Rain

[Guest Chefcnam]

I've read that it is important to walk your dog everyday. Just curious, do you walk your dog when it's raining? Does your hound go to the bathroom in the rain? I've never had a dog of any kind before and tomorrow I will be bringing home my first.

[Guest mcsheltie]

I have to throw mine out the door when it is raining.

 

Someone posted a funny picture of a kennel turnout while it was raining. All of the dogs (looked like thirty of em) but one was under the overhang. None of them were peeing.

[PrairieProf]

Yes, we walk; not as long, probably, but just as regularly. I got a long rain slicker and rain pants, and that helps (carrying an umbrella does not seem feasible with a leash in one hand!). She's kind of miserable at first, but she cooperates -- and she wears a raincoat too, FYI, so that helps a bit . And yes, she pees and poops -- I actually think it is easier to be leash-walking for this as we generally do rather than having to coax her to do her business in the yard when she'd rather be inside.

 

And hey, you're in Georgia -- at least you don't have to walk through blizzards, ice, etc!

 

Welcome to GT and being a dog parent! Invest in some good walking shoes . . . we walk so much it's given me foot problems when the shoes aren't ideal.

Edited February 28, 2010 by PrairieProf

[Guest Chefcnam]

Any recommendations as to where I can buy a raincoat for my grey?

[Guest mcsheltie]

I like - link

[Guest Chefcnam]

I like - link

 

That looks perfect. Thanks

[Guest gecko_foot]

I've read that it is important to walk your dog everyday. Just curious, do you walk your dog when it's raining? Does your hound go to the bathroom in the rain? I've never had a dog of any kind before and tomorrow I will be bringing home my first.

 

I walk Tumnus in rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We don our raincoats and walk like it's not doing anything. That being said, he doesn't really like the rain...It's nice for me because he'll do his business much quicker if he wants to come back in.

[Guest Swifthounds]

None of mine are crazy about the rain (they MUCH prefer snow!), but they know that the fastest way to get back inside where its warm is to humor me and "produce."

 

When it's too rainy or cold , or blizzardy I replace the walking or yard time with a bit of interactive play or a short training session. Sure, the exercise is important, but walking is also important for the interactive time you spend with the dog. We have that same interaction working on a new skill, playing with toys, or even getting nails dremeled, ears cleaned, or a nice brushing or a rub with the hound glove.

[Guest pennmorgan]

We live in a condo, so we walk Olivia in the rain, snow, sleet, whatever. Personally, I *hate* walking her in the rain, because even though she's miserable and I'm miserable, she can't seem to figure out that the faster she pees, the faster we all go back inside. I hope it works out better for you!

[Trudy]

Before I had a yard, yep, we walked in whatever it was doing.

Now - if a week has gone by and it is still raining, we'll go out for a quick walk or a run somewhere or something.

[Guest PhillyPups]

When I got my first I lived in an apartment and we had to walk in the rain. That was pre-internet for me so no rain coat for Runner. I was just glad I was in Florida.

 

Now they run out in the yard and do their business. Moe, my old farm brood loves the rain, she will go out and stand in it and look up at the rain. DonnieDude is my weather wimp. I have to push his butt out the door and close the door fast before he turns around to run back in. All like the snow once Zeus does his live plow through the drifts.

[Guest AGirlNamedMe]

Bella is a fair weather puppy.

 

When it's raining or snowing, she just goes out for a quick potty.

[GeorgeofNE]

Sounds like you have a fenced in yard, or you wouldn't be asking the question!

 

I do not, and yes, I want no matter what, and I don't shorten my walk because of weather. George is home all day while I'm at work at it would not be fair to deprive him of his exercise 'cause I don't want to get wet!

 

I only worry about a coat when it's COLD. If it were rainy and warm, well, he'd get wet! Doesn't bother him a bit. He's a dog, after all. They get rained on! I think a lot of a dog's feelings about weather come from their owner's attitude, so I try and keep it all upbeat.

[JohnF]

It can indeed be quite 'interesting' getting them to go out to toilet in the rain. Defintely take them out in the morning shortly after they've got up and/or just after they've had their breakfast. I would swear that mine says to herself: 'If I have to go out and get wet then HE is going to have to wait around out there and get wet too'. With Peggy letting out into the back yard when it's reaining is a waste of time... I have to put her on a leash and take her to her places. With a new dog you must do this and wait just as ling as it takes.

Peggy actually enjoys walking in moderate rain and has a Blizzard brand coat for the cold weather and a high visibility flourescent light waterproof coat for the warmer weather. I have learned to buy them 1" above the correct size so that they keep the water properly off the dog's rear end (this might not work with anything other than the well-fitting Blizzard brand).

[Fruitycake]

We live in a condo, so we walk Olivia in the rain, snow, sleet, whatever. Personally, I *hate* walking her in the rain, because even though she's miserable and I'm miserable, she can't seem to figure out that the faster she pees, the faster we all go back inside. I hope it works out better for you!

 

This.

 

Monty detests the rain, but we haven't a fenced in yard so he must walk. He hates his jacket too so we gave up on the rainjacket and just keep him in his housejacket. He hunches himself up and gives mournful looks at us and holds it and holds it and holds it and seems to not understand why he is out there. But then, he is rather resistant to letting his bladder go just anywhere, so it could also just be his fussiness. I believe that if we had a fenced in yard he'd just stand at the back door looking in and whining and refusing to pee too....

