Snow + Basenji = ?
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Hi everyone! :)
Myself and my partner are in the process of buying a second home up in the mountains, where of course..even in southern California, there will be snow, and lots of it.
Does anyone have any advice on being in a colder climate with a Basenji?, besides keeping them nice and warm of course.
Thanks!
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They love to sleep by the fire. So be sure your new home has a fireplace or woodstove!!! :D
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Oh that is does!
When we were house hunting, fireplace was right at the top of our checklist.
I'm curious if anyone can recommend doggy coats/boots etc, I've found some on line, but I would really like some personal recommendations.
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We use raincoats, with fleese lining up here in the PNW, it does rain and get cold, but we don't see much snow, in my area, so don't know if that would be enough for your b's.
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My B doesn't really get anything, as we don't do walks outdoors much at all during the winter. Usually it's just too cold.
I've had him outside (although short periods of time) in temps well below 0. Basenjis can handle it, it will vary how much of a fight they put up over it though. Most importantly, regardless of what you put on your Basenji, any extended amount of time under freezing temps can lead to issues. It's always best to be cautious and limit time outdoors when it gets too cold. I would say their ears would be a troublesome part to worry about (assuming you have boots on your B), and I don't think any B would tolerate any sort of hat. :)
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I hope they don't dislike snow too much. We get A LOT in Ontario!!! Hopefully Kentucky can tolerate some good walks!
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I use fleece lined coats, nothing too bulky or there's a fight to put it on.
Generally my experience is that they will enjoy some time in the snow, especially if it is sunny, and will definitely let you know how long they want to stay out. When it gets to the single digit temps, mine take a sniff at the door and say "no way". :) -
So far, we haven't had to worry about the cold because we spend the winters in Arizona. However, if the time ever comes that we don't want to, or can't, make the trip, I'll probably buy a coat for Blaze from Montana Dogware, http://www.montanadogware.com/. We have friends who had one for their Basenji and they really liked it.
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Most Basenjis love playing in the snow…. One of my puppy owners took their girl to Tahoe when she was about 3. She had never seen snow, but it snowed the entire time they were in the mountains. I have great pictures of her romping and having a great time in the snow and then curling up by the fire.
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Your mountain home sounds wonderful, would love to be there now, since it's 93 and very humid! Lots of people have posted pictures of their B's in the snow apparently being very happy to be there. The ones who had coats on them were fleece-lined and that might be a good thing for you to get. One of my B's is a mix with more fur and would not mind the cold, but the other shivers at anything below 60, so she has a fleece jacket she wears whenever we are out at temps below that. I think it probably depends on what the dog was raised being accustomed to.
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I find that they dont mind the snow so much as it being so cold. Living in northern Alberta we get a ton of snow. We shovel out paths on the lawn for them so they can run around. Mostly they just go outside do their business then come straight back in to the wood stove. The only thing is if they have to poo and are outside for awhile they may get snowballs on the pads of their feet and then they come in screaming. But that is usually in -30 C or so. I hardly ever put jackets on them or booties, takes longer for them to get dressed than to go outside and do their potty.
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Most Basenjis love playing in the snow…. One of my puppy owners took their girl to Tahoe when she was about 3. She had never seen snow, but it snowed the entire time they were in the mountains. I have great pictures of her romping and having a great time in the snow and then curling up by the fire.
+1 We had some snow here last winter, which is rare, and Kipawa loved it. So make sure to let your basenji romp around in the snow!
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My Bs like snow a lot more than rain but if it is too tall it is difficult for them to go to the bathroom. They will also hop and jump in the tall snow. I make sure they are not outside for very long when it is real cold.
Jennifer
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They do fine in snow. We walk our in all weather, they tolerate it. Just be carefull if the temps get too cold - 0.
Ours do not wear jackets either. However when we got over 3 feet last year, we had to shovel paths in our back yard for them.
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Like Barklessdog, mine don't wear clothes either - no booties and no coats/sweaters. They all hate them.
My 2 older basenjis never wore coats as pups so when I adopted them they wanted nothing to do with them.
My 2 youngest I thought, well I can start them in early and they will be used to coats. I've used a sweater on Liyah, but she hates it because Ozzy won't leave the sweater alone when she has it on. I put a coat on Ozzy (fleece lined, velcro over fleece around the neck and under the belly to hold it in place). He was ok with it, I left him outside for 10 minutes (a sunny, mild day in the mid 40s) and came back and the coat was gone. I looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it. Anyway, after I brought them in I saw a mound of sand under the deck that I didn't remember being there before - guess what was under the sand. He had taken the coat off and buried it. :D:D:D:D Smart dog - he didn't bury it in the snow (which would melt), he buried it in the sand. Anyway, since he let me know what he thinks of the coat, he no longer wears one…and Liyah doesn't wear the sweater either.
I don't leave any of mine out in the cold - a couple of minutes to do their business when it is below freezing and that is it. Since I run 2 packs, there is also a play area by a woodstove in the basement.
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LOL about the coats… mine always hated coats too. Not that we have freezing temps here in No Calif...... or at least not very often. When I have a litter, by the time they are 4 to 5 wks they are already going outside to potty. I would take them out in the early, early AM (usually before the sun was up) and put them in an xpen to quickly do their business. In the winter (when not raining) we would have frost on the ground and they did just fine even at that age. Granted they were only out for a few minutes. And smart as whips they are, even at that age. They quickly learned that potty outside means a cleaner inside pen for all of them. In fact my last litter after the age of 5wks never pooped in their pens indoors and would yell very loud to be taken outside. Of course that didn't include peeing, since that was a lot harder for them them to control when excited.
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Mine don't mind wearing the jackets. I put them on in the fall for them when it gets cooler out. They may hate it at first and then they are like….hey this is making me feel warmer....not so bad after all!
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Mine do fine with their coats. I have fleece/flannel "house" coats and I have outdoor coats. Some are homemade, some are store bought. They wear the housecoats in the house as I don't keep the house at 80 in the winter. Digital, the brindlewonderkid, will be 15 this winter and has always had a short, short coat, so he puts up with his housecoat. Jet, the trying, has a longer thicker coat and he doesn't seem to benefit as much from his housecoat. Zest, superstar in training, has a shorter coat too and is a bit of a fashionesta, so as long as she looks good in her coat, she doesn't mind it a bit. We are also color-coordinated when we can be. D has green leash/coats, Jet is blue and Z, the baby girl, is pink/purple. :rolleyes:
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Living in Kansas City we get snow a few times every winter and have fleece lined parka's with hoods for our 2. My very frugal wife also shops at the local goodwill store for toddler size sweatshirts that she tailors to fit, she turns them around backwards and tailors the back to fit their chest area. They are great for layering under the parka's.
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Mine love it in the snow, for ten minutes or so of play they don't need a coat in our area as the temps seldom get colder than 20 degrees. On those rare occasions when we have taken a winter walk with friends a lfleece coat has been sufficient.
