Winter doesn't just mean snow and wilderness when it comes to taking care of your dog.

One side effect of the coronavirus pandemic and onslaught of COVID-19 was record dog adoptions, rescues, fosters and puppies going to new homes, with many shelters cleaned out in a frenzy of companionship-seeking. Now we are getting into what will be the first winter for many of those new dog owners, but even if you have been doing cold weather with your best friend(s) for years, there might be a few useful tips for you below.

Back in April, as the dogs were flying out of shelters and into new homes, I did a piece here at Forbes on “The Best Dog Gear For Your New Puppy, Rescue or Foster Dog.” There’s still some good stuff in that one, but now we are looking at winter.

Dogs like going outside, and most of them don’t care what the weather is like. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to take precautions and use common sense if you live in a colder climate. Besides the climate, winter concerns include darkness, more dangerous roads and various chemicals and salt used to keep things “clean.” I’ve had active dogs in the severe winter climate of Vermont for over 20 years, closely follow the outdoor gear and recreation industries, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Here are some of my favorite things for dogs - and their humans - to more thoroughly and safely enjoy the cold and snow.

These also make great gifts for pet owners!

For avid winter adventure, consider booties and a jacket with front sleeves, like Ruffwear's ... [+] high-performance Cloud Chaser.

Coats & Sweaters: Not all dogs need winter outerwear, and chances are your huskie or malamute does not, but small dogs, skinny dogs, older dogs and younger dogs are all potential candidates. The leading company when it comes to quality dog outerwear is Ruffwear, which has been making a wide range of models for dogs of all sizes and activity levels for years. I have Ruffwear coats, booties, blankets, and a lot of other gear from this quality specialist. In particular, I like the Overcoat ($60) for my slimmer, smaller golden retriever who doesn’t need a lot of winter protection, just a boost on colder days. It’s wind and water resistant with a fleece lining and fit like a harness or life jacket in the sense that it has no sleeves or stretchy form fitting, it’s just a tube with a head opening that goes around the belly. One advantage of these looser fit styles is that many, like the Overcoat, are designed to be worn over a walking harness and it has a slot on the back to connect a leash to the top harness loop.

The simplest dog jackets go over the head and strap around the mid-section, like the Overcoat by ... [+] Ruffwear.

If you need a higher level of protection from the elements, the alternative design style is a jacket with front “sleeves,” extensions that cover the upper half of front legs (for really sensitive dogs like greyhounds, there are even some four-legged sleeve suits). Sleeve models are a little trickier to put on and take off but keep your dog warmer and form a front-end seal against the elements, keeping snow and wet and cold off the chest, neck and ribcage. Ruffwear’s Cloud Chaser ($80) is a hardcore performance model that is waterproof and windproof softshell tech material - like what I have in my own ski jackets - on top, and warmer fleece on the bottom. It also has reflective trim, an important apparel feature in winter when it gets dark earlier. The Climate Changer ($50) is a similar design but entirely recycled plastic-based fleece, warm but less protective against wet, meant for clear cold days. Ruffwear has a helpful, extensive guide to selecting a jacket on its website, with the pros and cons of feature and materials, and they make over a dozen different jacket and sweater models aimed at wind, rain, and extreme cold.

When your dog needs just a boost, consider a sweater like Kurgo's K9 Core model.

Kurgo is another top dog gear manufacturer I have come to love that makes a goodly amount of quality apparel. We use their walking harnesses and crash tested car seatbelt harnesses - and I like the K9 Core Sweater for mild use. It’s soft, cozy and really easy to use, with a 2-way zipper that is harness, leash and collar compatible, with adjustable fit neck and reflective accents for safety. It can be used on its own or as a layer when it is really cold, and like most Kurgo gear it is a great value ($33) with a lifetime warranty.

Orvis carries the Expedition dog parka form Finland's Hurtta.

You know here it gets really cold? Finland, which is home to Hurtta, a company specializing in outdoor and hunting products for dogs in serious conditions. America’s first and oldest catalog retailer, Orvis, now carries the Hurtta Expedition dog parka ($80), specifically developed for short-haired dogs (like labs) and dogs without an undercoat. This technical parka is made of rugged waterproof, windproof breathable fabric, and both the lining and surface are certified be safe and free of harmful substances in accordance with the Oko-Tex-standard 100 (it uses fluorocarbon-free Rudolf ECO water-repellent treatment).

