EAGLE COUNTY — Whether you have a burly Bernese mountain dog who loves romping in the snow or a delicate Chihuahua who might disappear on a powder day, our four-legged friends require some extra attention during the winter months.

Vail winters and bitter cold can be hard on animals, just like it can be hard on humans, according to animal experts. Here are a few tips to keep your pets warm and safe through the winter.

Weathering the cold

All animals, including cats and dogs, have coats that will naturally adapt to the environment by growing thicker in colder weather, said Char Quinn, executive director of the Eagle Valley Humane Society.

However, how well they adapt depends on the kind of dog or cat.

“It really depends on the breed and species. You have a Malamute husky that says, ‘Thank God it's snowing! Why are these people putting up a dog house for me?'” she said. “But you can't leave a Jack Russell or Chihuahua outside in negative-10 degree weather without protection.”

Shorter-haired dogs, depending on how accustomed they are to being outside, might need a dog coat or sweater when going out. Owners need to pay attention to the amount of time and temperature that their animal can handle, Quinn said.

For example, her 3-pound Chihuahua, Sparta, refuses to wear any clothes or boots.

“We accommodate her by putting potty pads out on the snow. We'll let her out to pee, then let her back in to warm up, then it's back out to finish her business,” Quinn said.

Even with thick coats or proper clothing, dogs may need extra attention in the coldest weather, said Mark Ruark, dog trainer and owner of Wags & Whiskers in Edwards.

Smaller dogs might need an extra treat to combat low-blood sugar, and after exercising outside in the cold, dogs might have extra caloric needs. Some dogs can safely stay out in the cold longer than others, but that doesn't mean they don't get cold, he said.

“I walk my dog everyday no matter what the temperature,” Ruark said. “He has a thick coat, but I know in the cold temperature, that he'll get cold if we stop. So we'll make sure to keep moving and we won't stop and talk.”

Watch those paws

Dogs' paws can be susceptible to freezing in the winter as well. Dogs have sweat glands in their feet and when their bodies heat up, they'll start sweating through their paws. In cold temperatures or on icy surfaces, their feet will freeze up.

Edwards resident Ingrid Tronelius said her British springer spaniel, Zorro, loves the cold weather and snow, but she does need to give him some special grooming, especially around the paws, in the wintertime.

“I take him to the pet spa, and once a month we cut his fur (on the belly) so it doesn't ball up in the snow,” she said, watching Zorro eagerly poke around in a snowbank. “And he has webbed feet like all spaniels, so the groomer cuts away all the fur between the pads, and he does just fine.”

Wolcott resident Susan Lan said she puts dog boots on Spring, her Greater Swiss Mountain dog, to allow her to comfortably play in the snow and go on snowshoe hikes with the family.

“If she doesn't have them on, she'll be dancing around on the ground because it's cold,” Lan said. “Once she has them on, she doesn't even notice, and she is much more comfortable in the snow.”

Have an athletic dog? (Or maybe your dog has an athletic owner). Ruark said that a good number of dogs get injured paws from hiking rough trails or skiing with their owners.

“It's great exercise for the dog to walk up the slopes while their owners skin up and run back down at a faster pace,” he said. “However, the snow kicks up and the dogs chase it, or they'll zig zag in front of people, and they're too close. There's always a few cases of cut feet and legs from being run over by skis.”

The key is making sure your dog knows some basic commands such as “back up,” “in,” and “away,” Ruark said. Also, once inside, make sure to wipe dogs' feet well so that they don't lick accumulated salt or get it in their eyes, he said.

Avoiding the winter pounds

Many dogs — and cats — are much more active in the summer than the winter, so owners should make sure their animals are getting proper exercise.

“You can't quit exercising them in the winter,” Ruark said. “You can't expect them to be summer athletes, but then vegetate in the winter.”

Lan, Spring's owner, found a novel way to exercise her dog, who loves the snow but hates wind and cold temperatures. Lan's schedule usually only allowed her exercise Spring in the early morning and at night, when temperatures are at the lowest. Then she read about dogs who use the treadmill and decided to try it on Spring.

“She likes it so much now that she actually hops on and just walks on it and waits for someone to turn it on,” said Lan. “Usually in the morning, I get on and do 40 minutes to an hour, and she waits for me to be done, then it's her turn. However, a couple weeks ago I was on, and she decided she couldn't wait any longer. She jumped on with me and we did 30 minutes together.”

The same guidelines go for cats, most of which are “indoor/outdoor” animals, he said. Besides making sure that their cats are coming in at dusk to prevent being left in the cold and becoming prey for predators, owners need to provide some sort of warm shelter, too.

Ruark said that his two cats used to get extremely restless in the winter from being inside the house all day.

“We had to provide all sorts of cat toys for them and play inside with them a lot more,” he said. “Otherwise they would just pace all day.”

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