Best practices/gear for winter hiking with the pup

[jeech]

Hey folks,

Just adopted my dog in June. She's been my primary hiking companion since then. Unfortunately it's cold in the Whites these days. I have a ruffwear fernie fleece jacket for her, but it's not enough. She's short-haired, with just about zero fur on her belly. I'm looking for more layers/another jacket to give her so she can continue hiking with me through the winter. I've been looking at Hurtta's cold weather line--looks like they've got some pretty good stuff. Anyone have experience with them?

I've also gotten her ruffwear polartrex boots, but when we hiked Passaconaway on Sunday, she got ice inside of the little upper sleeves and was constantly chewing at them. I could tell she was extremely uncomfortable. I've read conflicting information about whether dogs actually need boots in the snow and whether they get frostbite or not, so I asked my vet if they're necessary or not. Just curious what you people are doing.

Does anyone here hike the Whites in the winter with a short haired dog? What do you do to keep them warm and happy?

[rocketsocks]

Whud the Vet say?

[rocketsocks]

I couldn't keep em on my husky, he hated booties. So he went without!

[jeech]

Still waiting to hear from the vet. My Catahoula/Mountain Cur mix keeps 'em on, but I didn't like how they got loaded up with ice last weekend.

[rocketsocks]

Still waiting to hear from the vet. My Catahoula/Mountain Cur mix keeps 'em on, but I didn't like how they got loaded up with ice last weekend.

if ya don't get many hits here, maybe try a "Mushers" fourm.

[rocketsocks]

http://www.iditabuds.com/forum/

[jeech]

http://www.iditabuds.com/forum/

Thanks, rocketsocks!

[nsherry61]

Short hair, high energy dog here.

My dog is a lab/vizsla mix, now almost 8 yrs old. She's got slightly more undercoat than a vizsla, but much shorter hair then a lab. She is highly active and doesn't like her coat on below treeline in most cases because she overheats running around. We've never had frostbite problems with her paws, just abrasion issues from sharp ice or rocks which she recovers from without too much problem. We've been in -10 to -15*F weather below treeline (yes she wore her coat). Above treeline, below 20*F or so with high winds and she's cowering downwind of my legs if I don't put her coat on.

Nana on Monroe.jpg

Here we are on Mt. Monroe, camera looking to the top of Washington last winter near the end of February. If I recall, the weather, aside from being stunningly sunny and clear, was about 10*F and essentially no wind when this picture was taken. An couple hours later descending Mount Washinging and heading toward Jefferson, the wind had picked up quite a bit, I had to have goggles and full face mask, my dog was in her coat and still cowering downwind of me, so we called it a day and descended the Jewel trail back to the car. Once below treeline, the dogs coat came off again. Never any frostbite issues, although one exposed spot on my face between my mask and goggles sure felt like it would have been frostbitten if I hadn't stopped to covered it up.

Nana in red coat.jpg

Here's my dog in her coat. I don't seem to take pictures above treeline when its windy enough for her to have her coat on. This was descending Mount Moosilauke about a week earlier, probably just before she started rolling around on the snow expressing her disdain for the coat being too hot.

My dog's coat is a Ruffwear insulated puffy jacket. I think it is their Quinzee jacket or an older version of the same. It's definitely windproof, although when the wind is strong and at her back, the back 1/3 of the jacket blows up over her back, so she is not completely covered. To date, it has served our purpose well in being easy on/easy off, and warm enough for her except in the most windy cold conditions, probably -20 or 25*F with wind-chill.

[jeech]

Thanks! That's reassuring that I can forego the boots—she was miserable when they got loaded up with ice.

I definitely need to get her something that's windproof. Right now she just has the Ruffwear Fernie, which is great around town but not so much in the backcountry. Does your jacket cover the belly or just the chest? I feel like a lot of heat is probably stolen from her tummy, especially when the wind is blowing. I'm considering taking the layering approach with her.

How are you able to tell your pup is overheating below treeline? Same symptoms as in the summer?