A good headlamp like the rechargeable, value-packed BioLite 200, is indispensable for safe winter ... [+] dog walking after dark.

Safety Lights: It gets dark earlier in winter, while roads are often slicker, and in many places narrowed by snow build up on shoulders, a triple whammy that increases the threat to people walking dogs. It is more important for you to be seen from further away, and that’s where dog safety lights come in. I also wear a headlamp myself, and while I have a lot of these for camping and outdoor sports, for dog walking in winter I recommend the BioLite 200. It’s simple, very light and so comfortable you might double check to make sure it is on your head. The band has a reflective strip on the back, key for car headlights, and the stretchy band goes over hats and hoods easily.  Most of all, it has extremely good battery life on a USB charge, up to 40 hours on low. You can forget to recharge it day after day and it still remains ready for action.  It has high and low in both white and red light, flashing strobes, and the light tilts downwards to adjust to where you are walking. For $45 it’s the best value in performance headlamps I have found.  

This rechargeable lighted collar from Orvis illuminates your dog from all directions.

For the pup, Orvis, which has a lot of dog gear in just about every category, just added these rechargeable LED collars. They are made of flexible polymer that lights up all the way around (360 degrees) making your dog more visible from every direction. You can change color, or if you have multiple dogs, use a different color for easy identification in darkness, or even choose a color medley. This runs for 5-6 hours on a USB charge ($20).

These low profile high-performance dog collar lights are the same ones used by Danish search and ... [+] rescue team canines.

Orvis also carries these imported clip-on LED collar safety lights - the same model used by Denmark’s search-and-rescue teams to keep their dogs visible in dark and dangerous conditions. The low-profile LED fastens anywhere on your dog's collar via clip or hook-and-loop strap (includes both). You switch it on simply by rotating the lens, it offers both steady and flashing modes, is impact resistant and as totally waterproof as a good dive watch (100 meters) and runs up to 250 hours on a lithium CR2032 battery with lifetime (100,000-hours) bulb. All of this weighs less than one ounce.

The Yaktrax Pro is a traction device that slips around any boot or shoe for safer, winter walking.

Safer Walking: Your dog may have four-paw drive, but you do not, and a neighbor of ours broke his leg walking his dog last winter when he slipped on driveway ice. The better solution is a pair of Yaktrax Pro traction devices. These go on over sneakers, shoes or boots, are easy to put on and take off, and while there are a lot of similar things on the market, many have spikes, which can be dangerous to your dog (and pants cuffs, floors, carpets, etc.). Also, while these can be great for winter hiking in the wildness, spikes are overkill on pavement and most regular ice. The Yaktrax uses metal wires wound around the rubber tread pattern, and I have used them for years - traction is more than enough to handle all but the most extreme dog walking, and I use them winter hiking in the woods too. But I do recommend skipping the entry level “Walk” model ($20) and “splurging” on the Pro ($30) with a Velcro strap over the top - for ten bucks more it stays on well, which the Walk doesn’t always do. If you also want to use them for winter running, the Run model ($40) is also great.

Booties protect your dog in the wilderness but also for ice, salt and chemicals on city sidewalks.

Paws First: Yaktrax will keep you from slipping, but what about your pup? Traction might not be as much an issue as cold and the build up of snow between the pads of their feet. The low-tech solution is Musher’s Secret, a waxy cream (100% natural, food grade) you rub on their paws and between the pads that keeps snow from sticking. I use it for shorter outings, and it works well, until it doesn’t. It also does not tackle the cold itself. The solution for dogs needing more protection on longer outings or in deeper snow, is booties, which my dogs use for Nordic and AT skiing and winter hikes. Booties also protect against anti-freeze spills and potentially dangerous chemicals and salt used in winter to melt ice, especially on city and suburban sidewalks.

Ruffwear Polar Trex booties are high-tech, high-performance footwear for dogs.

