Grooming Through The Winter Months

Grooming your dog is something you should do all year round, but you might need to make slight changes to how you do it depending on the season. Cold winter weather can affect your dog in different ways than hot summer weather, so it’s important to understand more about winter grooming. 

Winter vs. Summer Grooming

Summer is a common time for pet owners to give their dogs a shorter haircut. While it might seem like you should skip grooming in winter in order to help your dog stay warmer, this can lead to unpleasant results. A dog’s coat can get matted when it isn’t properly cared for with regular grooming. If this happens, your dog might end up having to get a shorter haircut during the winter months. These shorter haircuts make it harder for dogs to stay warm when they’re out in the cold. 

During winter, dogs can also develop dry, irritated skin. If your dog experiences these seasonal skin problems, you might need to switch to moisturizing products rather than regular ones. In summer, your dog’s skin is not likely to be as prone to dryness. 

Importance of Regular Grooming

Making sure that your dog’s skin and coat are cared for throughout the year, including winter time, helps keep their coat in good condition. This can reduce the risk of health issues, such as skin irritation that can lead to skin infections. Keep in mind that your dog’s nails are also more likely to grow longer in winter. During summer, longer walks on dry pavement help keep your dog’s nails trimmed. Shorter walks on snowy or icy pavement don’t offer this same benefit. Winter grooming should include trimming your dog’s nails to prevent them from getting too long, which puts your dog at risk of having them tear and makes walking more uncomfortable. 

Winter Grooming Basics

During the winter, coat and skin care for dogs generally includes using hydrating products that provide plenty of moisture or soothing products, such as dog shampoo that contains oatmeal. This helps combat the drying effects of winter air. While dogs usually don’t get haircuts as often in winter, regular brushing and combing is important in order to reduce the risk of mats and tangles. Dogs with longer coats still need to have them trimmed a bit in order to keep their coat as healthy and shiny as possible.

This article was originally published at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/dog-grooming/grooming-through-the-winter-months/

How Can I Keep My Dog Sociable In The Winter?

Staying social is important for dogs, but this can be a challenge in the winter. Thankfully, there are ways to make sure your dog gets plenty of interaction with other dogs during this time of year. 

Benefits of Being Social

Dogs need to be able to spend time with other dogs in order to build healthy socialization skills. Some dogs end up becoming fearful or aggressive around unfamiliar dogs if they’re not around other dogs much in general. Giving dogs plenty of chances to socialize helps them become more comfortable around other dogs. They learn how to behave appropriately while playing and interacting with other dogs. 

Being social also provides dogs with opportunities to stay mentally stimulated while also getting physical activity. When dogs run around and play with other dogs, they’re burning off mental and physical energy, which helps reduce the risk of boredom. Dogs can develop behavioral problems, such as chewing household items, when they’re bored and don’t have enough mental and physical stimulation. 

Ways to Stay Social in Winter

Although socializing offers important benefits for dogs, it’s not always easy to find ways to do this in winter. When it’s cold and snowy out, you’re not likely to find other dogs and dog owners at the local dog park. If it’s really cold, you also have to limit the amount of time your dog spends outside for safety reasons. 

DoGone Fun provides convenient ways for you to make sure your dog stays social this winter. Our doggy daycare services offer a safe place for your dog to play with other dogs throughout the season. This is a great option if you have to work all day and can’t be around your dog. At doggy daycare, your dog can spend several hours a day interacting with other dogs in a supervised setting. No matter what the weather’s like outside, your dog will be able to socialize all season long.

You can also rent the playroom at DoGone Fun on Sundays from 12:30 to 2:30 pm for special events. Whether you want to throw your dog a birthday party, schedule a play date or host a group event, you can rent the indoor playroom to provide dogs with a warm, dry area to burn off energy. When you rent this space, you’ll also have a staff member on hand to keep the dogs entertained with fun and games.

This article was originally posted at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/dog-daycare/how-can-i-keep-my-dog-sociable-in-the-winter/

It’s A Great Time To Train Your Dog

Obedience training isn’t just about getting your dog to listen to different commands. It also offers other benefits for your dog’s well-being, such as a chance to work on socialization. Learn more about why this is an ideal time to sign your dog up for training classes.

 Benefits of Socialization

All dogs need to be socialized in order to help them learn to handle new situations and unfamiliar people, dogs and other animals calmly. During training classes, dogs have many opportunities to become used to being around other dogs and people in a safe environment. These opportunities allow your dog to adapt to new surroundings while exhibiting appropriate behavior rather than acting fearful or aggressive. Building these skills means that your dog will behave properly in all kinds of settings and situations.

 Behavioral Problems

Dogs that don’t get enough opportunities to be around other dogs and learn how to behave properly can develop behavioral problems. These problems can also occur when dogs are bored and aren’t given chances to burn off energy. Dogs that don’t get out enough can end up chewing shoes, doors and other items in the home in order to relieve frustration and boredom. They might urinate or defecate indoors even though they’ve been house trained. Other behavioral problems that can develop include barking excessively and exhibiting timid or aggressive behavior around other dogs or people, such as growling, snarling or lunging. Keep in mind that fearful or aggressive dogs can be a danger to other pets and people.

 Training Classes

DoGone Fun offers training classes to help dogs learn commands while also providing opportunities for them to interact with other dogs in a safe, supervised setting. Having dogs attend these classes lowers the risk of having behavioral problems develop. This can make your pet more pleasant to be around in general, which can make the bond between you stronger. Keep in mind that you can also rent the training room at DoGone Fun for your personal use during mornings and some evenings.

 Agility Classes

Dogs that are already well-trained can benefit from taking agility classes at DoGone Fun. These classes provide a fun and challenging way for dogs to test their skills and learn new ones, which provides both mental and physical stimulation. Agility classes give dogs a great way to burn off energy while also spending time with other dogs.

This article was originally posted at https://www.dogonefunchicago.com/dog-training/its-a-great-time-to-train-your-dog/