Yes, yes, I know it seems like a no-brainer, labs originated from the St John's water dog, bred to swim the icy waters of Newfoundland and still retain their water-resistant double-coats. They are built for the cold, not like Huskies or other Spitz breeds but can endure hours of hunting in wet/frigid conditions. However, not all labs have a thick coat with oodles of undercoat, Teller is one such lab. He has a coarse, almost 'knitted' top coat - seriously, it's nearly impossible to part the guard hairs - that's short for a lab (less than 1" in most places) and a sparse undercoat, he has very thin hair on his belly, no undercoat there. He never 'blows' his undercoat in big tufts but does shed like a monster come spring and fall. T absolutely hates the heat and gets uncomfortable (excessive panting, lying down) when the temp gets above 65 degrees (18 C). Really he's most happy when it's below 55 (13 C). He seems to love the cold but I've never really left him out when the temp dropped below freezing, additionally it never drops much lower than 25 F (-4 C) in the winters here. Well, we've been having a really cold spell. Teller has been loving the weather thus far and gets the zoomies at the prospect of a night walk. He's perfectly content with the 15 degree weather and doesn't shiver or show signs of wanting to turn back, nor is he bothered by going for a long walk in the snow. But tonight is supposed to drop below 0 F and the weather advisory explicitly mentioned to keep pets indoors and that frostbite on exposed skin can occur in under 30 min at those temps. Obviously I can skip his walk if the weather gets too inhospitable, but when is it too cold for a lab to go for a decently long walk (30-40 min)? I've never seen him get cold despite his thin coat excluding once when we were camping and I'm fairly sure he was just trying for attention then. Which brings me to another question, for winter camping when should I consider getting him some sort of sweater or something? He sleeps in the tent and has a bed/blanket and if it gets cold enough I throw a sleeping pad with a decent R-value under the bed for added insulation.
I have a friend that did a multiday dog sled trip in Alaska. There was a Lab that ran free with them through out the trip, and I understand it was Alaska cold. We have had Roughwear doggie over coats for our Labs if they were going to be out in the snow for long periods, especially if we weren't hiking (think several hours of digging a snow cave, while the dogs just sat around or played on their own.)
I think that in very cold conditions such as you are describing, especially with windchill, that I would invest in a good warm coat for your boy. Mostly, labs don't seem to suffer from the cold much, but I have coats for both my dogs, which they wear if they get wet and have to wait for longer periods, either in training or when out shooting. If they are running around, they have never had to wear a coat yet. I'd be concerned about nose and feet though, in extreme weather, and would follow the advisories.
In our recent extreme cold warning temps, around -25C, I do shorter walks, approx 20-25 mins 2-3x a day, but it’s usually me who is cold way before Quinn. When it’s very windy in those temps and she won’t be running a lot, we have a coat for her. Usually her paws get cold first, especially if she walks on cold/wet pavement but is typically fine if we stick to snow covered ground. We had one day a week or so ago at the park with her dog friend, and they both started lifting their paws after just a few minutes...it was really frigid so we all agreed it was too cold to stay out! Since she is out less, we do more indoor play, lots of short play time in the yard and we go on car rides, and sometimes roam a pet shop. I feel super guilty about her not getting out enough in this weather.
Winter camping! I think I'd get an extra large sleeping bag and have him snuggle up inside to keep me warm.
WE didn't have a dog when we were winter camping but it did get to just about freezing a couple of nights on canoe trips. Jet snuggled in my sleeping bag with me. It was my usual one person bag.
I agree with @QuinnM15 on this. Over Christmas the temps dipped to below -26c every day, colder at night, and with windchill in the -30s. I had a much harder time with it than Simba. I’ve never had a coat for any of my dogs in the winter, although if the temps get to below -20C we are not outside as much as we normally would be. I would consider a coat for the dog if the dog was going to be standing around a lot in the cold though, as @Ski-Patroller said.
Harley has a coat, but it's only worn when it's really cold when we are stood around waiting our turn at agility to keep her muscles warm. When it has been 0 degrees, we just do short walks and watch her closely for signs she is cold which is when we go home.
If Snowie could read I’m sure he’d be begging to live in these cold temps. It’s over 30C here and the only place for walks is at the beach. The sea temp is usually around 11C and he races in as soon as we get there. It’s so cold my feet ache if I walk along the water line, but Snowie is quite happy to stay in the water.
Today is legitimately too cold for walks (for me!), feels like -31C, colder tonight. However, even Quinn basically said "no thank you" to a walk this morning, and tried to go back inside even though both OH and I were standing outside . Earlier, she ran out for a quick pee, and ran back to the door to be let in which she never does (she usually enjoys some morning zoomies in the snow, dragging sticks and sorting her balls for at least 10 mins).
That's a good point! I've seen Teller shiver before but never lift up his paws. He was super content to walk in wet snow and had no issues whatsoever but his paw pads are tougher than nails. I checked between his toes for ice balls and just to make sure but he was fine. Does Quinn have a lot or too little fur between her paw pads? Usually the dogs I've seen who lift their paws either have too little hair to insulate or too much and start getting ice/slush tangled in there. Still I've never felt the need to put him in booties and know he likely would not tolerate them in the least.
@Jes72 and @Snowshoe - Oh, I'd loooooove to share a bag with Teller, he's so warm that even on these frigid nights I have to sleep in the buff with only a light sheet/blanket or I will burn up! He loves to cuddle but also changes positions throughout the night so I'd end up freezing when he decided to move. My bag is a little difficult to house a dog as it is a center zip instead of a side zip. What about a vest? Do you think one of my down vests would do well as a coat for him for those chilly nights?
I know what you mean about the thick pad hair (all the poodle mix dogs bite at their paws and lift them because they get snowballs trapped in there and it must irritate quickly). Quinn doesn't have thin hair between her pads and doesn't get cold quickly. I haven't never found snow packed in either...getting salt in there is a different story though. She will stop walking completely and lift her salt paw til I clean it off. When she is just cold on clean snow, she alternates lifting different paws. She would hate booties, we use some sort of jelly on her paws to protect from ice and salt, which helps with that but not to keep the paws warm.
@QuinnM15 - I asked because some of the show line labs I've seen have very thick coats which translates to much furrier paws. One of my friends has to trim the hair between her lab's toes in the winter so she doesn't get snow stuck in it. Teller doesn't mind salt but I make sure to clean it off his feet before coming inside because he will lick anything that is put on his paw pads. I've tried putting moisturizers on them to soften them up and he just licks it off. It's a good thing I went with the 'natural' non-toxic one! I haven't tried the specialty jelly stuff yet but I have a feeling he will eat that as well and I don't fancy walking him around in his lampshade lol.
Try Musher's Secret. It absorbs in pretty quickly so even if they lick it, they don't really get it off. It makes their paw pads lovely and soft, stops cracking and protects them from salt. My choccy is a show girl and she has loads of hair between her toes. She has only had one ice ball to date
I have this one: http://petvalu.com/product/79206/paw-protector-dr-maggie but it doesn't absorb very quickly and is oily on my floors (ever after licking). I think I will try Musher's Secret.
I will have to give it a try! Sometimes his pads get so rough that if he steps on you accidentally it's like having a sander dropped and dragged across your foot. Ouch. Teller actually has a good amount of fur between his paws as well, it sticks out in little tufts but hasn't been a problem so far. Praying that I don't have to deal with ice balls!
