Are labs ok to sleep in a conservatory in winter? It has a radiator but the heating goes off overnight. I know some people have their dogs outside so I'm guessing it's ok with blankets?
The conservatory at my mum's house is an ice box in winter, I can't imagine having a pet sleep in one. I know plenty of pets sleep outside, but the chill of a conservatory in winter is a special kind of cold. Unless British conservatories are different to Kiwi ones, maybe they are!
It depends how cold it gets where you are plus the construction of the room - if the floor and walls are insulated, and it has double or triple glazing, it might stay quite warm. The conservatory I have is just a single brick wall, and has no insulation on the floor. It has double glazing, but this is beside the point since the floor isn't insulated. It gets freezing in there. I don't have my dogs sleep in there in a UK winter - it just gets too cold. I think if a dog was living outside all year round they would get used to it, and even then they often need insulation and even a heat lamp. Most people worry about glass rooms in the summer in case they get too hot. I haven't found this (since mine is shaded by a large tree) but it gets far too cold in winter. I have a greenhouse thermometer in mine, and saw it stays a reasonable temperature in summer, but it too cold in winter.
Yes, it really depends on the temperature. Believe it or not, there are dogs that sleep outside here in Canada where the winter temps can get to -20C and colder but they have to have a doghouse with proper insulation. People will also use heat lamps or even heated beds.
Thank you for your replies. It's part of the kitchen with insulated floor, walls and double glazing but a thinner plasticy roof. It's certainly warm until 10pm and from 6:30am. We used to feel freezing coming down first thing in the morning before the radiator was added. Nothing actually freezes inside it. And we live in the south which rarely gets below -1.
You could use a small oil fired radiator. We got one from Homebase as our utility room gets chilly in winter and I put the radiator in there on low - it has a thermostat and keeps an ambient heat in the room. Might be worth looking at if you are worried. We only really need to use it in deep winter.
I read something once that I use in these situations. If you're cold, they are cold. If you're hot, so are they. On my way to work in the morning I walk past the same homeless people that sleep outside in the cold all year round. Certainly, humans and animals can get used to it, and it's do-able, but would you like to sleep in the conservatory?
