Salt is the winter problem nobody plans for. Rinse the paws every single time.
The short answer: protect the paws from road salt, add a coat only for short haired and small dogs, cut walk length rather than walk frequency, run a humidifier, and watch water intake, which drops indoors in winter and causes more problems than the cold does.
Salt is the actual hazard
Municipal road salt and most commercial ice melters burn paw pads and are toxic if licked off. The routine that works: balm before the walk, boots if the dog will tolerate them, and a warm water rinse and dry of all four paws immediately on return, every time, not just on bad days. Pet safe ice melt on your own steps costs a few dollars more per bag and removes the problem at home entirely.
Who needs a coat and who does not
Short coated breeds, small dogs, seniors, puppies and anything with a thin body condition need a layer below roughly minus five with windchill. Double coated northern breeds generally do not and can overheat in one. Cats that go outdoors should not, once the temperature is below freezing, full stop.
Change the walk, not the schedule
Three short walks beat one long one in deep cold. Dogs still need the outing for mental reasons even when the exercise value drops, so replace distance with indoor enrichment: puzzle feeders, scent games, and short training sessions, which tire a dog faster than a walk does.
The indoor half of winter
Five months of forced air heating is why winter dandruff, itching and static are so common. A humidifier in the room the animal sleeps in is the single highest impact purchase. Water intake drops when the air is dry and the animal is less active, so add water to food or use a fountain. Nail growth also outpaces wear in winter because there is less pavement contact, so trim more often, not less.
Where Canadian makers are genuinely better
Cold climate gear is the category where Canadian manufacturing has an obvious edge, because the products were designed for these temperatures rather than adapted to them. Look for Canadian made insulated coats and boots, wool and fleece bedding, paw balm from Canadian apiaries and soap makers, and pet safe ice melt manufactured domestically. Food and treats made in Canada also avoid the long cold chain that imported fresh food goes through.
When to call the vet
Persistent limping after walks, cracked or bleeding pads, shivering that does not stop indoors, sudden lethargy, or any suspicion the animal has licked commercial ice melt. Antifreeze is the other winter emergency: it is sweet, lethal in small amounts, and pools on driveways.