Animal Welfare Professionals

Hi, my name is Selena. I have a 5 year old Yorkie and a 3 year old Boston Terrier. This coming December we will be moving from Texas to Idaho. I was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to help my dogs adapt to the colder weather.

I am starting to buy thicker sweaters and thinking about leg warmers, shoes, etc. I am more concerned about trying to continue going potty outside. Currently, we live in an apartment so the dogs are house broken and they are use to going potty outside.

I am just not sure how to make this transition better for them. I know it will be uncomfortable especially since we are moving at the end of December. I expect there to be accidents as we don't get much snow here in Texas.

Any tips or advise is well appreciated. Thank you!

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this. I moved from CA to WI for a couple years. When winter hit and my dog would go outside to defecate in the snow, he screamed, and I saw that the feces got stuck mid-way, probably frozen! I then switched his diet from all dry food to a dehydrated food that needs added water, and it worked! My dog is 65 lbs, so I did allow him to potty outside, but it may be different for your little ones. I think sweaters and booties are very good ideas. 

I went to college in Idaho from California and the change in weather was definitely a fun experience! Check out this past question of the week with cold weather pet tips: https://maddiespetforum.org/thread/question-of-the-week-33-cold-weather-pet-care/

My favorite tip that will definitely help your little pups get used to the cold and still want to potty is to use straw to cover the snow and protect their paws.

This past winter in Oregon, we got a ton of snow and I used leaves we had set aside during the Fall to cover the ground. It helped my two pups feel more comfortable to potty outside.