are there any dogs in the neighborhood that
you can get together with?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

you know, there are alot more stores that allow dogs than I dreamed. 

When I was training my foster dog my trainer took us to Walgreen's, a car dealership, Home Depot, Tractor Supply. Frankly, i was expecting the police to be called on us at any second but I guess he knew what he was doing.

And of course the pet stores.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we put our dogs on a treadmill.....

it rains a lot up here in the winter.....and physically, i am unable to give them the walks they need for exercise.....so, treadmill it is.

we bought a relatively inexpensive one and it serves both the dogs, my honey and me. best investment we ever made.










sorry about the devil eyes.....not such a great phone camera


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

when i had my last BT puppy i took him in everywhere they even let me bring him into resurants but he was little only 8 weeks and trying to take Cesar into those same places i got yelled at they said he s too big :/ i do however take him into the corner store down the street and the post office whenever i go though


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