# Poodle Snow LUMPS



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

I shoveled the lawn. :|


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## mvhplank (Dec 5, 2012)

warmheartedpups said:


> Ok....so I am new to poodles and snow. My Casey saw snow for the first time in his life today...about 6 inches of the wet heavy snow. He threw all of his ten pounds into about three laps of zoomies around the back yard...and wanted in.
> I looked at his legs and they looked like snowmen.. total lumps of snow on every leg. I took him to the sink and with warm water they were gone in a minute.
> 
> BUT....does this happen every time he goes out now? His fur is not that long...but four or five leg baths aday for the next four months doesnt seem right.
> ...


Socks? Like, cut off the toe and just pull up over the bracelets? 

Actually, I think brushing off the snow into the sink might have been better than adding more water.

I'm interested in hearing from people who actually deal with this as my young Standard hasn't seen snow yet ... but it's coming, I'm sure!


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

The wet, heavy snow is the worst for sticking to fur. We are in Wisconsin and it started snowing pretty good last night and is still going. This is our second winter with Lexi, who absolutley LOVES the snow. She ran like a crazy dog this morning around the yard when I let her out and as she came barreling in the house and up the stairs, left a trail of snow. I don't know what type of cut Casey is in, but just yesterday when Lexi was at the groomers, I had her bracelets taken totally off. That makes it a bit less fur for all that wonderfull snow to pack in and around. Sometimes I will wipe her feet at the door, but what I done several times and it seems to work is to put a towel down on the kitchen or bathroom floor, have her stand over it, put my blow dryer on medium and work my fingers threw the pads of her feet to make sure there isn't any ice that stays between her pads. Then I just blow the back side of her feet, which is where the snow seems to stick the worst until it's gone. I was going to order dog booties for her last winter and didn't. As soon as I am done here I am placing an order. Dogbooties.com in Duluth makes custom booties that are very reasonable and last. Sled dogs wear them. We had some for our toy poodle when we first moved here and they worked really well for the snow. She was so little, they were almost like snowshoes for her.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Fluffyspoos said:


> I shoveled the lawn. :|


We used to shovel down to the top of the grass for our toy poodle who hated the snow. I couldn't blame her, we moved her here when she was ten years old! Dh would shovel a big, square place for her to potty. It reminded me of a snow cave and was high enough it kept her out of the wind as well. The things we do!


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

When I say the thread title "Poodle snow lumps," this is the first thing that came to mind. A friends sent this to me the other day!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Right now I have a sectioned part off to the side of the house for them so I don't have to shovel the WHOLE lawn, but using a slicker brush in the snowballs really helps get them off.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I never thought of using a slicker brush to get the snow balls out. Very good idea, fluffyspoos.

There is another thread with some discussion on this. Check out "So let's Talk About Winter" for some other ideas.


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## Chagall's mom (Jan 9, 2010)

Poodles are dogs for all seasons, just not such easy keepers in the snowy and muddy ones. Muttluks Dog Snowsuits earn raves from some. (I posted a photo of a poodle in one.) I just keep a force air dyrer on our enclosed back porch and use it as a poodle snow blower to get rid of the snow balls. It keeps my mpoo from defrosting all over the house and staining the wood floors. Sometimes I put boots on him. And I often use Musher's Magic wax on his paw pads and the webbing between his toes to prevent ice crystal build-up. The best thing to do may be to wish for an early spring, but then there's all that mud to deal with!!:smow:


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## warmheartedpups (Feb 27, 2012)

I think Casey's fur must be too long. He doesnt wear bracelets...he has fur all the way up...and its been two months since his last groom....he even had fur balls on his stomach...he was covered....

So it sounds like I need to keep him trimmed shorter for the winter...I was thinking to keep his fur longer for warmth....AND

I DID go out and shovel the grass...Lordy  I'm sure my neighbors thought I'd finally gone over the edge...but thanks for the tip!!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily has the same snowsuit as Chagall! Same color and everything. With the suit and booties she does pretty well staying warm and ice ball free.


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

We keep Dancer in a really short cut but she still gets snowballs on her legs. The dog booties work well but then the snowballs collect above where the booties end. We special ordered longer booties that go above her 'elbows' - slightly different lengths for front & back feet. Haven't used them yet I think they will work.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Thankfully, we don't get much snow ! But if we do, I plan to keep a hair dryer in the garage and leave the mess in there with the cars... You never know around here, last year snow was not an issue , the year before we had alot of snow. With two spoos, I hope to never see it again.


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## egodfrey (Sep 23, 2012)

I have ordered a pair of these to cover Jasper's legs 

Splash guards / Pee pants ? poodleit


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## jasperspoo (Feb 25, 2011)

I think that to a certain extent, it depends on the dog's fur. Jasper spends a great deal of time on the mountain during the winter and has never had snowballs, even though he has bracelets.

I'd recommend some type of gaiter, like the ones in the post above, if you're having trouble with it, though.


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## spookiesmom (Dec 31, 2011)

We shoveled the walk for my toy, that would be quick in quick out potty stop. For walks, he had a snowsuit. 50 something years later, I still have it, hope Spookie never wears it.
My Mpoo just wore a coat, don't remember much sticking to her.