[nsherry61]

. . . Does your jacket cover the belly or just the chest? I feel like a lot of heat is probably stolen from her tummy, especially when the wind is blowing. . .

Doesn't cover her belly at all. It would be much warmer, I would think, if it did, but would also risk getting peed on. Before we got her coat, we had a women's extra-small wool sweater we bought at a thrift store that we would put on her with the sleeves rolled up a bit. It covered her belly more, and was pretty baggy at that point and still managed not to get peed on. So, I suspect there is room for improved belly coverage with the right application of ingenuity, maybe even better belly coverage and better rear flap hold-down at the same time? Maybe the new Ruffwear Quinzee design does it better than this one, although, it looks pretty much the same.

. . . How are you able to tell your pup is overheating below treeline? Same symptoms as in the summer?

Being too hot is certainly just my interpretation of her actions. She starts rolling around on her back like she's trying to get the coat off, and timing-wise, it seems to coincide with when she might reasonably be getting warm. My goal is to make sure to take her coat off before she starts lowing her belling into a creek to cool off.

[saltysack]

I've never been in sub zero temps with my jrt but he gets cold easily when stopped. I've always used and like his Ruff wear fleece as it covers part of his tummy...mushers secret has always worked on ice but his pads are conditioned on hot asphalt so there pretty tough.[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161216/be3bb6183326b386ebf3cc006


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[johnnybgood]

Very nice pics Salty. I especially like the above sunset photo from what looks like Hump Mountain. Your pup looks cool rockin' the fleece sweater.

[jeech]

Alright alright! I'll post! Here's Caddo climbing Mt. Hancock two weeks ago!
15325340_10207575934976631_2910727428902467487_o.jpg15391311_10207575936536670_3089442444229333837_o.jpg15493809_10207575933776601_526730430836573997_o.jpg15540835_10207575931056533_571747270713054764_o.jpg

[jellyfish]

I've made a lot of dog coats over the years, of all sorts of materials. You can use a coat that fits well as a pattern, or do measurements. I am thinking about sewing a climashield apex filled coat for one of my dogs. He is always cold.


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[rocketsocks]

Alright alright! I'll post! Here's Caddo climbing Mt. Hancock two weeks ago!
15325340_10207575934976631_2910727428902467487_o.jpg15391311_10207575936536670_3089442444229333837_o.jpg15493809_10207575933776601_526730430836573997_o.jpg15540835_10207575931056533_571747270713054764_o.jpg

Man there's some Christmas cards there...nice!

[saltysack]

Very nice pics Salty. I especially like the above sunset photo from what looks like Hump Mountain. Your pup looks cool rockin' the fleece sweater.

Believe was max patch


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[saltysack]

Alright alright! I'll post! Here's Caddo climbing Mt. Hancock two weeks ago!
15325340_10207575934976631_2910727428902467487_o.jpg15391311_10207575936536670_3089442444229333837_o.jpg15493809_10207575933776601_526730430836573997_o.jpg15540835_10207575931056533_571747270713054764_o.jpg

Great shots....


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[Lynnette]

Bailey is 7.5 yr old, Australian Shepherd rescued at 2 who has become a real hiker. Her first winter out tho in south GA in March, she shivered and was not at all acclimated or furry enough, so she came home at Woody Gap. She loves her hiking clothes. Was able to go searching in several thrift shops to obtain a girls size 8-10 puffy jacket a nice collar up on it, exterior material semi resistant to rain, actually even has sequins. It has a light weight zipper and fits from her neck down to just past the beginning of the tail stub. She wears it upside down. The collar part comes up under her ears and the zipper is on her back. She just steps into it and you carefully zip. Paid $1.50. She does not wear booties yet. Her toenails are cut to minimize painful ice crystals and she has a zrest to get off the cold ground during break. Following atticus - a hiking and doggy book by tom ryan describes their climbs while peak bagging thru the white mountains between Dec 1 and Mar 1. He had a little pint of a dog which occasionally wore muttlucks - a fleece line dog boot and a body suit by k9top coat. If anything if you hike with your dog buddy much you would enjoy this book.