# Does the winter effect dog's energy levels?



## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

Got a quick question about dogs and exercise and winter that Google didn't quite answer for me. Do dogs get any less active during the winter months? I was curious considering people tend to go into a bit of a "hibernation" mode with the cold weather and snow, etc. I know my general activity level starts to decline as I hunker down to brave out the winter. Do dogs experience this at all? Does their energy level decline?


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 18, 2009)

Yes. 

It makes Harleigh 100 times more hyper (which I don't see HOW that could happen seems how she's already go, go, go!) :

But then again... I live in Florida, so our cold weather really isn't THAT bad. LOL


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

nikkiluvsu15 said:


> Yes.
> 
> It makes Harleigh 100 times more hyper (which I don't see HOW that could happen seems how she's already go, go, go!) :
> 
> But then again... I live in Florida, so our cold weather really isn't THAT bad. LOL


Well I certainly hope that isn't the case for Vincent! I live in PA and it tends to get fairly cold here and we get some snow (although last year we got a whole 4 feet in about 2 weeks) so I'm trying to figure out what I need to do for Vincent during the colder months to make sure we are still getting him the exercise he needs. The thing that sucks is that the dog park is only open until dusk and dusk comes right as I'm getting home from work these days. :-(


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Crystal's energy level has never changed noticeably. I'm expecting Casper to get more hyper and excited in the winter, though. I cannot wait to see him playing in snow for the first time! (Yes, I will get lots of pictures!)


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

Boy does it ever effect his energy level. All summer I get Buster the dog-fur-rug. The first crisp fall morning you'd think he was a dog that'd never been worked with. After about a week he tones things down to a more manageable level, though not nearly as low energy as summer time. 

Iowa winters can be brutal but as long as things arent too icy (I prefer not to meet the pavement THAT closely!) and we're not dealing with dangerous temps I get the beast out several times per day for walks & playtime. Winter is when he can REALLY let loose and be a dog. The chance to watch him have a blast is worth walking through a foot (sometimes more) of snow.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I love watching Crystal go through deep snow! She hops like a rabbit.


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## aero4ever (Jan 18, 2007)

My dogs get lots more active in the colder temps and they want out more. They're worse than kids though, cause I feel like I'm always having to get up to either let them in or out. Least I don't have to dress them in coats & boots, that'd take forever! I just don't understand how they could lay out in the snow or get in the lake when the temps are in 30's or below. Brrrrr.......


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## waterbaby (Jan 20, 2009)

Sophie's energy is higher in the winter too. She could go all day plowing through the snow. She tires out pretty quickly in the heat, but once it's below 50, she's non-stop. Luckily we love winter sports and spend a lot of time outside in the winter too.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

My dog gets more active too. Makes perfect sense for an animal that can't sweat. He is perfectly happy to hike for 2 hours in a foot of snow (that comes up to his chest). He does prefer to stay moving though when its below freezing, he is a short-coated breed (but at least not a single coat).

Get some good snow boots and some traction shoe covers (like Yaktrax for example), a reflective vest (like construction workers wear, easily found on Amazon), and a flashlight or headlamp. You can also get a small LED light for your dog's collar and reflective collar and leash set (mine was about $25 for the pair, and yes, very reflective). Then you will be able to walk much more safely at night or the early morning dark.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

Winter sure does affect my dogs. It makes them more hyper.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

The only effect winter has on Kuma's energy level is that he can finally run as long as he wants without overheating. Most dogs gain weight the winter and lose it in the summer, mines the opposite, lol. He's always in his best shape in the winter!


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## Independent George (Mar 26, 2009)

Yup and yup - Dilly-Dally goes absolutely nuts in the snow.

A lot of this has to do with heat dissipation - dogs are generally more active in cold weather because they don't have to worry about overheating. This is especially true of big dogs, but most of the small dog owners I know tell me their dogs also go nuts indoors even if they hate the cold.

There is nothing like watching breeds like Berners, Newfoundlands, or St. Bernards in the snow; it's not just activity, but this incredible, exuberance you have to experience to fully appreciate. And it's contagious.


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## Elisabeth (Jan 26, 2010)

Keechak said:


> Winter sure does affect my dogs. It makes them more hyper.


