How do yorkies do in the snow? Pics Please
 

My two California princesses may just be in for the shock of their life. We are seriously considering moving to Missouri. How in the world do they go potty when it's freezing and snowing outside? Will they just totally hate it or what?My girls are definatley now potty pad trained, now I wish they were:( Any thoughts or advice for me? Do you have pics of your babies in the snow?

It snowed her a couple of Christmas's ago. I had chester then and he hated it. Gracie, loved it and wouldn't stay out of the snow. I guess it depends on the dog.:p

We got snow one day here last year and chloe did fine. I had her bundled in a jacket and I put booties on her and she went outside and pottied like usual and the girls even played outside. Now sinse we only got snow once my experience probobly wont mean very much, lol. :D

You like how your only 2 responses so far have been from Texans that hardly ever see snow, lol!!! :D :D :D

Where is alaskayorkie???? He is an expert in this area ;)

Here's my Southern gal, Gracie enjoying the snow!

OK---here are the links to my snow pics!!!

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24512

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24853


Hope these help ya out!!!!!

I seriously think you should ask the expert!!! Mike (Alaskayorkie) should be the direct contact person!!
Suz

Oh yea! I totally agree with you there! LMAO!

Last year we moved from CA to MD and Mitzi had her first snow. She was NOT amused! :D First the stepped on the "white blanky" she thought we had put down for her and was VERY upset when it turned out to be COLD and gave away under her feet. Then she stalked out of it shaking her feet like a cat does when she gets her feet wet. It was tooooooooo funny! So we kept the sidewalk free of snow and "Princess" could go potty without getting her privates cold. ;) Sorry I have no pictures since my camera always seem to be somewhere else when I need it most. :(

Yay! I'm an expert at something, Yorkies in the snow! Thanks for the props, Suz and Miezzi!

Yes, based on my experience with two Yorkies, they can be taught to love the snow and cold. Yours will be more of a challenge than mine because mine never knew any better.

If and when you move, let's talk. Little things like getting someone to stomp down fresh snow in the backyard so they don't sink up to their necks will make a world of difference. Booties can be a challenge to put on and get them used to, but they more than doubled the amount of time Eddie could tolerate (and enjoy) the cold. The secret is finding booties that are easy to put on.

Other than that, just start slow and gradually they will want to stay out longer.

Mike is definitely the expert since he gets way more snow than the rest of us. When we got snow this winter, I would keep an area of the grass shoveled for Sissy to go on. She would head right to this spot, do her thing and high tail it inside. She gets cold very easy, so she wears a coat and then only stays out for about a minute. She refused to do the bootie thing. Depending on the size of your Yorkie, they might like romping in the snow. Sissy's head is only 8" above ground, so since we usually get 2 or more inches of snow at a time, she is literally partly buried if she goes in the snow. She's not even crazy about the grass when it is needing to be cut and it is wet!!

Good luck to you. Missouri also gets HOT in the summer time, so that will be new to her, too. I'm trying to get out of Michigan - we're hoping to transition to the San Diego area around this time next year....

:snowman: OK, we live in the northeast and it snows all the time. I had a box for the babies (6), and thats where they went potty. They all adjusted well, I just made sure the box was covered and it was shifted so no ice or snow in it. I do have pictures of Lil Bear, SamanthaJoel and AnnaRose running in the snow..

I don't live too far from the southwest corner of Missouri. I can't say that Reuger hated or loved the snow. If my daughter or granddaughters were outside playing then he followed them around and didn't seem to mind. If he was outside alone then he did his business and came right back in. I did buy Reuger a coat and when it was really cold I put it on him but he didn't always need it. Some days he would come in just covered in snow! It was so cute!

Where are you moving to in Missouri? The northern part gets quite a bit more snow than the southern part.

We get some pretty good snows here in Kentucky. Sophie loves it but she goes potty on a pee pad on the porch. We let her play in it a little but man it is hard with all her hair.

Our northeastern Ohio yorkies love to go out in the snow. However, they hate to go out in the rain.

HAHHAHA! I totally have to agree on that one! HAHAHHA!!!!!!! As I do live in NAE ohio too! HAHAHHAHAH!

I was gonna say the same thing. Logan loves the snow, but he hates that cold fall rain....as do I.

