[Fluffyspoos]

As some of you may know, my poodle when I get him or her is going to be trained for retrieving game birds. Here in Utah the hunting season starts in September and ends in January, snow falls around the end of October and waterfowl will sometimes fall into water into November until it freezer over.

It'll still be hot during the day in September and into the first couple of Oct until it cools off. I'll probably have him or her short for that month but begin to grow his or her hair out for the later months.

What length is appropriate for outdoor work in the snow? And how should I clip (I'm just going to say him) him? Should I keep a clean face/feet/tail? Or leave him the same length all over. How long should I keep him without worrying about snowballs attaching to his fur or if he retrieves a bird in the water in the cooler months how quickly should I expect him to dry off? Should I bring a towel?

Most of the dogs around here that are retrievers are fat labs, so they don't really react to the cold, but poodles are much thinner and I don't know how well they'll react to it. I know the continental cut was suppose to be appropriate for dogs hunting in the cold in germany way back when, but I don't know how well it worked..

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Thanks a lot, Thestars!

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Thanks for all the helpful advice guys! All the dogs I've owned have had very short, fine coats (doxi's, boxers) and with a jacket they were just fine in the snow.

How do you get a dog used to wearing boots? I know that huskies wear them on long dog sledding races, but obviously the dog has to be past the whole 'lift foot really high in the air and gnaw this irritating thing off' phase.

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Any idea where I can buy that foot balm?

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Utah is in the mid western US, thanks for the link!