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# Snow, Grit and Ice: Taking Your Dog on a Winter Trip
- URL: https://rochsociety.com/taking-your-dog-on-a-winter-trip/
- Published: 2026-10-18T16:43:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T20:38:17.000Z
- Description: Half of all ice related drownings involve someone trying to rescue a dog. How to keep a dog safe on frozen lakes and gritted pavements, which ski resorts let it on the lift, and why a wet coat is worse than none.
- Author: Jennifer Nuttall
- Tags: Dog Guides

Half of all ice related drownings involve someone trying to rescue a dog. That figure comes from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, quoted by the [London Fire Brigade](https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/2024-news/january/firefighters-warn-about-dangers-of-icy-waters-as-london-sees-freezing-temperatures?ref=rochsociety.com) in its winter warning, and it is the best reason to plan a snow trip with a dog as carefully as a summer one.

## Frozen Lakes and Rivers

The [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/cold-weather-animal-safety?ref=rochsociety.com) tells owners to keep dogs away from frozen ponds, lakes and other water for exactly that reason, and adds the part that makes it dangerous for people too: an owner who instinctively goes after a dog that has broken through puts both lives at risk. The London Fire Brigade's warning is that ice which looks thick from the bank becomes thinner very quickly, so keep the dog on a lead near frozen water and never throw a stick or a ball onto the ice.

The RSPCA's advice, given in the same warning by its pet welfare specialist Dr Sam Gaines, covers the moment it goes wrong. If your dog runs onto the ice, do not follow it. Call it back straight away, and if it is stuck, call the fire and rescue service rather than trying to reach it yourself. On a trip, know the local emergency number before you arrive, and keep the lead on beside every frozen lake.

## Salt, Grit and Antifreeze

Resort villages and winter cities grit their pavements, hotel paths and car parks, and a dog walks through all of it. The [British Veterinary Association](https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/vets-warn-pet-owners-to-protect-animals-from-toxic-grit-and-other-winter-hazards-as-temperatures-plunge/?ref=rochsociety.com) warns that grit or rock salt can be extremely toxic to a dog if swallowed, and the [Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home](https://edch.org.uk/advice-article/how-to-keep-your-pets-safe-in-cold-weather/?ref=rochsociety.com) adds that even a small dose can do it. The harm usually happens the way the [PDSA](https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/vet-qa-how-do-i-keep-my-pet-safe-from-de-icing-products?ref=rochsociety.com) describes it: grit lodges between the pads and irritates the skin, and the dog then licks it off and upsets its stomach.

The fix is simple and worth packing for. Wipe the paws and belly after every snowy walk to remove ice and salt, and check regularly for cracked pads and redness between the toes; that is the BVA's advice. Use lukewarm water, not hot, because hot water is painful on cold paws, and the Edinburgh home suggests a damp tile by the door that the dog walks across to clean its pads. The [ASPCA](https://www.aspca.org/node/22541?ref=rochsociety.com) goes further: a towel in your pocket on long walks, a layer of petroleum jelly rubbed into the pads before you go out, and booties to keep salt and chemicals off the feet altogether.

Antifreeze is the more serious risk, and car parks and roadsides are where a dog finds it. Ethylene glycol, the usual ingredient, tastes sweet, so a dog that finds a puddle is likely to drink it, and the PDSA warns it can cause severe kidney damage that may be fatal; [VCA Animal Hospitals](https://vcahospitals.com/resources/lifestyle-dog/hazards-safety/dog-be-careful-with-ice-melt?ref=rochsociety.com) notes that some de-icers contain it too. The signs are twitching, vomiting, drinking more, fits and collapse. Call a vet as soon as you think your dog may have swallowed antifreeze, even before any symptoms show, because treatment that starts quickly gives a better outcome. Our [vet visit guide](https://rochsociety.com/vet-visit-before-travelling-with-your-dog/) covers finding a vet before you need one.

## Ice Balls, Coats and How Cold Is Too Cold

A dog that starts to limp halfway through a snowy walk has often packed ice between its toes; the AVMA says sudden lameness on a walk may be exactly that. Clip the hair between the toes before the trip and fewer form. When one does, soak it off with warm water on a sponge rather than pulling it out of the fur, and boots with plenty of grip are worth trying if the dog will wear them.