The best winter ones are the Polar Trex model from Ruffwear. They are sold in pairs ($50) because most dogs have different size front and back paws, and the site includes detailed measuring instructions. There are less expensive models on the market, including others from Ruffwear, and hardier dogs can get away with those, but this is the top tier of winter protection, the equivalent of technical footwear for humans. The Polar Trex have an insulated softshell upper that is both warm and comfy, and since it is form fitting it keeps snow out. The outsole is Vibram Icetrek, the same first-rate non-slip sole material used on high-end hiking boots. Hook and loop straps over the narrowest part of the leg keeps them on, and zipper gaiter protects this from snow and ice buildup. I’ve used cheaper booties and many tend to fall off.  In any case, if your dog has not worn booties, they may (they will!) get freaked out, so you want to get them used to the idea before heading out, indoors first, one at a time. Start with one bootie on, act normal, give treats, until pup is calm. Then add a second, and it’s good to start on a diagonal, like front right and rear left. Once you get over that hump, adding the other two is easy.

Sometimes you need your fingers on a dog walk, and the perfect cold weather solution is a ... [+] convertible glove/miitt like the OR Lost Coast.

Best Winter Dog Walking Gloves: Now that your buddy’s paws are toasty what about you? If you don’t think there are some gloves that are better than others for dog walking, maybe you haven’t walked a dog in winter? In general, there will be times when you need the dexterity of fingers, whether it’s adjusting the leash or giving treats or picking up poop, yet most gloves are not designed for easy on and off, but rather just to be worn. Because we have always done reward-based training, my dogs expect a treat when they do good, and a treat means fingers.

Also, because I have a large fenced in section of our property, we go each morning to my own private dog park, but the principle works the same for an actual dog park - when it’s time to wrestle and play with sticks, I often check emails. I also like to take a lot of pictures of my girls. For that you don’t need fingers but your do need touchscreen capability. So, after much trial and error I have dialed in my dog gloves to two pairs, both from longtime glove and mountaineering equipment specialist Outdoor Research (OR), the choice of expedition climbers and backcountry enthusiasts (I also love OR ski gloves for skiing).

For access to your fingertips and maximum dexterity, you want convertible gloves, where the exposed fingers are covered by a mitten flap when not in use. I tried a couple of synthetic fleece models, most recently from Patagonia, but none were warm enough when the temps started drifting below 30. The OR Lost Coast Fingerless Mitts are the warmest I have found, a thick traditional rag wool body (85% wool, 15% nylon) plus a fleece interior. Most importantly they are plenty warm, but also breathable, wicking and quick drying. They have synthetic suede on the palms for durability and better grip, and the flip over mitt part uses magnets rather than Velcro or buttons to stay open when you want them open, which is far easier and better than the other methods. This is a great gift for anyone you know who walks dogs in the cold! (two colors, four sizes, $55).

Want to use your phone in the cold? That's what the sensor patch on the fingertip is for, making ... [+] these OR Exit Sensor gloves touchscreen compatible.

For the digital world I use the OR Exit Sensor gloves. Sensor technology lets your fingertips work with touchscreen devices, and OR offers this on all sorts of gloves, from light liners up to $500 high tech heated battery powered arctic models. But the Exit ($59) is a perfect “normal” weight winter glove, a wool and synthetic blend body and fleece lining plus grippy synthetic leather palm and fingers fronts. It is warm enough for all but the coldest days, yet flexible and maintaining a modicum of dexterity - and you can use your phone.

The Adventure Medical Kit version for dogs fits easily in any pack.

Safety First: If you are taking your dog beyond the concrete jungle, winter can mean paw abrasion and more susceptibility to injury. That’s why when I go cross country skiing, snowshoeing, AT skiing or winter hiking with my dogs, which I do a lot, I take a first aid kit, and if it’s one ski patrollers use for their dogs, that’s good enough for me. Adventure Medical Kits is a longtime provider of quality outdoor recreation kits for humans and also makes them for our best friends. The basic Trail Dog Medical Kit ($25) handles most of what you will encounter in normal day outings and fits easily in any size pack. They also have a combo pet/human one, Me & My Dog Medical Kit ($50), and the more elaborate Workin’ Dog Medical Kit ($110).