Buy a house with an attached garage and teach them to go on pads in it. That's what I've always done. Muffin did this for 14 years and I've taught Kacee to go on them. When it's nice outside, she goes out there during the day, but I won't let her go out there at night unless I'm with her. Mine love to play in the snow, but not go to the bathroom in it! :eek:

Another snow expert
 

I think I can join Mike in the expert category. I live in Northern Manitoba in Canada. Our city, Thompson, is about 600 miles to the US boarder. We get LOTS of snow. We got Bailey in January (stupid time to get a dog in our climate):( and I have to say, I tried her once in the snow and that was it! We had by this time about 3 feet of snow so we thought because she weighted a little over a pound, the snow would support her. Wrong. She sunk like a lead balloon! So needless to say, never again. From that point on, we have used puppy pads. The other worry we have is the cold. It can get down to 50 below zero ( or -50 celsius for my Canadian counterparts and UK Poster). On the milder days, even if she is going for a cart ride, we dress her in booties and sweaters. I know a great place to get booties that fit, so if you move, contact me.

It doesn't have to be a cold fall rain, they hate to go out in the rain, period! Even if it's nothing more than a light sprinkle.

Really Logan doesn't mind being out in the rain & especially if it's just sprinkling he'll stay out forever, but he doesn't like the cold icy stuff. But warm rain is just fine.

Where in MO are you planning on moving to? I live in Missouri and last year we had the warmest winter on record, it snowed 1 time, and we usually get around 3 or 4 really good snows! So who knows maybe next year we wont even get any. I took both of my girls out in the snow last winter and they loved it! I literally had to drag them inside they wanted to play some more, and they are really prissy! I think that your girls would do just fine!

I didn't even know they got snow in Missouri! Shows you how much I know!! We get tons of the stuff here (Northern Ontario) but unfortunately we get the freezing cold temps with it, too. (Like Alaskayorki and baileysmom 31) I got Topher in Feb when it was wayyyy too cold to bring a young little one outside who'd never been outside before! I even bundled him up in a nice fleece lined coat, but he wanted nothing to do with it.

I'm hoping this winter will be different, though. Now that he's used to being outside, I'm hoping that the snow will be an easy transition for him...and he'll gradually get used to the cold temps. I don't know what I'm going to do when it gets to -30 or -40 though.

That's what I keep hearing, weather changes all the time, sometimes lots of snow, sometimes hardly any and icey conditions. Lots of humidity in the summer...

We are thinking of moving to a surrounding town of Springfield. We don't know which town yet but atleast a comfortable driving distance to Springfield for work. My parents took a vacation there and just got back home a few days ago. They loved it there and drove through lots of little towns and met with realtors to see homes and such. The pics she brought home were absolutely gorgeous scenery. My parents and my brothers and our families all want to move out of California. We think by spring, if we do decide to go.

After seeing all the cute pictures of all the Yorkies in the snow....i can't wait till Lady sees her first snow... I hope she likes it.

This thread is proving instructive to this so-called expert too! I hadn't thought of shoveling down to grass, but I'll bet that would be idea for a dog new to the snow.

Kobe hates going out in the snow or the rain.

OK, I hadn't planned on unveiling this until I'd finished, but here's a rough draft of a story I'm hoping to submit to some doggie magazines this fall. I'm not real happy with it. It needs some quotes from experts, and it seems a little dry to me. I'd be interested in feedback, especially if anyone disputes anything or thinks I'm overlooking an important point.

LuvMySissy, I already stole your idea of shoveling down to bare dirt! Please don't sue me. I'll even give you credit if you PM me your name!

