Winter is upon us all and boy did it start out with a Bang!!! We had high temperatures in the negative teens, coupled 50 mp winds and blowing snow, meant that our "RealFeel" temps made it feel like -51 !! Of course those temps are not fit for man nor domesticated and slightly pampered beasts. And even though our kennel building is heated- the building plus individual dog boxes/beds- there was a real risk of power outages throughout the night and into the next day, so with crates lined up downstairs plus the 3 kennel runs in the basement "dog room", and all of our dogs were brought in for the last 2 1/2 days. This is why crate training is so important!!! Your dog should be comfortable staying in a crate for extended periods of time without pitching a fit, peeing or defecating in it, and should be eager to enter the crate on command. The dogs were aired quickly and efficiently every 4 hours starting at 6:30AM and ending at 11pm were they were also given water (except for the last airing). Today, with temps getting above zero, they were put back out into the kennels now that the wind has died down and we will actually get a little bit warmer throughout the night. But we still needed to go break ice on the water buckets throughout the day and dumped them and brought the buckets in to thaw in the early evening. We do not put water buckets in the dog kennel because the dogs tend to stand on the bucket rim, tipping/spilling water into the bedding and getting wood shavings in the water buckets. I know that even though it was still cold out, that the dogs enjoyed being back "outside" because even though they had the option to go inside the kennel block, they all stayed outside running in their large kennel runs. I am sure they needed to stretch their legs a bit after being crated for 2 days. We also bumped up their food by 1/2 cup for each dog. A good quality food is essential for optimal health and to keep the dog warm. We feed a 30% protein 20% fat dog food made for All Life Stages- meaning that you can feed it from weaning age, to growth, to pregnant/nursing dogs, performance dogs, and end of life stages. And as important as food is to keeping your dogs fit in harsh conditions, water is just as important! Water should be available throughout the day and that might mean offering water multiple times a day and/or breaking ice from bowls/buckets. Without water, the dog cannot digest their food, nor can they maintain their body temperature. Proper bedding and a small area that the dog can curl up in and keep warm with its own body heat without losing a ton of calories is needed if it is to be out in cold weather. We use insulated dog boxes within the dog kennel itself with 4-6 inches of screened wood chips in each, plus the majority of our dogs are "doubled up" with 2 per run which means that they can "snuggle" with each other. With this weekend being Christmas, the dogs will also be getting an extra "treat" in their food bowls and a chew or two or three if they have been "Good dogs".
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