How do you know when your dog needs a jacket/sewater?

[pinkspore]

How do you know when your dog needs a jacket/sweater?

1. Is is a chihuahua? It's cold. Put clothes on it.

2. ?

3. Is it below freezing outside? Is it not a cold-weather-loving breed? It's cold. Put clothes on it.

It's the bit in the middle that I am uncertain about. We're kind of almost starting to get into put-on-pants-and-maybe-a-jacket temperatures in the mornings and evenings now, and I worry that Brisbane might start getting a bit chilly as he gets older. At the same time, most of my coworkers own nothing warmer than a sweatshirt, sandals are reasonable footwear year-round, and I know more than one person who does not own a pair of long pants. I'm not worried about frostbite or expecting to see him rolled up and shivering, but I'd also like to keep his old joints toasty when we go out.

How do you decide when to dress your dog when the temperatures are above arctic?

 

[amberdyan]

I'm totally not trying to be a typo-nazi, but I burst into laughter when I saw this thread because I definitely thought that it said "how do you know when your dog needs a jacket/SEAWATER." I thought I was missing some elaborate inside joke. That or I'm a neglectful owner because Hugo has never had seawater. :rofl1:

I'm still trying to figure out when Hugo needs a jacket. If I'm wearing a coat and we're going to be standing around not moving or playing, I throw his coat on him. If it's cold enough that I'm really bundled up I put it on him even if we're playing. It's on him for sure if it's below freezing. From pictures it looks like his fur is quite a bit thinner than Brisbane's, but he's also younger. If I'm on the fence about coat or no coat, I take him outside and see if he looks uncomfortable. If he's unhappy he'll usually run back to the door or shiver a bit and give me puppy eyes.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I don't know, I mean with Jackson, as long as we are moving, he doesn't get cold terribly easily. If we're going to be standing still for long periods of time, he will get chilly. A few weeks ago, I went to my 6 year old sisters Halloween parade and we were standing outside in one place as the kids walked by. I would say it was somewhere around 40-45F, early morning, not very sunny. He actually started shivering a little bit. I was kind of surprised.

I would say if it's under 40F, I usually will slip a sweater/jacket on him for long periods of outdoor time. It's not going to hurt him... at best, it'll keep him warm when needed, at worst... there isn't really one, lol. I know he's not going to get hot, being a single coated breed and I keep him shaved short.

Quick potty breaks and such? He does fine naked. Even today when the temps were in the 20's.

With snow, I typically put stuff on him because he LOVES playing in the snow but often gets so many snowballs clumped up on legs and underbelly that he gets cold a lot faster. We don't do booties though- not sure if he would even keep them on.

I guess I just play it by ear. I usually feel like if I need a sweater and gloves, I would prefer him to be kept warm too.

 

[Annabell]

If it's really that warm year-round, then I honestly think Brisbane would be fine since he has a rather fluffy coat. I would only dress Fable up if it is snowing or raining really hard or if it was below freezing. I feel like small dogs get colder faster than larger dogs, so if I had a small dog it would probably get bundled up if it were under 45-50F or so. In general, I don't think dogs need jackets as much as people think they do. Their natural coats do a great job of keeping them toasty.

If you are interested in getting him a lightweight coat, I would suggest The Gold Paw Series (http://www.goldpawseries.com/). Their fleeces are INCREDIBLY soft. It is actually unbelievable. They are pretty lightweight, but they would also keep the chill off of an aging dog.

 

[pinkspore]

I apparently cannot spell today.

Brisbane is a deceptively fluffy single-coated dog, so he doesn't have any undercoat keeping him warm.

 

[Southpaw]

It wouldn't really cross my mind for a dog that wasn't seeming unhappy/uncomfortable about being outside. My short-haired guys wear coats now because they do this weird tap-dancing/shivering thing when they're outside - clearly they are cold lol it's like 10 degrees here. And even for them it was not really an automatic thing until they let me know they needed something.

 

[Red.Apricot]

With Zobby, he screams at the dresser when he's cold.

With Elsie, the one time I saw her cold she tried to climb into a fire pit.

That is probably not helpful.

 

[sassafras]

If they're shivering or looking miserable, I put a coat on.

If they're not shivering or looking miserable, I don't.

 

[Annabell]

If they're shivering or looking miserable, I put a coat on.

If they're not shivering or looking miserable, I don't.

Yeah, basically this.

 

[noludoru]

If they're shivering or looking miserable, I put a coat on.