Yup. Mine wants to be outside ALL THE TIME. We live in a highrise apartment so that is not possible.. if he wants to go out - I have to go out... lol.

Seems we do more in the winter than in the summer!


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

So I guess Basil is the oddball? Lol! Basil hates snow and water and always rushes back home as quickly as possible on walks! You should see him on the coldest days of the winter, we'll walk out of the front door, Basil will stand there shivering for a minute, then look up at me like "Why did we come out here again??"


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

Well, I suppose I should clarify that Kuma loves to be outside in winter so long as he has his sweater, jacket, and unless we're at the dog park, boots on, lol. He hates snow, but he loves to be able to run at the dog park for as long as he likes without getting hot, so he puts up with it.


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## MissMutt (Aug 8, 2008)

Marge's energy level goes through the roof in the cold weather.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

This will be my first winter with Buffy so I don't know what to expect yet. She does seem be loving the cooler fall weather.

I belong to a dog walking group and they told me that they walk throughout the winter, so I'm looking foward to that (even though I hate the cold myself and ugh I'm such a klutz so am not looking foward to walking a dog on ice). I also might start her in agility or take her to adult dog socialization once a week for a few weeks when it gets really cold to help burn some energy. Oh, and maybe doggie daycare if I get really desperate.


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## Miranda16 (Jan 17, 2010)

Get yourselves a pair of these my mom got them for all of us kids one christmas and we all thought they were super lame. I'm the only one that has used them but they make walking dogs on possible ice much easier


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## Adustgerm (Jul 29, 2009)

Yes, the dogs are nuts now.


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## Stubby_Dog (Nov 16, 2010)

My dog seems less willing to go outside and more content with abbreviated walks. I live in rainy Portland, OR so she often only goes out when she really has to potty or on our walks otherwise she is snuggling up in her bed rolled up like a Cheerio. But she is 10 so I suppose that is natural!


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

Jame an Léon love winter. Léon would sleep in the snow if I let him. Coco, on the other hand, doesn't care much for it, even with a coat and boots on.

It gets quite cold here (-35 centigrade, which is around -25 F is quite common), but I bundle up every day anyway and take them out. It keeps me from balooning up during the winter. Both my boys love the snow, so it's worth it just to see them so happy.


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## TStafford (Dec 23, 2009)

Porter goes nuts in the winter. In the summer I didn't even have to walk him. All I had to do was take him out for a good play in the cooler parts of day and he was good. Last winter we were walking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours everyday and going to play/run a few times a day for 10-15 min each time. The first cooler day we had this year Porter ran around the house and yard as fast as he could for 10 min before he stopped to pee, then took off again. He also eats a lot more in the winter.

It makes my cats goes crazy too. They went from sleeping all day to running up and down the hall play fighting every few hours.


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

Sometimes a video is worth a thousand words. This is from last winter, around late February or early March, I think. It must have been around -20 centigrade (-5 F). As you can see, most dogs don't really get depressed and inactive:


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Meshkenet that vid is SO my life. LOL
I walk dogs for a living and as much as I am personally not a fan of the cold, I LOVE to watch the dog's enjoy it. Are you in Quebec? So lovely to listen to the french..I love french, don't speak it much but it is so beautiful to listen too. Mon chiot adore l'hivre. 

Vincent's mom..
I think you are probably saying "oh my goodness" that 90 percent of the replies said the dogs get MORE active. LOL
Dress warmly, be aware that dogs DO get hypothermic in some cases (wet cold, high wind chill) and that keeping those paws protected from salt and ice is important...but MOST dogs LOVE the winter. A lot depends on the individual dog, the breed, their age (young pups and seniors don't regulate body temp as well as younger adults) and the extremes of the weather in your area.

I always wear a hat, good gloves, long johns, good boots and have a scarf or tube to cover my face in the extreme windchill. Dress warmly enough and enjoy the winter.

As for the "bad days", doing some clicker training, feeding from a food puzzle and playing hide and seek games in the house will help to relieve some of the crazy puppy energy.


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## fblough (May 28, 2010)

This will be out first winter with Ivy but so far she is about the same activity level but we still get out a lot. 

I actually live just north of York in Etters. Someone at our local dog park said there is a doggie spa in Dillsburg that is good when you are cooped up. It has a pool and someother stuff. Not sure about the cost or anything but i may google it if she gets too crazy or if we get as much snow as last year. Ivy is not a fan of the rain so i'm not sure if she will like snow or not. She has pretty short hair and is a big baby.


