Safe winter dog walking and exploring

[ski now work later]

This is my first winter with a dog in over 20 years. We live in a very rural area so we play in the woods, the yard, take walks, etc. What do y'all wear on your feet for minimum slippage? Do you use Yaktrax and if so, when and with what boots? I do have tall Sorel boots that are warm and rugged that I will use in deeper snow and colder conditions. But what about light snow days (like today)? And of course, my little bear loves the snow

 

[ski now work later]

Oh boy, my photos are still uploading sideways....

 

[ski diva]

Oh boy, my photos are still uploading sideways....

Fixed it for you!

 

[SallyCat]

For woods exploring in the winter, I use Khatoola Microspikes and would strongly recommend them over YakTrax; they're much grippier. I wear them over a pair of lightweight, waterproof hiking boots.

If there's a lot of snow, I use snowshoes. We have a lot of trails up near my house, and fat bikers and xc skiers get real salty if you posthole on the trails.

For walking on roads where there's likely ice, I wear my trail running sneakers with sheet metal screws (see here for example).

Maybe I'm getting more risk-averse as I age, but I take winter traction seriously because people get really hurt every year falling on ice. Like, broken arms, concussions, and that sort of thing. I definitely don't want to cut my ski season short because of a driveway injury.

I hope you the bear have a joyful winter of exploring!