By MIKE LEWIS
There are legions of small-dog owners who put away their leashes, Frisbees and other outdoor toys the moment the first snowflake flies. Thirty-two degrees means it's too cold for Tinkerbell or Yoda or Muffy, right?
Wrong.
Most small dogs can exercise comfortably and safely outside all winter in temperatures of 30, 20, even 10 degrees or lower. You just need to watch your dog closely and take as much care dressing your little one as you do yourself.
Too many people take little dogs outside in winter naked, watch them pick up their paws and shiver, and immediately call an end to outdoor exercise. A recent poll on an Internet forum for small-dog owners confirmed those suspicions: Only about 13 percent of respondents said their dogs received the same amount of exercise in winter as they get in summer.
The rest? Their dogs quite likely get lethargic and gain weight for three, four or six months of the year.
Persuading people to take these precautions isn't always easy.
"Dogs don't need coats," a sarcastic co-worker once told me in front of a roomful of laughing colleagues. "That's why they have fur."
"And parrots have down feathers," was the answer. "But see how long your African Grey survives when you put his perch outside when it's 10 degrees."
Most small dogs were not bred for the cold, yet people scratch their heads over why their dogs shiver uncontrollably and balk at going outside long enough to even relieve themselves in winter.
In truth, even many Alaskan Huskies, among the hardiest of Northern breeds, wear coats and booties when competing in the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska each winter. To prevent them from expending too much energy staying warm, mushers frequently put coats on their dogs when they bed them down at checkpoints. And when the temperatures reach well below zero, some even run with coats on.
Why would a small breed be any different?
Here's a list to help you prepare for winter walks:
BOOTIES
If snow is on the ground, booties -- even more than a coat -- are going to make your dog happiest in winter.
Although there are dozens of fancy, fitted and expensive booties on the market, simplest is best for exercise. Just like with Iditarod dogs, the most practical bootie for a little dog is a rectangular or tapered sack made of waterproof nylon and a Velcro strap at the top. An inside layer of fleece can provide a little more comfort and warmth. A simple, unlined fleece bootie will serve the purpose providing the snow is not wet.
These simple designs may be difficult to find commercially, but they are easy to make for anyone who can sew. Booties with zippers and tongues and built-in heels are fine for pictures and short walks, but they are not practical for a dog trying to exercise. Fitted booties rarely stay in the position they are intended. They can twist and rotate and make walking even more of a chore for a dog that doesn't like them in the first place. Second, training your dog to accept booties is challenge enough. If you can't get the bootie on the dog quiickly, you're not going to go to the trouble of putting them on at all.
Even then, you have to follow a consistent regimen. Put them on your dog before every walk. Make it a routine. He may run from you, he may yelp and pull up his feet, but eventually he will tolerate them. In fact, once he gets used to them, he will probably refuse to walk outside without them.
COATS
Fleece, sheepskin and wool are all good fabrics to have on the dog side of the coat. Any wind-resistant fabric is great for the outside but not essential for short walks. Resist the temptation to shop for cuteness. You are trying to protect your dog from the cold. Make sure the coat is heavy enough to insulate.
For exercise, coats with no leg holes offer better freedom of movement. But any coat or sweater that your dog can walk in comfortably is better than no coat at all.
START SLOW
As with humans, dogs need to get used to colder temperatures. Don't start out with a 30-minute walk. Start out with a 10-minute walk. When he starts balking at returning home after 10 minutes, you know you're ready to extend the time outside.
COMMON SENSE
Booties and coats are no panacea for making all dogs comfortable in all winter conditions. You have to watch your dog carefully. He's likely to shiver when you first go outside, but the shivering should stop immediately when you start walking and exercising. If it doesn't, you either have to increase the pace of the exercise or quit. Never let your dog shiver uncontrollably for long. My 8-pound Yorkie 1-year-old goes on a 30-minute walk in temperatures down to 10 degrees and fights me when it's time to go back into the house. But my 4-pound, 10-year-old, even bootied and with a coat, only makes it 5 minutes or so before he's ready to go back in my coat and warm up. But in a 30-minute walk, I will pull him out for at least three 5-minute walks. That's a heck of a lot better than the alternative: no exercise.
TRAIL GROOMING
Whether you're just letting your little dog out to relieve himself or taking him on a longer walk, take the time to pack down any fresh snow. Chest-deep snow can get under the best of coats, not to mention cling to fur and make cleanup a chore. An inexpensive pair of aluminum showshoes can do the trick. Stomping down a path to a potty area in the backyard can take just minutes. Some owners shovel down to bare grass to make the surface more comfortable. For longer walks, wear the snowshoes and let your dog follow around behind you on a longer leash.

Mike Lewis is a free-lance writer who lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Very interesting, Mike. I just hope I never have the need to put all of THAT information to use!