I know I'm probably gonna get made fun of but its damn cold where I live and getting colder! Here in Ontario, Canada, we are due for our first major snowfall on Sunday and then the thermometer will drop to a high of 20 degrees Fahrenheit! I feel bad getting all bundled up when she still has a bald belly and very thin hair on her underside and behind her legs. Should I be putting a sweater on 4 1/2 month old Corona for our walks?
Hmm. Well I have never put a sweater on a dog here in Alberta. When it's really cold you can't be outside for too long anyway. I suppose it might be different for a pup, but having raised two Border Collies from pups I didn't use a sweater for them when they were puppies either. Maybe check with your vet and see what he/she thinks?
Hi, we are in Toronto and we got Quinn last January and she had sweaters/coat. She was pretty tiny though, and obviously cold. I think the coats are more for us - I see all kinds of dogs wearing coats here though, possibly more of a fashion statement. OH has been trying to convince me that Quinn needs a $90 coat...she is a year old and can probably manage the cold! There is another thread that was started recently on here about coats, mixed opinions!
Oban was a winter puppy in a very cold and snowy winter with several day time highs of -30C (~-21F) and no sweaters or booties for him. He needed out twice a night too,when it was even colder. I watched him carefully, he did hold up his feet a few times and we made trips outside in that kind of cold very short. ONe favourable thing about the cold, I think it speeded up the bathroom trips. In temperatures you are talking about he was fine and loved to play in the snow.
Yep, and as I said there, I love me some doggie wear. I honestly don't know about Labs, but I certainly always had a rain coat for my pup if it was raining (makes for less clean up once back at home) and a heavy winter coat if 5C or under. Very different fur from a Lab - if one of my pups got soaked through it would take 4-6 hours for them to dry (or a lot of hairdryer use). Maybe some of it has to do with your local culture. As a Californian who was used to seeing chi mixes bundled up even in 15C weather, I really thought California born and raised Brogan needed a coat to deal with the shock of winter in Germany or Italy. The Germans pretty much made fun of me for slapping a coat on him. Had I NOT put a coat on him in Italy, I think I would have been publicly stoned. Italians take doggie clothing (especially rain coats) VERY seriously.
Um... absolutely no offence intended, but are you really sure human beings are supposed to live somewhere that cold??? Yikes!!!
Ours happily swim in cold weather, we don't have coats for them. It gets to minus 10C round here 'tho zero is the norm at this time of year. They have fur coats - no other coat needed if they are running and swimming.
Very true about the swimming - I've never had a dog who could swim, you see! I can understand how the swimming would sort of put a crimp in wearing a coat!
Charlie will break through ice to lie down in puddles to cool his tummy in January. Ok, it's only UK January, but he gets hot no matter how cold the day. If he is running and active, he's hot. And he'll smash the ice on cow troughs, puddles and ditches to get cool.
It's really quite awful. We've had extreme cold temperature warnings for the last couple nights, with temps of -25C and wind chill of -40C. Fun, fun, fun. And Simba does not wear a coat or boots or anything when we go out, but I certainly do!!
I wondered the same thing! Then I thought about how cold it is in Labrador and figured Archie's fur would be warm enough for him We are in Ontario too. He's been bouncing through the snow without any complaints so far, but I will be more careful when the -40degrees Celsius temps hit. Those days are coming...yuck!!
Fun fact; as far as I'm aware, there's nothing to suggest that Labradors originated in Labrador. The St John's Dog came from Newfoundland, but the first "Labrador" kennel was in England.
I'm in Alberta and we don't use a sweater for Titan. He obsessed with the snow though. When it's really cold (the last few days have been -40 with the windchill) we don't go outside unless he has to pee or we're just heading to the truck to go somewhere. Last night it warmed up a bit and was only -20 so we went out for a quick jog around the block and a run through the park but we were only out for probably 20 minutes before the wind got too cold. He lets me know when he's cold and wants to go in, so I don't worry about it too much. I definitely get cold much quicker than him
Ben Fogle researched it and the Lab should be the Newfoundland. They were bred as water dogs in Newfoundland. I presume he's telling the truth! Then the Brits saw them and fell in love with them so brought them over to the UK
Update: Quinn is getting a winter coat. Her dog walker told us she has been shivering on her walks (we are under a special weather advisory for the windchill and this winter is meant to get even colder). So, it's the excuse OH has been waiting for to get Quinn this coat: http://www.chillydogs.ca/coat/30 Luckily, most Toronto dogs (even the big furry ones) wear coats...fashionable City dogs I guess
I'm wondering about boots for a puppy? Took George out this morning (it was -11'C, with a windchill of -19'C) and he only made it across the street before he starting picking up his paws, sitting and whining. But I've walked other Labs in colder temperatures here and they didn't seem to notice at all. Is this just because he's not used to it!? Little sensitive puppy-paws? Also worried about the stupid de-icer everyone seems to over-use all over the city...
Quinn is doing the same (and did it last year when she was a puppy too) - she is totally fine in clean snow, so I think it's the salt and de-icer for sure. We have a jelly/cream that acts as a barrier instead of booties that we are going to try out
