Can’t we just stay inside?!
Don’t forget about your routine as the weather gets colder!
Brrrrrrrr! Below 60 degrees in the mornings and evenings?! That's SOCAL fall for ya and that’s COLD for me, a born and raised southern california beach pup. Anyone else finding it harder to get up and out of bed in the mornings?
But now with daylight savings, it gets dark before 5PM so those evening walks aren’t sounding appealing either?! You're not alone! We have hit a little bit of a slump in our daily exercise routine and are trying to figure out a new one that works for us.
Along with the change in weather affecting our exercise motivation, it is also causing a slight change in our grooming routine, our appetite, and our overall mood! Let’s dive in and go over some of the seasonal changes that occur in our pups and how we are trying to maintain as normal of a routine as possible!
Diet
A change you may notice in your pups during the winter months is their appetite. It is part of our nature to eat less in those hot summer months and have a much larger appetite in the colder months. With this increase in appetite it is important that we are still getting our regular exercise and maybe not indulging in as many treatos!
Obesity in dogs is a major health threat and predisposes our pets for numerous issues like heart, liver, and kidney disease, as well as cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. Things that we certainly want to avoid.
Now, with the holidays we LOVE baking and testing out all the festive treatos. I definitely do NOT want to encourage you to cut any of that out. Just being aware and cautious of how many treatos us pups have that day and maybe adjusting our food amount, or making sure to not overdo it for the rest of the week is important.
Exercise
Naturally, as the winter season approaches, and the temperatures drop, our activity levels usually drop as well. It’s colder in the mornings, it's dark early in the evenings, and snuggling up on the couch sounds a lot better than getting outside and active.
However, exercise for our pups is JUST as important in these colder months as it is in the summer. So, sometimes changing up the time of day you normally do those walks is necessary, get extra exercise on the weekends when you're home during the day, and invest in some puzzles and enrichment toys.
We have been doing evening walks, but now with the early sunset, we are switching BACK to our morning walks. And although it’s a bit chilly, it is fun getting to put back on those winter jackets or vests! We have also upped our weekend exercise to make up for not being at the beach or pool on the weekends. On those rainy days (not often down here in SOCAL) we bust out our puzzles, or do an enrichment activity to burn some of that mental energy.
Grooming
As the seasons change, so do our coats! Especially for our double coated doggos, our thicker coat comes through to provide adequate warmth. Along with this thicker fur, the weather can also cause our skin to become dryer and even cause some itchy skin and dandruff.
Our paws can also experience some drying and cracking, and in those super cold areas, frostbite and irritation from sidewalk/street salts!
We aren't making TOO many changes to our grooming routine because we already consistently do baths and regular brushing. However, with our baths, we are making sure that we are using a moisturizing shampoo/conditioner combo to help with dry skin. We are also going to get eyes on my paws and use our paw balm when necessary to not get cracked paws.
As the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter, adjusting your routine is to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your pup is very important. Our bodies change with the weather, so getting out and about to get some exercise is necessary, even if that means retreating back indoors mental stimulation if it’s just too dang cold.
Us doggos will tell you if we need more exercise, are injured, or need attention. Just pay attention, listen, brave the cold if you need to and we’ll be as healthy and happy as ever! We appreciate it!
And with that, I ‘m going to curl up in a blanket. Talk to you next week and as always, stay friendly!
Graham