Poodle Forum banner

I've never dressed a dog before, but...

3K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  fjm 
#1 ·
...Jazz's coat, after her first grooming, was much shorter than I wanted. She was clipped right down to the skin. (I found a new groomer, who does a wonderful job.) This was just as cold weather set in, so I bought a fleece turtleneck sweater for her. She has enough coat now that it probably isn't necessary, but I'm still using it when the temperature is below 20 degrees. Now we have several inches of snow, and she gets ice balls between the pads of her feet. I've been reluctant to walk her very far because of that. I'm also concerned about salt from road treatment. Should I get her some boots? (I can't believe I'm even asking this. :act-up: )
 
#2 ·
Hi Judy!

I think boots are a great idea if the area you live in is heavily salted. You can also get paw safe de-icer. Muttluks were recommended to me here, and I believe there is a thread called preparing for winter (?) that also suggests other types of boots. If you like keeping her in a very short cut you can also invest in a poodle snow-suit. They are super great, and save drying time.
 
#3 ·
I have the muttluks for Dex. Very nice and they stay on. There is also the PAWZ brand. Good price. Here we get a 12 pk for $22.

Pawz Dog Boots Canada


Dex wears them outside. Great for salted areas and keeping the snow out of their paws. They are almost like a disposable boot. Not much for warmth but when they are on Dex has a good grip on the ice etc. I will also be using them allot this spring when it starts to get muddy.

Available at Petsmart, Petco, etc
 
  • Like
Reactions: JudyD
#4 ·
I have hairless dogs so getting them dressed is a daily thing in winter. My dogs all have shoes for the summer especially because I won't make them walk on hot pavement. Vlora and Vixen wear winter boots too, but Sherlock and Vernon don't seem to mind the cold as much. I don't have to walk where deicer is used, but just in case, everyone knows that their paws get rinsed as soon as we get home from a walk. Better safe than sorry.
 
#5 ·
Hun, if you could only see all the things that I have gotten for all my little ladies, you asking about boots for your fur baby( ms. Jazz) is nothing at all. I think that might be a very good thing to get for her,use to drive truck with my husband Ken. Had a little Yorkie (Yancy)and one day Ken got me a tiny little tea cup black poodle , he named her BeBe, he got his Ms BeBe, a hot pink and black coat, with hat, and bright hot pink boots. Now Ken was 6ft 6in, and 250lbs, BeBe 1lb, out of the truck they came , he put her down so she could walk , so she could go potty,him not going very fast, her looking like a lady of the night, Yancy backed up, I wet my self laffing, every time he took his baby out , he dressed her. That is all I know about poodles & boots, but you walking her in the snow , boots sound good to me.
 
#15 ·
Ken got me a tiny little tea cup black poodle, he named her BeBe, he got his Ms BeBe, a hot pink and black coat, with hat, and bright hot pink boots. Now Ken was 6ft 6in, and 250lbs, BeBe 1lb, out of the truck they came , he put her down so she could walk , so she could go potty,him not going very fast, her looking like a lady of the night, Yancy backed up, I wet my self laffing, every time he took his baby out , he dressed her. That is all I know about poodles & boots, but you walking her in the snow, boots sound good to me.
I keep coming back to re-read your post and it cracks me up each time.:laugh: I can just see it! I own up to having a winter and rainwear wardrobe for Chagall, in nice respectable colors like neon orange and canary yellow, and a sensible baby-blue sweater a friend knit for him. And of course boots, too.:biggrin1: While the cold doesn't seem to bother him in the least (other than ice and snow build-up between his toes, which I avoid with Musher's Secret wax and boots), I feel colder looking at him nekkid outside in winter, so it's on with the outerwear. Six more weeks of winter...soon things will get easier for all!:)
 
#6 ·
Okay, boots it is. Thanks for the suggestions. And Abbe gails Mom, my husband wasn't eager to get another dog, let alone a poodle, but he fell for Jazz in maybe three hours. The next day, I caught him looking at rhinestone collars in Petsmart. (No, she's wearing black nylon.)
 
#7 ·
Sunny is never cold (must be the Canadian blood....) HOWEVER, the salt on the sidewalks and the frigid temps on the cement are really bothering him this winter. I end up picking him up over the salt, etc., but obviously easier with a mini. I have boots but Sunny does not like them and he loses them on the walk......good luck.
 
#8 ·
I clipped Poppy just before a cold snap, and she got very shivery. I dug out the woolly jumper a friend knitted for her, and she will come and ask to have it put on if she feels chilled. Fortunately we have had very little snow - so far. I think there is a big difference between dressing up, and protective clothing!
 
  • Like
Reactions: JudyD
#9 ·
I have never dressed a dog either and I never thought I would until my old lab Aki froze her rear paws last year, I felt so guilty! Both my dogs have boots now but I only put them on when it's really cold or when snow balls forms under Sushi's paws. I really like the Fleece Lined Muttluks ones, they are expensive but they stay in place and are durable.
 
#10 ·
I don't think dressing a dog is necessarily bad. If the dog isn't miserable and you are still treating the dog like a dog (you are the boss, not the dog) there is nothing wrong with them wearing clothes. It is cute. If you are dressing them to keep them warm, there is no question in my book that it isn't a bad thing. I have a sweater on Weegee and he doesn't need it, but he doesn't mind it and it is cute. On occasion I dress up my other dogs (like holidays) for pictures, but they aren't thrilled with it, so I take it off after a picture. I haven't gotten boots because I think it would be more trouble than it would be worth, but I don't walk him in the winter. He is only outside to go potty and then he comes back inside.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JudyD
#11 ·
vidky2200, you've got a full house, haven't you? How does your tiny little poodle survive among all those big dogs?

I agree with the cuteness--Jazzie looks pretty spiffy in her turtleneck. And to everyone else, our local Petsmart has the Muttluks in stock (I forgot to ask if they're the fleece-lined ones), so I'll pick up a pair (a quad?) tomorrow when I'm in Charleston.
 
#13 ·
Yeah, I've found that the part of Jazz's coat not covered by her sweater has little ice balls, mostly on her hind legs, but that doesn't seem to bother her. The ice balls in her pads do. How does your dog relieve himself when he's wearing his snowsuit? I looked at those, but the relief part of it made them seem impractical, to say the least.
 
#14 ·
Swizzle has a coat now. I understand the reluctance to dress a dog, Paris Hilton springs to mind, but when it gets below twenty he starts to shiver after a few minutes outside. When it was ten below I actually had him wear his coat to agility class although I took it off as soon as we were inside and had warmed up a bit. Like FJM says there is a big difference between dressing up a dog and protective clothing. I still feel somewhat embarrassed though.
 
#17 ·
Ahh. All of the photos I've seen look as if it covers everything. Perhaps for a female it's more problematic--if Jazz squatted with a snowsuit on, I'm pretty sure she'd come home with a wet snowsuit.
 
#19 ·
Oooookay, I bought the Muttluks this afternoon, and Jazz is having no part of them. I didn't persist in trying to put them on her--it'a a "choose your battles" kind of thing. I'll try again tomorrow, maybe have my husband help. Happily, all of the snow melted during the day, thanks to warmer temperatures, so there's no hurry.
 
#20 ·
Poppy got a very nice new sweater in the post today -/scarlet pure wool in a cable stitch, and a perfect fit. Then it started blowing a gale, with snow and sleet and hail and rain, so we have made do with a short walk and quick trips into the garden! I shall try and get photos of her tomorrow though, when it looks as if it is going to be cold enough for her to really need it. Our weather is coming straight from Northern Canada at the moment, picking up speed and water on the way!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top