[BootsyCollins]

I wouldn't rush out and buy a raincoat for your hound until you see if you need it. I've never put a coat on my dogs when we walk and they have always been just fine. We have a fenced in yard, but for us, a walk is part of our daily routine, so we walk pretty much no matter what. If it's really pouring, or is otherwise really horrible out, we don't walk.

 

Welcome to the world of greyhounds! Enjoy it!

[Guest Swifthounds]

I wouldn't rush out and buy a raincoat for your hound until you see if you need it. I've never put a coat on my dogs when we walk and they have always been just fine. We have a fenced in yard, but for us, a walk is part of our daily routine, so we walk pretty much no matter what. If it's really pouring, or is otherwise really horrible out, we don't walk.

 

Welcome to the world of greyhounds! Enjoy it!

 

 

I don't coat my hounds in the rain, unless the temperatures warrant it, or they are going to be outside in the rain for an extended period of time. I also don't use either their single layer fleece coats or their waterproof lined winter coats for routine turnouts. There have been plenty of years at Dewey where we've encountered bundled up hounds on days that my hounds went "naked." I always wonder how many layers they need when it actually gets cold...

 

If you cover or coat them in milder weather or regular rain, they never adjust to tolerating weather. If you don't bundle hounds for every possible weather event, they do get nice think winter coats and the do get used to rain and snow. If it was raining at turnout time at the track, out they went. The more you baby them, the more they need babying.

[Guest Chefcnam]

I will see tomorrow how Willy deals with rain, because it is supposed to rain/snow tomorrow morning.

[Guest Sunset123]

We live in Oregon, and if we didn't walk in the rain we wouldn't have many walks! If it's a light rain and it's not too cold Arrisa goes out naked and she just gets toweled off when we come inside. Otherwise, she wears her double-layer fleece coat, which keeps her plenty dry. If it was pouring buckets, though, I think I'd just wait for the rain to calm down.

 

When I bring her out to pee and it's raining, she usually stops at the edge of the porch before stepping into the muddy yard and looks at me like, "are you serious?," but she does her business with not too much coaxing because she knows the sooner she does it the sooner she gets to go back inside.

[Guest sorenkkg]

Ours "wont go" in the backyard so we do walk, 3 times a day, regardless of the weather.

 

Now, which human does the walking is up for debate, based on time of day and weather but we have no other choice.

 

I used to live in Atlanta, and it can get cold, so I'd say you need some sort of coat-- but you'll need to measure the dog usually, so you can wait a bit...

 

also, find out what the dog's schedule was where he/she was before coming to you (foster, track, whatever)-- we had to get Haka from 4 turnouts at the track (we heard) down to a manageable 3 walks per day.

So we had a walker do one at noon, then 1pm, then 2pm, then 3pm, you get the idea

 

Anyway- both look at us sort of pathetically, but Haka will do anything/everything in the rain, he just sort of mopes about it.

Aleeya has moping to a new level-- excited to go outside, then gets there and it's raining, and you have to DRAG her butt all over. She pees, may do other if she needs to, but she is also adult enough to hold it until the next walk-- her choice.

 

Mine are ok with jackets, but ours go up over their heads, and both don't like the "hood" part, in different ways.

but if the weather is vile, I insist-- don't want water in their ears.

 

Good luck with the new pup-- remember above all-- PATIENCE (Like, lower all expecations and just be happy with the changes you will see every day! 6 months and year are big anniversaries!)

 

Soren

[Guest sweetpea]

We're condo dwellers so not walking is not an option. I only put her raincoat on if I don't

want to dry her off at the end of the walk. Sweetpea is impervious to the rain, which is a good thing here.

 

I've never had any dogs that had trouble with the rain. Well, until Sebastian, the rat terrier; he acts like

we're sprinkling sulphuric acid on him.

 

And I would wait on the raincoat, some dogs like the coats less than the rain, I wouldn't want you to waste

perfectly good collar money on a coat you might or might not use.

 

Buzzy

ever pragmatic

[Guest Chefcnam]

So this morning, it is lightly raining, and she didn't seem to mind the rain so much. But she didn't want to go on a walk past the driveway, just long enough to poop and pee. If it keeps on raining, we'll try again to go on a longer walk. How do you guys keep rain from going in their ears if they don't wear a raincoat?

[Guest sorenkkg]

They sort of manage their ears themselves-- if it's a crazy driving rain, hurricane, then I'd worry about it (and a lot more!) but just regular rain or drizzle, nah.

You could put a bit of cotton in-- don't jam it in, you need to be able to get it out-- but I bet she'd shake that out pretty quick on a walk (we do this when we wash them).

 

You do need to clean their ears every few weeks or 1x a month, so I'd talk to your vet about the right way to do that regularly-- there's a solution my vet sells that cleans and also helps dry out the ear canal so they don't get a yeast infection in there... so when I think too much water has gotten in, I put in a squirt of that.

But again-- this is after talking to the vet and being shown how to put stuff in so it's effective, and how often, how much, all that. I wouldn't mess with their ears too much

[Guest happygrey]

I've read that it is important to walk your dog everyday. Just curious, do you walk your dog when it's raining? Does your hound go to the bathroom in the rain? I've never had a dog of any kind before and tomorrow I will be bringing home my first.

 

 

We do. He doesn't like it, but that's how it goes when you're a dog! Gotta get out to go.

[Guest happygrey]

 

 

If you cover or coat them in milder weather or regular rain, they never adjust to tolerating weather. If you don't bundle hounds for every possible weather event, they do get nice think winter coats and the do get used to rain and snow. If it was raining at turnout time at the track, out they went. The more you baby them, the more they need babying.

 

Awww, I'm sure that's true, but they are SO fun to baby.