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

Well dang, looks like I will be expecting and even more energetic Vincent this winter. Fortunately, he'll be 18 months at the end of December so I can start running with him in the morning before work.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

Jackson gets more energy usually. Well, I guess it depends. Snow makes him crazy; he loovesss to run in the snow so he get SO happy. Fall temperatures he definitely loves to run a lot more because he's able to do it without it being so freakin' hot. When it's just plain freezing and the skies are gray, or if it's a rainy day, he loves to lounge around and sleep all day and he gets lazy just like I do. But he'd much rather run or go for a walk in the winter than in the summer anyday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxViTQEkND0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l6007AbJ7w


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

fblough said:


> This will be out first winter with Ivy but so far she is about the same activity level but we still get out a lot.
> 
> I actually live just north of York in Etters. Someone at our local dog park said there is a doggie spa in Dillsburg that is good when you are cooped up. It has a pool and someother stuff. Not sure about the cost or anything but i may google it if she gets too crazy or if we get as much snow as last year. Ivy is not a fan of the rain so i'm not sure if she will like snow or not. She has pretty short hair and is a big baby.


Ah! I didn't realize someone on the forum lived so close. Which dog park do you go to?


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## fblough (May 28, 2010)

I just started going to the lower allen dog park which is closer to mechanicsburg. I heard there is a good one in York but haven't ventured down there yet. We have only been there three times as i am a little leary about dog parks since you hear so many bad stories, but so far so good. She loves to play with other dogs. Ivy is a lab/pit mix and she really likes to run so it is her only real opportunity. She will run off if we let her off leash in our unfensed yard. She comes back in a minute or two but still.....


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

fblough said:


> I just started going to the lower allen dog park which is closer to mechanicsburg. I heard there is a good one in York but haven't ventured down there yet. We have only been there three times as i am a little leary about dog parks since you hear so many bad stories, but so far so good. She loves to play with other dogs. Ivy is a lab/pit mix and she really likes to run so it is her only real opportunity. She will run off if we let her off leash in our unfensed yard. She comes back in a minute or two but still.....


Yea, we take Vincent to John Rudy Park in York. I love it so much. I guess it was listed in Dog Fancy's top dog parks in America, or something. They have 3 different parks, all fenced in. They usually do one fenced in area for dogs 30lbs and up and one fenced in area for dogs under 30lbs and then leave the other one closed (I think they rotate so they can do maintenance, etc). The one we're in right now is probably 5.5 acres fenced in. It's really nice because they have SO much room to run and play. We've had a few negative experiences there thus far, but nothing that's really made me decide not to go. We've had someone pull Vincent off their dog by the scruff of his neck even though they were just playing and we had another person kick Vincent off their dog...once again, they were just playing. So you get that, which is unfortunate, but I figure when you're dealing with that many people and that many dogs you're going to get a wide variety of personalities. It doesn't stop me from going though because Vincent loves it. It's the only time he gets to run off leash and the only time he gets to play with other dogs. You should definitely check it out sometime!


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## fblough (May 28, 2010)

wow - that is huge!!! I will check it out. Maybe i'll see you there.


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## Tanner (Nov 15, 2010)

I could see how a dog would be more hyper in the winter, it usually means less outdoor activity with people. I can imagine its hard for most people to find something indoors that's an equally satisfying outlet for their dogs energy like jogging or hiking. I'm almost dreading what my dog will be like this winter, since I don't see myself walking him several miles a day when it's below freezing. He likes to roughhouse, but I live on the upper floor of an apartment building and I don't think the neighbor's would appreciate the noise that generates.

Some dogs just seem crazy about the cold and snow too. We had a Shiloh shepherd when I was a kid that refused to come inside when there was snow out. He'd just stand about 5 feet from the door, and take off like a rabbit if you tried to grab him. He would nip at the ankles and neck of our other dog to try and keep her out there with him. The only thing that could convince him to come in was lunch meat. Otherwise he'd roll around out there in the snow, he looked like a crazy buffalo.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Mercy Medical said:


> Got a quick question about dogs and exercise and winter that Google didn't quite answer for me. Do dogs get any less active during the winter months? I was curious considering people tend to go into a bit of a "hibernation" mode with the cold weather and snow, etc. I know my general activity level starts to decline as I hunker down to brave out the winter. Do dogs experience this at all? Does their energy level decline?


