Definition of extreme cold is -40 and below.

When we lived in North Dakota our dogs could just run free on the prairie with no worries... but here we are in town and must keep them on a leash much of the time.

Does anybody here have experience with equipment such as e-collars, leads and toys in extreme cold temperatures? It is not cold here yet, in the +teens right now but come January....

How cold is too cold for a dog to wear a metal prong collar? Will the starmark plastic ones be ok or could those break? Would rubber tips on a metal prong be ok?

What leashes can withstand extreme cold without becoming brittle or breaking? I've heard anything made with kevlar is good. Yes we will still exercise our dogs when it's extremely cold and we do not have a fenced yard so no choice anyway.

What about toys? We currently use chuckit balls

Will an e-collar battery die while its on a dogs neck or will it stay warm enough to function properly.

I wish I could help. Unfortunately, southeastern Michigan doesn't come close to the weather you are now dealing with. It's funny, we used to have a fair number of members here from Alaska and northern Canada. Sadly, I haven't seen any of them around lately. As popular as dog sledding and other cold weather dog sports are in Alaska, I'm guessing there might be some clubs or FB groups that may be of help? Good luck to you.

Tresa,

In my experience here in WI, well conditioned leather collars and leashes with brass or stainless steel hardware can withstand the cold - I have horse bridles and harnesses that have been through many bitter winters of sleigh rides with no issues, and I have left my leather Leerburg leash in the car for weeks and though it gets a little stiff, it softens with just the heat from my hand.

Metal prongs should stay warm enough on a medium to long coated dog to be OK for a reasonable amount of time out in those temps. A short coated dog I would not risk it as too much would be exposed and could freeze. I would not trust any kind of plastic collar- all it takes is one weak point to break.

Ecollars should hold the charge long enough to get through a walk - mine have held even left overnight in the car.

A dog’s weakest point in severe cold is the paw pads. Within seconds of being outside in subzero temps my Mal Fennec will start doing the three foot jig. Boots or at the very least Musher’s Secret on the pads will help immensely. They will also protect the pads from sidewalk and road salt.

Any kind of toy left out can become brittle over time. I don’t leave anything out - if the dog takes it outside, she brings it back in. We have lost the occasional toy in a snow bank to be found in the spring - once they are warmed up, they seem to be OK.

Best of luck!!

Thanks Kelly,
It hasn't gotten extremely cold yet, so far the lowest is about -25. I do have a leather leerburg lead, I guess I may need a second one. Thanks for all the tips. These 2 have very tough feet and have never had a problem before but I do have a canister of mushers secret just in case. Logan had whimpy feet and always required booties when it snowed, and this was in Virginia lol.

Thanks Cheri,
I need to get involved with some groups anyway. Raven needs to learn to pass other dogs on trails while joring. I need the help of others to teach him safely in a controlled manner. Unfortunately after being attacked by our previous landlord's dogs, he has become very defensive towards other dogs running towards him, downright nasty. I am hoping people in a club would be willing to help us work on that.

Tresa,

One of the best things I ever did with Toni was flyball training. They have to learn to focus in high energy environments, and they even learn to pass other dogs on the team. Toni’s personal bubble was about 12 feet- lol- but she did great at flyball.

So far we have survived -52°, and lately its been around 0° which is nice but it makes the roads slicker. The dogs didn't seem to be bothered by the extreme cold too much, no paw injuries. Raven is very active and didn't seem too phased by the cold. Anya however was not pleased at all. It seemed to bother her paws a lot but yet I never found any blood or sign of injury or irritation. I am not sure what the drama was about except she just didn't like being cold. I guess is still a Texas dingo at heart.