DDog and the snow

[Boffin9207]

It has snowed fairly heavily here overnight. DDog hasn’t been to the loo since yesterday afternoon (wouldn’t go before bed) and is refusing to go this morning. I even cleared space in the garden for her to go. Any suggestions?

I need to walk her in a bit. Should this be a shorter walk than usual? She doesn’t have a coat.

TIA

age? breed?

What kind of breed is she? If she’s one of the more delicate breeds, she’s going to be freezing, if you don’t get a coat for her. You need to go out with her and stand while she has a wee. Be careful with her paws, because the salt used by the council is dangerous for dogs, so make sure you wash her paws when you get back.

Actually try to sta6 well out of the salt, as it can cut her wee paws.

If she's a fluffy breed then watch for snow getting impacted on the bottom of her paws too.

Sorry - lab, three years old. She’s a rescue and not had her for very long!

Ah, a 3 year old healthy lab should be fine for a normal walk out in the snow. That's assuming a normal walk for you and her isn't 10 miles across arctic fields

She shouldn't need a coat.

On toileting, my guess would be she's just not had the experience of peeing in snow before. I would be tempted to walk her out and about until she has to go.

Get her out there and having fun

Last year my dog was very much 'wtf' is that and we had to clear a path and encourage him to go in it.

This year he was bouncing about and tried to play fight my snow shovel.

Try and coax her out with food and stand out with her a bit until she gets her confidence that it's nothing to worry about.

Thank you - I will take her out for a walk shortly and make a better path in the garden. She bounded our this morning but was definitely a bit wtf and scooted back in. Yesterday she wouldn’t toilet on the frost in the garden so I had to walk her down the road to a grassy patch to get her to go!

Put a bit of tarpaulin, sheet of cardboard or sheet of plastic down, near the back door. A bin bag, cut open and held down with weights would do. That way you’ll have a first free spot for her.

P.S, this is Mumsnet, photos are compulsory. 😉😁

Labs can be very fussy about where they go. Both of mine refuse to use the garden and prefer to stand in a bush or high grass. One in particular could hold it in for hours and hours until he was happy with his location. Is there a woodland nearby that won't be as affected by the snow, you can drive to?