If they're not shivering or looking miserable, I don't.

If I live in a house with someone who shits the heat off constantly, I put it on him when it's below 40 outside. He is achy and old and just doesn't know how to ask.

If he curls himself up into a REALLY tight ball, I put it on.

If he parks himself in front of the space heater and refuses to move away from it for treats, he gets it.

 

[teacuptiger]

General rule of thumb for me- if I need a hoodie, Roxie needs her hoodie. And, if I need a coat, Roxie does too. Same goes for layers. A couple times I've misjudged and only put Roxie in her Fido Fleece instead of putting her Hurtta coat over and you can really tell that she's freezing.

But it's WI and Roxie is a single coated dog with short, tight fur. It gets cold, and the windchill makes it even worse. Even for a dog like Briz though, I'd at least put a hoodie on him (I have a Zack and Zoey from BaxterBoo) if he's acting uncomfortable in the cold. His joints will stay warm, which also helps so they won't be achy.

 

[meepitsmeagan]

If I live in a house with someone who shits the heat off constantly, I put it on him when it's below 40 outside. He is achy and old and just doesn't know how to ask.

I mean, if he is shitting the heater off, I assume he is too hot.

1) If it is a Boxer, put a coat on it. Or any single coated breed, really. They just don't handle it.

2) If they are double coated and it isn't under zero where you are out for an ungodly amount of time/stationary.. they don't need one. Especially with dogs who are bred to be in all weather types, yeah, completely unnecessary.

 

[pinkspore]

1) If it is a Boxer, put a coat on it. Or any single coated breed, really. They just don't handle it.

2) If they are double coated and it isn't under zero where you are out for an ungodly amount of time/stationary.. they don't need one. Especially with dogs who are bred to be in all weather types, yeah, completely unnecessary.

Well yes, those are the easy ones to figure out. The question is whether my slightly arthritic single-coated dog needs a coat when we're standing still in 50-degree weather.

 

[hoakindle2014]

upppppppppppppppppppppp ph***7909; ch***7911; th***7899;t

 

[Dizzy]

If you live with a Fred you know. You just know... He makes it very very clear. The constant pacing, whining, shivering and woe, oh the woe.

Bodhi is the other hand I believe is half Arctic penguin. Never needed a coat.

 

[Ozfozz]

Only 1 of my dogs needs a coat.
And that's my double coated "looks like a Husky mix" Rigby. Anything lower than -5 (about 23F?) she insists on a coat. And usually boots as well.

That said, my single coated, incredibly thin and short coated terrier mutt is totally fine in the cold without a coat. I swear yesterday she was making fun of Rigby for being cold by running into her face and bopping her on the nose. Then running away.

Oz, my 11.5 year old arthritic, bad backed, single-coated beagle will spend hours out in any weather without a coat.


So really, I wouldn't say there's an overall "rule" to when a dog needs a coat. You know your dog best, if he looks cold or stiff, a coat might be a good idea. If he's not acting like he needs one then he might be fine.

 

[sassafras]

So really, I wouldn't say there's an overall "rule" to when a dog needs a coat. You know your dog best, if he looks cold or stiff, a coat might be a good idea. If he's not acting like he needs one then he might be fine.

Right. Just look at the dog in front of you.

If you're worried about missing some signals just put a coat on him, it won't hurt anything. If he gets too hot you can just take it off again.

 

[Dizzy]

Will just add, Fred doesn't need a coat outdoors. He's too busy to notice. But as soon as he stops moving, he needs one.

 

[pinkspore]

I guess I've never seen Brisbane get identifiably cold, but he's such a drama bomb that it can be hard to figure out what is making him miserable at any given moment. I'm mostly worried about him getting cold at work, where he tends to act unhappy about everything from rowdy puppies to his feet touching the ground.

 

[noludoru]

I mean, if he is shitting the heater off, I assume he is too hot.

AHAHA. I was hoping no one would notice that. My phone kept changing the "u" to "i" and I let it go.

Let's say he was being shitty by shutting the heat off when it's cold.

Will just add, Fred doesn't need a coat outdoors. He's too busy to notice. But as soon as he stops moving, he needs one.

THIS.

Well yes, those are the easy ones to figure out. The question is whether my slightly arthritic single-coated dog needs a coat when we're standing still in 50-degree weather.

Probably not? I'd put one on him and see. If he seems happier, WIN. If he seems worse, NOPE. If there's no change, he probably doesn't need it yet.