Salt, cold weather walking, antifreeze, and when to stay inside. Everything you need to know about winter with a dog in Toronto.
By Onslow's Team · Updated August 14, 2026
Before you go out
Enter the wind chill from your weather app and select your dog's coat type.
HIGH risk
Keep it shorter.
Shorter walks. Frostbite risk starts for all dogs.
Type your dog's breed below. If yours isn't listed, pick the closest coat type: short/thin coat = needs a coat, thick double coat = doesn't.
Paw wax
Boots
Every dog walking on salted Toronto sidewalks needs one or the other, regardless of breed. The issue is chemical exposure, not temperature.
Toronto salts its roads with sodium chloride and calcium chloride from roughly November to April. It keeps humans from slipping. It wrecks your dog's paws.
On the paw
Swallowed (licking paws)
After every walk
Wash and dry paws after every single walk. Lukewarm water, between the toes.
Apply a pet-safe paw balm after. Not a human moisturizer (those soften pads too much).
Trim the hair between paw pads so ice and salt don’t build up.
A small amount can kill a dog
Antifreeze (ethylene glycol) is sweet-tasting. Dogs are attracted to it. It puddles in garages, driveways, and near parked cars in winter.
4.4–6.6 mL/kg
Lethal dose
For a small dog, that can be a few teaspoons.
8 hours
Antidote window
After that, survival drops fast.
Stage 1
First hours
Staggering, vomiting, lethargy — looks like your dog is drunk.
Stage 2
The false recovery
They seem to get better. This is the dangerous part — the damage is still happening inside.
Stage 3
36–72 hours
Kidney failure, seizures, coma.
✓ Keep containers sealed and stored out of reach.
✓ Wipe up any spills in the garage immediately.
✓ Steer your dog away from puddles near parked cars.
Hits these first
Signs
Pale or grey-blue skin
Cold and brittle to the touch
Painful stiffness
Later: blisters, then skin turns black
What to do
Get inside.
Gently warm the area with a warm (not hot) towel. Don’t rub.
Call your vet. Signs can take days to fully show up.
Signs can take days to fully show up. Your dog might seem fine after a cold walk and develop problems two or three days later.
Grenadier Pond in High Park is the big one. Toronto Police have warned the ice is “never truly safe.” Dogs fall through it every winter.
If your dog falls through ice
Do NOT go in after them. People who enter the water to rescue pets frequently become victims themselves.
Call 911.
Try calling your dog to shore. Extend a branch, leash, or rope from the bank if you can do it safely.
Wait for firefighters with ice rescue equipment.
Prevention
Leash near any frozen water.
Don’t throw balls or sticks onto ice. This includes the Don River, park ponds, and anywhere water has frozen over.
If it looks solid, assume it isn’t.
All of Toronto's designated off-leash parks stay open year-round. Bonus: the winter beaches.
WHERE
Kew-Balmy Beach and Woodbine Beach, below the snow fence line
WHEN
November 1 to March 31
SIZE
About 15 hectares total — the biggest off-leash area in the city
On the days when it's genuinely too cold, you still need to tire them out.
Frozen KONG
Peanut butter, freeze it. 20 minutes of engagement.
Scent work
Hide treats around the apartment.
Training sessions
Five minutes of focused training is more tiring than a 20-minute walk.
Indoor fetch
Hallway, soft toy, low ceiling clearance.
Tug-of-war
Good energy burn, easy setup.
Cold outdoor air plus dry indoor heating strips moisture from skin and coat. Flaking, dandruff, itchiness, dull coat.
✓ Run a humidifier.
✓ Reduce baths in winter. Washing removes natural oils.
✓ Use a moisturizing shampoo when you do bathe.
✓ Brush regularly to distribute natural oils.
✓ Feed a diet with omega-3s for coat health.
If it's persistent, cracked, or your dog is losing hair, see your vet.
Related: summer heat safety · 24/7 emergency vets · off-leash parks · dog-friendly beaches
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