How Cold Is Too Cold For Your Dog?

We all know dogs love to spend time outside, whether frolicking around in the yard, going for a walk with there bipedal counterparts or just running like mad with there four legged friends at the dog park, but what about winter months? How cold is too cold for dogs to be outside? It depends on a number of things, let’s sort them out!

How cold is too cold? Depends on the dog:

Coat Type: Certain breeds have thick, double layered coats. Siberian husky, Newfoundlanders, bernese mountain dogs and other northern breeds tend to be the most cold-tollerant. Dogs with short, thin haired coats will have the most difficult time staying comfortable in cold weather. Pitbulls, bull dogs, greyhounds, and german shorthaired pointers.

Size: smaller dogs inevitably lose more heat than the larger ones. They also drag there underside in deep snow. When the snow is in contact with there body, and the heat from there body melts the snow, they become wet and are at much higher risk in cold temperatures.

Weight: just like humans. A burly dog will keep warmer than a thin one. The perfect examples are WoofCrates very own: Milo the treat enthusiast and Simon who you can read about here. Although, a dog with more fat will stay warmer, that does not mean you should fatten up your dog for thr winter season, in fact, doing so would create much more health risk than it would help them.

Age and Health: Sick dogs, puppies and older dogs have weaker immune systems and therefore may have a difficult time protecting themselves from the cold due to a lack of heat production and retention. Normally, these dogs should be provided with a dog jacket to stay warm!

How cold is too cold? Depends on the weather:

Of course, knowing how well your dog can tolerate cold weather is important! But don’t forget to also be weary of the weather conditions outside and signs that it’s too cold for your furry buddy. Knowing both will go hand in hand.

According to source Pet MD, most dogs will not have any issues with cold temperatures until the temperature has dropped below  7° C, at this point, some dogs, especially those who are cold-averse might begin to feel uncomfortable. When temperatures fall below 0° C, owners of dogs with thin coats, small breeds, and/or old, young pups or sick dogs should pay special attention to their pet’s well-being. Once temperatures drop under -6.6° C, all dog owners need to be aware that their dogs could potentially develop cold-associated health problems like hypothermia and frostbite.

Img Source: https://www.gopetplan.com/blogpost/cold-weather-and-dogs

What Can You Do To Help Your Dog?

There are a couple of things that you can do to make sure your dog stays safe outdoors. Firstly, keep a close eye on them. Make sure that they are not shivering, whining, holding one or more paws in the air, searching for a warm location, or acting anxiously. If you see them doing any of this, it’s time to head inside. You can also bundle them up in some warm clothing. There are plenty of jackets for dogs that you can purchase!