Getting a stiff old dog through the winter

The most common message we get in the first cold week of the year is some version of "my dog has suddenly gone downhill". Almost always the dog has not suddenly done anything. Cold and damp make stiff joints stiffer, and a dog that was managing at the edge of its capability in September stops managing in November.

Veterinary guidance for arthritic dogs consistently includes keeping them warm and dry, and this is why. The good news is that most of what helps is cheap, and none of it is complicated.

1. Warmth where the dog actually sleeps

The floor is the coldest surface in the house and it is where your dog lies for most of the day. Raise the bed off cold tile or a drafty floor, move it away from external doors, and add a warm layer.

A self-warming mat is the safest starting point — no cord, nothing to overheat, and it layers over whatever bed your dog already uses. If the room is genuinely cold, a thermostatic heated bed adds real warmth rather than reflecting it back. Both are on our heated beds page.

2. The first ten minutes of the morning

Stiffness is worst on rising and worst of all on a cold morning. Two things help disproportionately. First, do not ask for anything sudden — let your dog get up in its own time, and resist the temptation to encourage it out of the door immediately. Second, a short slow walk to loosen up beats standing still in the yard.

If your dog struggles to rise at all, that is a specific problem with specific answers — see why your old dog struggles to stand up.

3. Wet paws, salt and grit

Winter pavements get treated with salt and grit, both of which irritate paw pads, and wet paws coming back into a warm house crack. Cracked pads hurt, and a dog with sore feet moves less and slips more.

Rinse and dry the paws after walks in treated areas, keep the fur between the pads trimmed, and use a paw balm if the pads are drying out. Our paw wax page covers what a balm does and does not do.

4. Wet floors are slippery floors

The hall floor by the back door is wet six months of the year and it is exactly where your dog turns a corner at speed. Put an absorbent mat there and a runner along the route inward — this is the single highest-value rug in the house in winter. The full layout is on our room-by-room floor guide.

5. Shorter and more often, not shorter and less

The instinct in bad weather is to cut walks. For an arthritic dog, controlled regular movement is part of what keeps the joints working, and long gaps of inactivity make the next outing harder. Three ten-minute walks are usually better than one thirty-minute one, and far better than none.

Adjust the surface as well as the length: grass and dirt are kinder than frozen pavement, and a dog with weak back legs is much steadier on grass.

6. Coats — useful, and not for every dog

A coat genuinely helps a thin-coated, lean or small dog in cold weather. It does much less for a thick-coated northern breed, and a badly-fitting coat that restricts the shoulders can make an arthritic dog's gait worse. If you use one, check it does not rub at the armpits, and take it off indoors.

7. Watch the weight

Winter is when dogs quietly gain weight: less exercise, more treats, longer evenings. Weight is the single biggest modifiable factor for a dog with sore joints, and a few extra pounds undoes a lot of good bedding. Weigh your dog in November and again in February.