I'm trying to figure out how to get all my dogs to function in the snow and cold. Lilliput, my Corgi, is a real snow bunny. She stays warm, and the longish hair between the pads on her paws do not collect snow balls, no ice chunks freeze between her toes or pads. I've yet to keep her out too long.
But my old, 14 yr old Springer Spaniel has always been another story, and keeping them together is a puzzle. We've been out to the dog park every other day all year until the first big snow, then the big freeze, then the next big snow, next big freeze. Lilli and I have scouted out suitable parks that we thought the old dog could manage, and today we took him with us.
Oh, what happy, happy dogs! She is the old guy's seeing/hearing/guide dog so he follows her off the groomed path into the deep snow. Happy like a puppy. For a while. But then the ice chunks begin to form between his paw pads, and between his toes. He would drag his hind legs, paws up, as if paralyzed, until I cleaned them out with my fingers. Then he'd collapse to bite at his front paws, until I cleaned them. I put him on Lilli's little leash, and fortunately did not have to carry him all the way back to the car.
Needless to say, next stop was the dog store where we purchased boots. I had tried Paw Wax on this excursion, but clearly it didn't help.
So my question is: Why don't Lilli the Corgi's furry little paws collect snow balls and ice chunks? According to all I've read her paw hair (between pads) is too long, but she's fine. Is there less space between pads on her breed? The Springer's feet are enormous, but regularly and professionally groomed. And between the toes I couldn't really tell if Lilli grew hair like the other dog. How come wolves can run around in the snow? Don't they have big feet too? I believe sled dogs wear boots. Although many dogs at the park were wearing jackets, (even though it was 20 degrees), not many wore boots. What's the deal with dog feet and snow?