Salt on dog paws: winter coat and paw care in the GTA
What road salt does to paws, why not to shave a dog down for winter, and what a groomer can and can't do for a dog that spends January on salted sidewalks.
The short answer
Wash or wipe your dog's feet and belly after every walk on salted ground, look between the toes while you do it, and keep the coat longer than you would in summer. The City of Toronto, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and the Toronto Humane Society all give some version of those three instructions. A groomer helps with the coat and the hair around the feet. A groomer does not treat sore paws, and a paw that looks injured is a question for your vet.
What salt does to a paw
The harm is done at the foot. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's cold-weather page says the salt used on roads and sidewalks can become trapped between a dog's toes and cause irritation and inflammation. It adds that on dogs with longer fur on the paws, small ice balls can form between the toes, trap moisture and irritate the skin, and that soaking the paws in warm water will help dislodge and melt them. The City of Toronto's dog-care page names the other place the residue lands: it asks owners to wash and dry the feet and the stomach after walks to remove ice, salt and chemicals.
The two-minute routine after a walk
The City's version is short. After walks, wash and dry your dog's feet and stomach, then check for cracks in the paw pads or redness between the toes. On a long walk it suggests carrying a towel for any irritated paws, and before going out it suggests booties, or massaging a protectant into the pads. The CVMA lists booties too. In practice that is a towel that lives by the door, warm water if the feet are caked, and a look between the toes. Dry matters as much as wash: a wet foot with long hair between the pads is where an ice ball starts. Do it whenever the ground was salted, including on a day with no snow falling.
Rinse the feet, but bathe less
A foot rinse is not a bath. The City asks owners to bathe pets as little as possible during cold spells because washing too often can leave the skin dry and flaky, and the Toronto Humane Society makes the same point about keeping the skin's natural oils. So the routine after a salty walk is feet and belly, and the full bath happens when the coat needs one rather than because the dog came in with salt on it. How often that is depends on the coat, and neither source gives a number.
Do not shave a dog down for winter
The City of Toronto says never to shave your dog down to the skin in winter, because a longer coat provides more warmth. The Toronto Humane Society says to save shorter haircuts for the summer. Neither page singles out double-coated breeds, and our spring shed guide explains why taking a double coat to the skin is a poor idea in any season. The Humane Society does allow one exception: long-haired dogs may benefit from a quick trim to keep snow and salt from building up. The sensible reading is a tidy of the long hair on the legs, belly and feet, not a short clip of the body. If you are unsure, ask the groomer what length they plan to leave before they start.
Where a winter coat tangles
Salt, slush and melt mean a long coat gets wet and dries again several times a week, and wet long hair tangles. The usual trouble spots are the places where something rubs: under a sweater or coat, under a harness, behind the collar, and along the leg and belly feathering that drags through slush. A metal comb run through to the skin tells you the truth, where a brush skims the top and leaves a tangle intact underneath. A small tangle comes out of a dry coat with patient fingers and a comb. A mat that has pulled tight to the skin is a groomer's job, and the skin underneath is not a place for scissors at home.
What a groomer covers in winter, and what stays with the vet
A groomer can brush out and de-mat a coat, bathe and fully dry a dog when the coat needs it, trim the hair between the pads and around the feet, trim nails and tidy the belly and legs so less snow and salt collects. A mobile visit also means the dog goes from your door to the vehicle and back without a car ride or a waiting room. What a groomer does not do is diagnose or treat. Cracked or bleeding pads, a limp, raw skin between the toes and a dog that seems unwell after licking its feet are for your vet, and a groomer who sees one should say so. The Toronto Humane Society warns that cold-weather chemicals such as ice melts can be dangerous if swallowed, and licking paws is the way most dogs end up swallowing them.
What to tell the groomer before a winter visit
Say what the coat is doing now, including any tangles under a sweater or harness. Say whether the pads look cracked or sore, whether the dog wears booties, and whether the dog has been licking its feet more than usual. Ask what length they will leave on the body and on the feet, and how the dog will be dried before it goes back out. A groomer can only trim what they can see and reach, so a dog that tolerates having its feet handled makes the visit shorter and calmer.
Where this comes from
Read on 21 October 2026: the City of Toronto's Caring for Your Dog page (shown as modified 14 July 2026), the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's Cold weather and pets page (2 February 2023) and the Toronto Humane Society's 12 winter safety tips (18 January 2024). We have not compiled evidence on which de-icers are safer for pets, so this guide does not recommend one. It makes no claims about prices or about which groomers are available on a given day.
Common questions
Is road salt bad for a dog's paws?
It can be. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association says road and sidewalk salt can become trapped between a dog's toes and cause irritation and inflammation, and the City of Toronto asks owners to wash and dry the feet and belly after walks and check for cracks in the pads or redness between the toes. Dogs differ, so a dog with sore feet is a question for your vet.
How do I clean salt off my dog's paws?
Wash and dry the feet and the stomach after the walk, which is the City of Toronto's advice, and dry between the toes properly. If ice balls have formed in long paw fur, the CVMA says soaking the paws in warm water will help dislodge and melt them. Carry a towel on long walks for any paw that is irritated.
Should I shave my dog for winter?
No. The City of Toronto says never to shave your dog down to the skin in winter because longer coats provide more warmth, and the Toronto Humane Society says to save shorter haircuts for summer. A tidy of the long hair on the feet, belly and legs is a different thing from a short clip of the body.
Should I trim the hair between my dog's paw pads in winter?
For a long-haired dog it can help. The Toronto Humane Society says long-haired dogs may benefit from a quick trim to prevent snow and salt buildup, and the CVMA notes ice balls form between the toes of dogs with longer paw fur. If your dog will not hold still, it is a quick job for a groomer, who can do it alongside a nail trim.
How often should I bathe my dog in winter?
As little as the coat allows. The City of Toronto asks owners to bathe pets as little as possible during cold spells because washing too often can cause dry, flaky skin. Rinse and dry the feet and belly after salty walks and bathe on the schedule your dog's coat needs. There is no single interval that suits every dog.
Do dogs need booties for salted sidewalks?
The City of Toronto suggests putting booties on before going out to protect paws from salt and ice, and the CVMA lists booties as an option, so there is support for them. Not every dog tolerates them. If yours does not, wiping or washing the feet after every walk does much of the same job.
What if my dog licks salt or de-icer off its paws?
Call your vet. The Toronto Humane Society warns that cold-weather chemicals such as ice melts can be dangerous if swallowed, and we cannot tell you how much is harmful for your dog. Washing the feet after each salted walk is what keeps the residue off the tongue in the first place.
Further reading
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