Wally gets MORE active actually.

He likes the cooler weather it seems. It's summer that tends to drain him and make him more sleepy/fatigue faster.


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## john47 (Apr 5, 2010)

my dogs also like the cooler weather. much more energetic.


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## no.guru (Apr 9, 2010)

Mercy Medical said:


> Got a quick question about dogs and exercise and winter that Google didn't quite answer for me. Do dogs get any less active during the winter months? I was curious considering people tend to go into a bit of a "hibernation" mode with the cold weather and snow, etc. I know my general activity level starts to decline as I hunker down to brave out the winter. Do dogs experience this at all? Does their energy level decline?


With the seven months of summer we get here in NC, my dog's energy levels go *up* with decreasing temperatures and so do my own. Her Husky background has something to do with it, too.

Edit: During the hot months and temps in the 90s, she burns a full day's exercise in about 30 minutes.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Nia gets really really annoyingly unbearably hyper in the 2 months between fall and winter. She was getting 4 hrs a day. 2 hrs walking, 1 hr running, 1 hr fetch and still bugging me constantly at every minute of every day. If I ignore her for even a little bit she destroys something. 

However, now that it's actually getting to winter, she's settling down again and pretty much returning back to normal. She can run more during teh winter though probably because she doesn't get overheated as much. I definitely don't notice her energy level decreasing although i do exercise her less because of the bad weather. For example it rains literally more than a week in a row without any break and rains HARD!


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

fblough said:


> wow - that is huge!!! I will check it out. Maybe i'll see you there.


Yea, it's really, really nice. I feel kind of spoiled to live so close to such a fantastic dog park. I forgot to add a link to their website. The picture is outdated, as I think it was taken before they started to build it.

http://www.yorkcountyparks.org/parkpages/caninemeadows.htm

We were in field 2 over the summer, but switched over to field 3 at the beginning of the fall. All 3 parks have benches in them. There are also some covered benches. Lots of trees to get out of the heat a bit during the summer too.


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## MusherChic (Nov 6, 2010)

My dogs get EXTREMELY hyper in the winter time! They know that once it starts to turn cold in the fall that its almost time to start running and that the racing season is almost here!!


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

How warm are summers and how cold are winters for you guys?

Mine are really active spring and fall - where it is above freezing here but usually the daytime highs are around 10 -20 degrees C (50-68 degrees F). They slow down in the real heat of summers, but they go to a dead halt in the freezing winters too. We've dropped to -!7 C (0 F) over the last few days and mine don't want to spend any time outside at all, but for a quick pee and possible 5 minute bush explore. Suits me well as neither do I. Indoor games are on.

SOB


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## Mercy Medical (Jul 6, 2010)

spanielorbust said:


> How warm are summers and how cold are winters for you guys?
> 
> Mine are really active spring and fall - where it is above freezing here but usually the daytime highs are around 10 -20 degrees C (50-68 degrees F). They slow down in the real heat of summers, but they go to a dead halt in the freezing winters too. We've dropped to -!7 C (0 F) over the last few days and mine don't want to spend any time outside at all, but for a quick pee and possible 5 minute bush explore. Suits me well as neither do I. Indoor games are on.
> 
> SOB


I'm in PA so it can go from an average of probably mid 90s throughout the summer down to an average of high 20s, maybe, in the winter.


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## spanielorbust (Jan 3, 2009)

That makes sense. In that weather my pups are all about running around - not too hot and not too cold. I like it much better than hot weather as well.

SOB


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

spanielorbust said:


> How warm are summers and how cold are winters for you guys?


Summers here get to like 90+ degrees F with humidity. This summer was even worse with LOTS of 95-100 degree (F) days. 

Winter is usually around 40 degrees F though it can get colder. Last winter we had tons of snow even and was cold just about all winter. If it's too cold for him (like under 30 or with a nasty wind chill) he'll want to go in faster (unless he's playing/trudging in snow taller than he is lol) but then he's more active in the house so I have to break out the games more 

I think he likes Spring and Fall weather the best. Seems like 50-75 F is his comfort zone.


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