To cold for dogs?

TwoForTwo

TwoForTwo

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 February 2021
Messages
71
Visit site
Usually my dogs come to yard if an afternoon with me, they are both curly coated cross breeds. I’ve not been taking them in the snow and frost as I’m out for about 4 hours and don’t want them getting cold, it’s been between -2 and minus -5 here of an afternoon. Tomorrow and the week coming is meant to be better. I moved in with mum to help her in the current climate and she has 2 girl terriers that have come into season. Typical as we had booked them in for speying as our vet it finally doing the op’s again. My boys are done and one pays no attention but one is interested so it’s not easy leaving mum with the 4 whilst I’m out
 
Mine is in his element at the moment. Double coated border collie and loves the cold. As soon as temperatures get to 15 he’s too hot.
 
My double coated GSDs love this cold weather. We had -15 one night and I had to drag my GSD bitch inside as I think she would have quite happily slept out in it.
 
Mine opted out of morning yard chores in early December, coinciding with DH being furloughed...
She's done the afternoon yard trips till this week, only missing the last 2 days as was too damned cold for her even in her thermatex with padded coat over the top. So has had an on lead short walk twice daily and plenty of indoor games.
It was Wednesday PM when her teeth were chattering in the car when heading to the yard.....
 
I don't think there's a simple answer to what's too cold. I've noticed, that if I have it colder indoors my double coated bitches holds on to their undercoats, but if I have it a bit warmer, they almost shed some of it. Besides their own coats, it also matters if they're wearing dog rugs/coats or not, and if they can move around, or if they're sitting/lying still waiting somewhere.
Something else important is that strong winds (especially in combination with a bit of moist air) can make it feel colder than what the thermometer shows.
 
We are in an courtyard shaped American barn that has gates in two corners diagonally across so not an outside yard, they have beds at the yard and also like to go in the stable we store the hay and straw in, they also have various coats and jumpers that I can put on them, one is a real chunk but the other I struggle to get weight staying on
 
There was a graphic going round on Facebook the other day about cold temperatures and dogs. A table showing at what temperature it is dangerous etc. I thought it was a little odd. As inI would have thought dogs were fine in lower temperatures than they suggested. Plus there's so much variation in coat between breeds which I don't think was accounted for.

Let me see if I can find it.
 
PapaverFollis said:
There was a graphic going round on Facebook the other day about cold temperatures and dogs. A table showing at what temperature it is dangerous etc. I thought it was a little odd. As inI would have thought dogs were fine in lower temperatures than they suggested. Plus there's so much variation in coat between breeds which I don't think was accounted for.

Let me see if I can find it.
Click to expand...

Thankyou, they will be staying in till Monday then. Where I am Monday the weather changes and says it’s will be 10* which compared to what we’ve had is positively tropical
 
Moobli said:
My double coated GSDs love this cold weather. We had -15 one night and I had to drag my GSD bitch inside as I think she would have quite happily slept out in it.
Click to expand...
Mine too. She also goes out and sits on the patio if it rains, so she must spend half her life too hot.

OP- my terrier has been staying at home. I did take her one morning and she ended up shivering.(she’s 14).
 
My JRT won't stay outside for long in this weather and cries to go back indoors so I just put a coat on, this week she has had a fleece and coat on top and she has been ok, she tends to lie in one if the stables in the shavings if she gets too cold.
 
It has actually never occured to me about it being too cold for them. If they are out they are moving though, I wouldn't expect them to sit out in it. Mind you out shooting they have to sit for quite a time. Essex though so our most bitter is about -2 or -3.
 
My rough coated terrier has been out for really good walks in the really cold weather (reading -3 on car thermometer with wind chill down to approximately -7 apparently). However, it is frozen solid and bone dry. She has been good and warm. She does get cold when she gets wet, as she is a water loving dog I have to wrap her up warm when she has been for a swim (dopey creature) then gets a cold wind on her. I am having to be a bit careful of the hard ground on her pads though!
 
twiggy2 said:
Looking at that chart I am surprised any of my dogs are still alive
Click to expand...

Agreed! Old girl Brandy does less when it is frozen, but only because the rough ground doesn't help her arthriticky bits. She's got a proper labrador coat and is impervious to all weathers.
 
PapaverFollis said:
Oh no it does account for coat and "acclimatisation"... so might be more useful than I thought at first glance.