My Belgian Terv. laid on a throw rug till he defrosted. He was a crazy dog, loved the snow. He'd chew the snow balls off himself, then zonk out.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If we have another snowy winter I plan on getting snowsuits for both of mine. I can just about cope with the deforsting when the get home, but they are so timy that they get snow balls in their armpits, and stop moving, and then have to be either defrosted on the spot or carried home. Nylon trouser suits (I've found good ones for about £15 from Cosipet in the UK) seem like a good, economical answer.


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## egodfrey (Sep 23, 2012)

My miniature schnauzers have a major problem in the snow. They come back inside looking like a snowball. We shovel paths around the yard for them when the snow gets too deep and they love it. The 3 of them zoom through the paths, chasing each other. 

They seem to really love the snow, even if it is a pain when they come inside.


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## MaryLynn (Sep 8, 2012)

Chagall's Mom, and Catherine which Muttluks coat do you have?

I see they have three models of "coats" are you using the insulated variety (do they get too warm in the insulated ones on mild days?) and I was just wondering which ones you preferred. I think I am going to order one as I just realized I probably don't want to deal with poodle lumps!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily has the reversible snow suit. I don't think I would say that she has ever overheated in it. Last year was very mild and had virtually no smow, so I don't think she ever had it on last winter, but the previous two were very snowy and we were happy to have it.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Just an update on the dog booties I ordered. They are not going to work for Lexi. They are way too stiff, they don't come up as high as I wanted and she won't walk in them. They worked like a charm for our toy.


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

Ok, so I decided to try these again. They don't come up as high as I want, but she has some sore spots on her feet that are healing, there is salt on the sidewalk and she needs her feet to be protected when she is outside right now. Dh Velcro'ed them up and off she went romping like crazy in the snow. Once outside she didn't pay them any attention, in the house she walks like a cat in them. She came back in with only three booties. Dh couldn't find them anywhere. It is a red bootie in the white snow. This is a man who did search and resuce in the Gulf of Mexico, and several other bodies of water, who went out with being told not much more that there was someone who left at a certain boat dock and were lost in the Gulf and he would find them. I found it when I came home for lunch. Needless to say, I gave him a bit of good natured grief.  I put them on her last night, made sure they were good and tight and off she romped like a crazy dog in the snow........and came back in with three booties. Grrrr! I found it staight away. Same thing this morning. What the heck are we not doing? It is dog booties with some crazy strong Velcro, not rocket science. I need to pay attention if it is coming off the same foot or not.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

dogbooties.com are the ones I have, too. They are nice, and inexpensive.


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## caroline429 (Mar 5, 2012)

I had Cali clipped to 1/2" all over last time. I did it because life has been really crazy around here lately and I thought it'd save me time on brushing and combing. A nice side effect is that the snowballs aren't too big! I shovel a path around my backyard for her and shovel off the deck, so she doesn't get many snowballs when she's out there.

She does get quite a few snowballs when she goes for her walk though because she runs and jumps into and over all the drifts. With her hair this short, I find all I have to do is take a small towel and kind of knock them off. By the time I get to the last leg, they've pretty much melted off it. 

I use little rubber boots on her called Pawz Dog Boots It takes a bit of practice to get them on, but once on, they do not come off! They do a great job of protecting her feet from the salt and from ice balls building up in her paws.

Unfortunately, they are color-coded per size and the size that fits Cali is neon orange.....they kind of clash with her coat but dogs are color blind so she doesn't know.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Nope, that's what happens to poodles in the snow! Callie is 2 and she LOVES the snow! Unless I keep her on a short leash and walk her where it is shoveled, she heads for the yard and "porpoises" all around in circles in the deepest snow she can find. It gets inside her coat and her legs grow little snowballs. When she is finished playing, I bring her in and towel her a little, then take the hair dryer to her legs and chest. I don't let her play for very long, so she doesn't get overtired or too cold, as she doesn't seem to feel the cold. I have to be the mommy for her. If the snowballs are really big, I put her in the kitchen sink and use the sprayer with warm water to melt them, then use the hair dryer. Just be sure Casey is completely dry before he goes to bed or you take him out again.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

I love that coat. Where did you get it? I'm having a hard time finding something that fits right. I've tried several different kinds. Callie is a perfectly proportioned 14 x 14 and for most coats a medium is too short in the back, and the large is too big. I end up trying to take the darn things apart and altering them so they give her better cover.


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## caroline429 (Mar 5, 2012)

SusanG said:


> I love that coat. Where did you get it?


It's made by a Canadian company called Bluemax. I live in Ontario, so I bought it at a local pet shop. I just looked at the Bluemax website Bluemax Dog Accessories and noticed that they sell them through Amazon in the US. I did a search on "bluemax dog coats" in Pet Supplies and found them. They're all there but every single one is listed as being out of stock. :sad: It looks like you can contact Bluemax and order from them directly so maybe if you see something you like on Amazon, you could do that.

I like this coat because it fits like a little horse blanket. I find a lot of dog coats pop up at the back when the dog sniffs at the ground. With the straps crossing under the belly on this coat, it stays in place much better. My Cali's coat is an XS. It is 12.5" from the base of the neck to the tail. Cali is 13" so it is a tad short but the next size up, Small, was 14" and just looked a little too big on her. It may work for your Callie though.


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