What to do with your dog in the winter

Wondering what to do with your dog in the winter?

Rescue dog sniffing in the sunshine

When the longer, darker nights arrive, and the days are freezing cold, what can we do with our dogs? Mantrailing!!  Mantrailing is an all-year-round sport, and we only cancel sessions if it’s unsafe (weather warnings, extreme heat). That means you can still get your fix in the winter months, but it’s wise to make some adjustments, just like you would when walking your dog on colder days.

Safety first

Of course, we need to keep warm. So for both us and the dogs, that means preparing for the cold, remembering that as handlers, you hide for other dogs, so an extra layer for your turn as a trail layer is a good idea as you’ll likely feel the cold more than when trailing your dog.  If you want your very own Lead & Follow snood, which doubles up as an ideal scent article, that you can grab one of those here.

For our dogs:

• Do they need a coat during their trail?

• Make the car cosy and warm for when they’re resting between trails (maybe an extra blanket or bed in the back)

• A towel to dry their paws when it’s icy/snow on the ground.

• We will usually work shorter trails during colder weather to make sure the dogs aren’t too fatigued in the cold, and that their paws are protected from too much exposure.

For us:

• We need to wrap up warm like we would on a cold day

• Maybe a thermos with a hot drink so you can treat yourself part-way through the session!

• Little tips some people find useful are heated socks, little hand warmers (you can get them rechargeable), heated vests!

• And remember you want to be seen just as much as your dog – reflective clothing, or borrow a hi vis from me on the day.

How the cold affects the trailing

The dogs can find it harder to trail in colder temperatures as the cold affects scent, and in colder

temperatures scent molecules can disperse less easily, making them harder for the dog to detect. However, in this country anyway, cold weather usually involves moisture, and cool, moist air will trap the scent nearer to the ground making it much easier for the dogs to detect. Basically it depends how cold we mean by cold, because frozen ground can become so cold and frozen that it makes it harder for the dogs, but in general in our less hostile climes the cold will work in our dogs’ favour.

How snow affects trailing

In snowy conditions the scent molecules can become trapped in the snow, essentially preventing or slowing down the dispersal of the scent. This can preserve the scent trail for longer periods after it’s snowed, meaning the dogs have an easier, clearer trail to detect and follow. We often see them do much more ground scenting than air scenting in snowy conditions.

It’s also worth noting that other scent trails will also be clearer and therefore possibly super interesting to the dogs, and we should be patient as always as the dogs figure out the puzzle before them, and disengage from the interesting smells once they’ve checked them out!

Final note

So, we absolutely can and should be trailing in the colder months, even with ice and snow on the ground (as long as it’s safe to drive and walk!). When you consider how much the scent in the environment is different when it’s snowed, or during the winter months, our dogs love being out there sniffing all the smells!

Xena - Romanian rescue dog sniffing in the snow

 If you want to get involved but you’ve got any concerns about how the cold weather might affect you, how to stay warm when hiding etc, please let me know and we can have a chat about your individual circumstances.

If you want to get your dog involved, and have fun this winter, check out our available sessions here.