View attachment 65820
Click to expand...

From a Swedish dog owning point of view, the only good thing about that chart is that they use the word "potentially" before "life-threatening...". I presume the chart is about taking your dog out for walks, since it seems to be about having fun with your dog outdoors, and not about leaving your dog alone/waiting outdoors.

It makes me want to assure people that there is thousands of small dogs in Sweden who survives going for both walks, and hikes, in colder temperatures, even including the deductions, than what chart says is okay.

Photo copied from a Swedish Chihuahua blog, the owner said that when it goes down to -10, -15° it is time to put on the doggy shoes/socks when going for walks
default


From another blog, 2 Chihuahuas out for a daytrip hike in below -5°
AQKAAAACWUpodHRwczovL2NkbjIuY2RubWUuc2UvMzkyNzMxMC84LTMvY2hpaHVhaHVhLTItdmludGVyZGFnLWh1bmRza29yLWh1bmRqYWNrYS12aW50ZXIta2FsbHQtbWludXNncmFkZXItaHVuZGtsYWRlci1odW5kc2tvci1rbGFkZXItdGlsbC1odW5kXzU4NzEyNWMwOTYwNmVlNTRjYTRmMTBiYi5qcGc


As far as I know, Swedish veterinary hospitals doesn't give out advice about that so or so minus temperatures means you can't have fun with your dog outdoors. Instead they warn about that owners should be aware about that dogs can get frostbites, and that some areas, e.g. ears, paws, testicles, is more vulnerable. That it's important that owners think about not standing still for too long, that they use an appropriate paw protection cream, and if needed put on dog shoes, and/or coats.

ETA I actually worry such a chart is potentially damaging, I could easily imagine it leading to some owners using it as an excuse for not letting their dogs go outdoors for months in a row, because their thermometer shows minus degrees.
 
Last edited:
FinnishLapphund said:
ETA I actually worry such a chart is potentially damaging, I could easily imagine it leading to some owners using it as an excuse for not letting their dogs go outdoors for months in a row, because their thermometer shows minus degrees.
Click to expand...

Some people really would think that.
My brother posted a video of his lab doing zoomies in the snow, she is rugged up to the eyeballs and panting madly. Just why?
 
I have to say my short coated 7 yo terrier has voted with his voice about being out in the garden.

He normally loves being out there and will sunbathe for hours but at the moment it is a case of going out to do his business, quick check to see if there's anything to kill and then its hurry up and open the door mum.

I still have one heck of a job to put a rug on him to go out for a walk but I know if I don't he will shiver.
 
My two dogs have certainly felt the cold this last week.

Terrier is getting to be an old-boy now, bless him, and has stated his feelings quite bluntly that he doesn't think he should have been taken out in the freezing cold East wind that's been blowing through here.

Ginger-dog is a Cyprus rescue and has similarly voted with her feet that she'd far rather not be dragged out to freeze her butt watching horses feed thank you very much!!

I have acquiesced to them and allowed them to wear their Equafleeces just so they say warm; the wind has just been really biting here as we're fairly high up and although we haven't had the snow that everyone else seems to have had (only a flurry yesterday) it has still be blisteringly cold here as the wind just blows right down through the yard!

Today (Sunday) even though the Big Freeze seems to be over, for now anyway, they're still expressing huge umbrage at the weather; it is blowing a hooley here and chucking it down with rain. They have been out this morning for a quick blast round the block to see to the essentials, but my guess is that when I start putting on waterproofs to go out and sort the Neds out anytime soon, they'll look at me as though I'm gonna whip 'em and dive back to their beds PDQ.
 
Wouldn;t occur to me that they could get cold either we had kennelled dogs that had shelter and straw but they lived outside in all weathers with no fancy heating. The sled dogs sleep in the snow in Alaska it keeps them at about zeroish if deep enough
 
I do think it’s very dependent on the dog and what they’re doing. My little cocker spaniel does seem to get cold very easily, especially if she gets damp. But she has a fairly thin coat for the breed and not a lot of fat for insulation. She’s ok when she’s running around like a loon but the minute she stops she’ll be shivering. But even in the really cold weather she’s been coming out with me all day, though she mostly stays in the car. She just has a wardrobe of fleeces/coats and a stash of blankets in the car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top