Temperature for sleeping dogs?

[Nudibranch]

I know they have lovely fur coats but I always wonder if my dachshund is warm enough at night. His bed is in the kitchen and recently I've been quite cautious with the heating as I'm paying the bills on my own now... the thermometer in there currently reads 14 celsius and it does feel a bit nippy. He has a cushion and a blanket, but should I make him some kind of hay box or something? It has to be minus 8 or 9 up here at least tonight!

 

[CAYLA]

U would be suprised, even with a short coat at how well he will keep a warm, the little daschunds I used to board, had their own sleeping bag, and they used to bury under it, and make a little tunnel

my whippets are on a fur covered balnket and they make a little comfy circle out of it and curl up.


I would get a little sleeping bag or blanket, for him to snuggle under, then if her feels to hot he can also lay on the surface

he will be fine

 

[Nudibranch]

Oh what a good idea, I will look for a little sleeping bag! Last night we stayed at my dad's and the oil ran out so there was no heating - poor dog woke me up crying in the night and shivering so he had the rare treat of being allowed to sleep in the bed with me. It must have been barely above zero in there though - my house seems tropical in comparison!

 

[Irishcobs]

Our lurchers have their own radiator in the kitchen under the worktop which is like a sauna under there. They also have a bed in the middle of the kitchen if they get too hot. But being lurchers one is currently in front of the fire and the other is by a radiator. The heating does go off at 10.30 and comes back on at 5.30 so they don't get it all the night.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Generally, dogs handle cold better than heat, since they can't sweat. And I'm guessing yours is Long- or maybe Wire-Haired? If so, + he has a bed, cushion and blanket, I wouldn't presume he's freezing only because the thermometer reads 14 Celsius.


But if you want to do something, my first thought would be to make the dog-bed stand about 10 cm. (3.94 inches ?) off the floor.
Maybe I'd buy a dog-rug with some heat-reflecting material inside it, and put in the dog-bed. If the he doesn't want the extra help to keep warm, he can dig it away.

Or buy a warm water-bottle, wrap a towel around it or put it inside a small cushion-cover, and put in one end of his dog-bed. Then he also can choose, if he wants the extra help to keep warm.


If he is more hungry than usual, it may be a sign that he uses more energy to keep warm during the night. But personally, I wouldn't worry to much.



from Sweden.

 

[Marnie]

I got a great polypad one like THIS - not sure I paid that much though, pups like it as they can go on top or snuggle in.

 

[CorvusCorax]

*Looks out the window at her dogs outside in the frost, feeling a wee bit guilty....*