Exercising them in the winter?

[ShadieLady]

Well, I live in MN and it's been COLD this winter. Lots of days in the negs and lots of icy wind this year. Those of you that live in these climates, do you still walk your Newf? I have a Mini Aussie now and prior to the winter we were walking 4-5 miles a day, well I have not walked her much of the winter because I was afraid it was too cold for her, and well, I don't enjoy it much either.

I know our Newfies love the cold and handle it just fine, I'm just wondering if most of you on here are winter warriors and still go out no matter the weather (so long as it is not dangerious)? Today it is about 16F and pretty windy, so I'm not out, but would most of you be out there with your Newf? I'll feel better knowing if I should be out there once he gets home in a couple weeks, or not.

On a side note, at what age do you really start walking them, and how far?

 

[Blacknewfs]

Today it is about 16F and pretty windy, so I'm not out, but would most of you be out there with your Newf?

16 F (-9 C) is considered mild in these parts! At that temp I wouldn't consider skipping a walk. Now, if the wind chill was -20 or something I'd stay home--the wind does make it so much worse!

Once it hits -15c or so without the wind, then I start complaining more, but if it's sunny I would still go, just not carry any camera gear with me, and I would be bundled up, and my basset would wear a jacket, the Newfs don't seem to care. Really, if you are dressed for it and moving quickly, it shouldn't be a problem. -25 and I don't go usually, I stay home and drink cider by the fire instead.

For pups--they start going for walks once their shots are all done. I have a 3 1/2 month old golden mix pup I am fostering and I've had him traipsing through the woods for over an hour at a time several days a week. He sleeps well those evenings!

 

[jane]

Even though it does'nt get as cold here as by you, I'm out every morning in the winter walking w/my guys in the woods. We've had a pretty cold winter here. One week was in the teens and night was colder. I still took them on their night walks too. My bichon loves the cold and joins us on our walks.

 

[Pam G]

My hubby and I drive our guys to the golf course every morning for a 30 minute off leash run/walk. The only thing that stops us is ice or too much snow. The cold doesn't stop us..and neither does the rain....but we dress for it!!! The route we take has alot of hills...so great exercise for all of us. The entire golf course is fenced, so very safe. They LOVE the off leash time. We have always waited till they were about 18 mths or so before we take them there because it is a long walk ...with alot of hills. I think it may be to much for a younger pups joints.

 

[nsmarlis]

Ice has been a real problem for the past month. I finally got some cleat things & am leaving them on a pair of boots for the rest of ice season. Now we're back to walking again. Thank heavens we're getting more daylight!

 

[Joan Fisher]

I'm out with Tiika twice a day for around 45minutes no matter what the weather. If it's more than -30C(-22F) with the wind chill I put John's down vest on her but she doesn't think she needs it at all. This morning it was -20C (-4F) and -30C(-22) with the wind chill but Tiika acted the same as always and had a great time exploring and smelling everything along the trails. I dress warmly and I'm fine and none of my Newfs have ever seemed to mind the cold. Tiika wants to lie out on the deck when it's really cold but I won't let her stay out for more than 10-15 minutes at those temperatures unless we're walking and she's really active.

 

[anya]

It has been a bit nippy these days. Usually if it is above 10 degrees I will walk them or get them to the dog park. The dogs can handle it better than I can. When I was employed, I would take them to a day care on rainy or really cold days. That way they were still able to play all day with other dogs and didn't need a walk at night. Walks will also depend upon the conditions of sidewalks. Last year on Feb. 17 we had a major ice storm...ice on the sidewalks for a couple of weeks after. I steered clear for my own sake. We also had ice about a month ago...same thing.

As for distance, Anya would go a long way with me in mild temps. Eden, I am literally dragging her. I will take her on about a 2 block radius walk, drop her off at home, then continue walking with Anya. Yesterday Eden wouldn't budge from the hallway to go for a walk! So, I just left her home and we did a short walk...because I was cold.

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

I know our Newfies love the cold and handle it just fine, I'm just wondering if most of you on here are winter warriors and still go out no matter the weather (so long as it is not dangerious)?

Up till Jan 24, 2007, we did our thing pretty much all year round. But after my fall walking Snuffles I have cut WAY back. Lately in place of the mid day walk, I have been loading Snuffles in the car and taking him to the Dog Park. There are generally no dogs there that time of day, but I walk the perimeter and he generally follows. I also take a toy to play fetch with too.

Clothing wise, I dress in my normal winder dudes as well as put my rain suit over it all. The rain suit acts as a GREAT wind break, so I generally don't get too cold.

 

[ShadieLady]

Goodness, you are all troopers! I feel like a horrible dog-mommy. I even have all the warm gear, as I use to ride the horses in the winter. Well, the mini Aussie and I are bundling up and heading out right now! Thanks all for letting me know I've been keeping the both of us inside for nothing!

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

I started walking our girls around the neighborhood when they were old enough to go out in public (after all vaccinations). I let them walk in the grassy area along the side of the road, to make it easier on their joints. As long as the weather isn't too wet, extremely cold, or humid and hot, we try to do our walk...at least one mile each (which generally means 2 or 3 miles for me, depending on whether I walk Mags and Lucy as a team, or individually). Newfs laugh at winter's cold! It's me who is so bundled up she can hardly move.

 

[Ursa]

Man, we are wimps in this household, of course we're in warm weather Texas. If it's anywhere near freezing (32f), no way we're going out for a walk. The good thing is, it's only that cold once in a while.

 

[godbout]

It get pretty cold up here in Montreal but we still do our thing. When it goes below -25˚C though we do several smaller circles so if Atlas get cold we are never far from home, though even in these temps he seems to thrive.

 

[zennewf]

It's not the cold that limits us. I think newfs can take anything. It's the ice on the ground that makes it's hard for all of us. Everything is pretty much an inch of ice or it's lots of snow that the dogs post-hole into. No fun.

I think my dogs can handle walking on icy surfaces, but not playing. So I've been taking them out but avoiding the dog group since it got so bad.

Liz

 

[Bär]

I walk Bär daily as long as the temp. is no colder then -25 C. Anything colder then -25 C I will just walk him around the block 2 or 3 times a day. It is a short 5 min. walk, but he still gets his exercise. On top of the 3 walks we then either play in the yard or in the house depending on how his paws are doing. I also use doggy bootys when it is really cold.
But it depends on the wind too. Today, we have winds around 70km, even with the milder temps, in that wind I will not walk him.

 

[enan]

My only concern is wind and the amount of ice on the sidewalks, they play outside for quite a bit in the backyard...

 

[NinaA]

We had a massive ice storm last week and I'm noticing that the girls break through the ice - actually it was snow/ice/snow, but it is a little hard for them to pull their feet back up to take the next step. You might keep an eye on that sort of thing. Didn't take them long to figure out they don't like this, and they began just going out to take care of business and then coming back in. Frankly, don't care if I never see ice again.