Not every dog needs a coat. The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home names short-haired breeds such as greyhounds as the ones that benefit, and says many others are perfectly comfortable without one; the BVA adds older dogs and those with thin fur. Short-legged dogs feel the cold sooner, because their bellies touch the snowy ground, and a wet coat makes a dog colder than none, so pack more than one and put a dry one on each time. In deep cold, take shorter walks more often.

The [American Kennel Club](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/hypothermia-in-dogs-how-cold-is-too-cold/?ref=rochsociety.com) puts the start of mild hypothermia at a body temperature below 99°F, about 37°C, and says small dogs, puppies, older dogs and short-coated dogs lose heat fastest. Shivering and curling up are the first signs, then whining, anxiety, slowing down and looking for somewhere warm to burrow, and a dog showing them needs to come inside quickly. Frostbite is harder to spot and may not be obvious for a few days, so if you suspect either, see a vet at once.

![Two cross-country skiers and a small dog in a coat on a snowy forest track in Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon](https://rochsociety.com/content/images/2026/10/winter-inline-ski.jpg)

Photo by [Mattsjc](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two%5Fpeople%5Fand%5Fa%5Fdog%5Fcross%5Fcountry%5Fski%5Fin%5FMount%5FHood%5FNational%5FForest.jpg?ref=rochsociety.com) / Wikimedia Commons, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=rochsociety.com)

## At the Ski Resort

Most ski areas keep dogs off the pistes, and many keep them off the cross-country tracks too, so the walk you can take depends on the resort's own rules. In Switzerland the [Aletsch Arena](https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/here-now/live/news/article/is-my-dog-allowed-on-ski-slopes-or-cross-country-trails-in-the-aletsch-arena?ref=rochsociety.com) says plainly that dogs are not allowed on its ski slopes or cross-country trails, and points dog owners down the valley to Goms.

There the [dog trail from Oberwald to Obergesteln](https://www.goms.ch/en/tour/dog-trail-oberwald-obergesteln?ref=rochsociety.com) is a 4.26 km round trip from Oberwald station, about fifty minutes, built so that a skier and a dog can share it, whether with a poodle on a lead or a husky in a harness. The trail's hours are 9am to 4pm. Paw prints are welcome and anything else must be picked up, and the same page is clear that winter hikers, snowshoers and dog owners are not allowed on the ordinary Goms cross-country tracks.

Lifts are a separate question, and the answer varies lift by lift. In the Austrian [SkiWelt](https://kitzskiwelttour.skiwelt.at/en/dogs-on-the-lift.html?ref=rochsociety.com), dogs ride selected mountain railways in winter too, and the lift company's own table sets out the terms, though it does not say which lifts are the winter ones. On the gondolas a dog must be on a lead in the queue, in the cabin and on the mountain, and must wear a muzzle in the gondola; at Going, a chairlift, the muzzle goes on for the ride.

The dog ticket is €6 a day at Ellmau and Going and free at the other lifts on the table, Söll included in winter. Pack a muzzle the dog is used to, and check which lifts are running on your resort's own lift page before buying a pass. Our guide to [walking and hiking with your dog](https://rochsociety.com/walking-and-hiking-with-your-dog/) covers mountain paths and livestock.

## On the Road and in the Room

A car in cold weather becomes like a refrigerator, the AVMA warns, and can rapidly chill a dog; young, old, ill or thin dogs should never be left in one. Snow and ice also hide the scents a dog uses to find its way back, so more dogs go missing in winter, and a collar with your mobile number and a microchip with up to date details matter more on a trip than at home. Our guide to [driving with your dog](https://rochsociety.com/driving-with-your-dog/) covers restraint and breaks.

In the room, the BVA's advice for a dog's bed is a warm, draught-free spot insulated from the floor, with an extra blanket or two. Ask before you book where a wet dog can be dried, and whether the room has a cold stone floor; our list of [questions to ask any hotel](https://rochsociety.com/questions-to-ask-a-hotel-about-your-dog/) is the place to start. Keep the lead on beside frozen water, and the dog will enjoy the snow at least as much as you do.