cold

[witness]

Hey...I understand that Boxers do not fare well with the cold...were in Quebec, Canada where the winters can be on the chilly side. How do boxers enjoy the snow? Is it good to be going for walks in the fall/winter? How does this affect their eyes as Spike has already gotten an affection from the cool air. Thanks

 

[boxermom5]

Boxers don't tolerate the cold to well at all. I live in California near SF and while it does get down to the very low 30's sometimes, it surely isn't as cold as you get. It is not uncommon for my girls to actually shiver when they come back in from potty. They also tend to want to be covered at night with a blanket (and we never put the thermostat lower than 65 at nite!) Snow - I would probably put booties and a coat on them so they wouldn't turn into Boxicles!

 

[the busbys]

:p :p :p Boxicles!!! That's too funny!!!

Boom loves the snow, but he has a coat he wears outside. This winter I'm getting him boots (Muttlucks) because he cut his pads on ice last winter. When he starts shivering, I take him inside and dry him off. Getting him to go further than two feet from the door when he has to go potty at night is impossible! Then he always puts his very cold nose on me when he jumps back into bed!

 

[jess]

We live in Vermont and the winters here are very cold. Biscuit wears a blanket when she goes out for potty breaks. She doesn't seem to mind The cold too much although she is never out for more then 20 minutes at a time during the winter and she won't go out the door without her blankie on actually had to put it on her last night for the first time this year. It was cold and drizzly and she wouldn't go out the door without it. I ordered Biscuit's blanket through the same company I get my horses blankets from they are great because they are also water resistant and won't soak through.

 

[bjandboxxy]

I live near Ottawa, so I know what you're talking about, Boxxy and I go for walks everyday in the winter, he seems ok to me, once we walked for nearly half an hour in about -20 c and he got a cramp in his hind leg, I just rubbed it out, he was fine after that, I try to take him out at least fro 20 minutes everyday, of course in the summer it's much longer than that, like hours, I don't make him wear a coat or anything like that, he'll shiver once I bring him in, doesn't seem to bother him that much, and as far as snow, he loves it, the deeper the better, he'll go in the yard and run and jump in it, of course he doesn't do this for long, but if he could stay out longer he would

 

[bustermom]

I think some of it depends on how well the dog is acclimated to the weather...just like Texans think our lovely 60 degree autumn days are frigid, I think Buster and I would melt into little human and Boxer shaped puddles if we had to deal with 100+ degree weather for more than a few hours...

Come wintertime, you have to be aware of the danger of frostbite if it's windy or wet, and like the busbys said, watch out for sharp ice on the paws. The dog's age is also a factor in how well they tolerate the cold, esp. if they develop "weather senstive" problems like arthritis.

I used to bundle up my short haired chihuahua when it snowed and he was going to be out for more than a few minutes because I'm of the "better safe than sorry" crowd. (And any snow over 3 inches was up to his belly... ).

Boxers are not designed to withstand weather extremes, so it really comes down to common sense. Playing in the snow for a little while is probably a blast for them (Buster hasn't seen snow yet - can't wait!!) but just like when you see the human kid starting to develop bright red cheeks and a runny nose from the cold, you need to determine when they've had enough.

 

[Austin's Mom]

Austin is never cold. The fact that he is *a little* overweight may have something to do with that!

 

[olivesmom]

Olive absolutely love the snow. She thinks it's the greatest thing. When it's snowing she tries to chase the flakes. If we're shoveling both of the dogs will bite at the snow if we throw it towards them. Moe likes to catch snow balls. It's so much fun to watch them play in the snow. They can't stay out for too long since they do get cold. Moe has a fleece jacket so that we can take walks in the winter. I'll be getting Olive one soon. :D