Cold Winter Training Tips

It just got cold here in Chicago–for real this time, it seems. Winter brings some unique challenges for dog training. Your hands freeze, their paws hurt, and when you run back to hide inside, your dog can become a bored, destructive maniac. So, here is a list of cold-weather specific tips and recommendations for you!  

Enrichment 

If less outdoor time means less exercise for your dog, check out my new, extremely detailed enrichment ideas guide.

Boot and Jacket Acclimation 

Some dogs have a hard time tolerating boots and jackets. If this is your first season dressing your dog up, or if you tried a few times and quit, I’m going to tell you about two techniques. You can try both of these methods and see what works best for you. 

1. Slow and steady:

Introduce your dog wearing their winter gear indoors in small increments, and shower them with treats and praise for doing such a good job sporting their jacket and/or boots. 

2. Pair the gear with an outing: 

This works particularly well if your dog loves car rides to the park etc. You can slip on their gear right before they get out of the car, which they should be very excited about. The excitement of getting to explore the new place sometimes overrides the discomfort of the winter gear. 

Additionally, if you are walking with your dog on leash, you can often interrupt them trying to itch their jacket off, roll around, bite the gear etc. by moving quickly, encouraging them to run with you, and using the leash to gently guide them forward. Once their mind is off of the winter gear and they are happily exploring the park again, they can habituate to the gear. 

Don’t Skimp Out on Your Own Gear

Don’t let your dogs’ walk get cut short because you were too lazy to dig out your fleece underwear before heading out with them. If your dog wants to go outside, you better double up those socks and grab those hand-warmers! 

Teach Your Dog to Catch Treats Midair or On the Ground

Use a special cue like “toss” or “get it” to indicate to your dog that you are going to throw a treat on the ground as their reward. This avoids getting dog slobber on your gloves and thus turning them into glove-sicles. 

Have a Dog-Only Set of Gloves

Oftentimes when training dogs, it is useful to carry treats when on your walk, to reward desired behavior. But beef liver dust on your cotton gloves? That is not a smell you want lingering when you next go to itch your face with your gloved hand. Consider having a pair of gloves that is dedicated to dog training. 

Alternatively, maybe your dedicated dog training gloves are gloves that are easy for you to take on and off quickly. They should probably be easy to clean, too, regardless of your other preferences.

Use a Wide-Mouth Treat Pouch 

If you do choose to deliver treats with a gloved hand, make sure your treat pouch is not so small that it can’t handle the bulk. 

Consider a Leash That Attaches to Your Chest or Waist 

Even if you want to keep the leash in your hand on walks, it is much easier to accidentally fumble and drop a leash with gloves on. A leash belt can be an alternative to having to deal with holding the leash, or it can be a back-up if you lose the leash when picking up poop, rewarding your dog, or simply accidentally letting it slip out of your fabriced hands. 

Get Serious About Loose Leash Walking

If you live somewhere where it gets cold, you must be prepared for icy conditions! If you’ve been slacking on teaching your dog to heel or walk on a loose leash, the time to start practicing is now. You can even do training exercises indoors to better prepare them to walk nicely.

Potty Without a Walk 

Dogs can learn to potty right in front of your house or in your backyard quickly, and when the weather is nasty, the practicality of that becomes obvious. Utilize times when you know they have to go, such as their first morning potty break, and be consistent. 

These tips from the housebreaking section of my puppy guide all apply: 

When you are taking your puppy out to potty, you may want to try picking a particular spot outside and walking back and forth over it until your puppy eliminates. It is nice for a dog to use the bathroom immediately when they get outside, as opposed to needing to walk 3 blocks before they go. (Think about how annoying that will be if it’s raining or freezing outside.)

If your puppy doesn’t potty in the backyard reliably, and instead wants to start romping around or chewing on sticks, consider walking them on leash - even in your backyard! And if your puppy thinks you are just the most fun person in the world, you might have to act like you’re ignoring them for them to get to sniffing. 

If your puppy still doesn’t potty after hanging out in their potty spot for a few minutes, walking back and forth over it, or even going for a whole walk, they should either be crated or kept on leash once you’re back inside. Then, take them back out in 5-20 minutes. For a challenging potty training case, you sometimes have to repeat this pattern back to back. 

Once your puppy does potty outside, tell them how wonderful they are. You can reward them with a treat or whatever fun activity they might enjoy afterwards: Chasing you around, free time in the backyard, or maybe just more sniffing! 

Once you know that your puppy is about to go potty when they are outside, you can put the behavior on cue by saying “go potty” right before they eliminate.

Holiday Parties 

If winter for you means holiday parties, and if your dog is invited, you may want to think about what that entails. I recently posted a 28 minute webinar all about this topic on my patreon. 

Indoor Field Trips 

Your dog may benefit from indoor field trips such as:

• Visiting a dog-friendly store

• Renting a training ring or play room from a local dog business

• Attending indoor group classes

And then you don’t have to worry about all of those glove- and doggy-boot-related tips!

Let me know if you have any questions.