Winter clothing for dogs

You truly are from Florida...

My thoughts exactly. Even living in Alaska we didn't buy clothing for our dogs. 

I have an unused soft shell jacket for my 60# springer I'll be happy to sell.

My dog came with a winter coat.  Problem is, I can't figure out how to take it off in the summer.

My retriever has been shedding her winter coat all summer long, I can bag it up if you like red golden...all you'll need is some glue

Edited by StMaas 2010-08-24 2:27 PM

I can add some white cat fur.  I was pulling clumps out of mine last night.  He didn't much like the process though. 

I was told our Boxer wouldn't tolerate the weather well since he has relatively no coat.....is that not true?   This morning he was shivering when i took him out for a walk and it wasn't even cold out.

Hmmm...had my boxer out this morning, didn't bother him. I think you should be ok with out anything unless it's really, really cold. I can't imagine you needing them unless it's sub zero and you plan to be out for some time.

I would think they mean leaving him outside all the time. I've never done anything special for mine. He does run with me when it's in the 30's not real long runs but say 30-45 minutes. Usually no snow on the ground but he doesn't have a problem going out in the snow to potty either.

wow, really?  everything i have read says to be careful during the winter.    i plan to do 4-5 mile runs a few days of the week and that includes pretty cold temps and potentially icy or snowy conditions.

should i not run him if it's snowing or icy?

guess i'm a dork but i was reading about some type of dog sneakers and coat to use during the winter

If he's running with you, his core temp should raise sufficiently to offset the thin coat, just like us stupid humans.  If he's already going on runs with you, his footpads should be nice and calloused so no issues there.  Maybe have a fire going, or a blanket next to the heater vent for the post-run.
And if he doesn't like it, he'll let you know...probably by hiding under the coffee table or bed when you get the leash out during the next snow

Edited by StMaas 2010-08-24 9:23 PM

How old is your boxer? Did you bring it from Florida? This may make a difference, but you really won't need that much special gear.

(And now that you live here, we'll let you in on a little secret if you don't tell anyone else. It really doesn't get that cold here in the winter. Everyone who doesn't live here thinks Denver = snow/cold, and it really doesn't. There will be a few cold days, but for the most part it is quite pleasant.)

I don't know much about boxers and how they tolerate cold... I have 2 smaller dogs that wear coats when it's under ~20 degrees or snowing (we take much shorter walks when it's that cold, and obviously they are inside when we are not home)... 

We got the Ruffwear K9 overcoats from REI. First dog has had his for ~5 years, so they are high quality, but more expensive than something from a PETCO/Petsmart... REI has a great return policy and some 20% coupons throughout the year if you are a member. I wanted to snowshoe with our dogs, but neither would tolerate the ruffwear booties and their paw pads freeze over when it's too cold or walking in that much snow.  Best for them to learn when they are puppies, but I adopted both as adults...

I've been running with Eddie for a couple weeks now.   We rescued him from the Humane Society.    I guess i'll see how he does just being out on colder mornings.   But just yesterday morning, he was shivering taking him for a walk and it wasn't really cold.  

Oh and thanks for the comic relief....you dorks!

I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, which has a coat similar to a boxer, (along with a husky and husky/border collie mix) and the ridgeback complains about going out to do his business if the wind is blowing hard and it's snowing (I live at 7400' along the Palmer Divide, just east of Monument Hill, so we get major wind...) But for running, he is fine down to 20 degrees.  The only time his feet bother him is when it gets to single digits, and we aren't running then, usually that's just in the mornings when we go to feed the horses.

Again, for everyday you don't need a blanket/coat (and it wouldn't be a good idea to leave one on a dog when you aren't around to keep an eye on them.) My ridgeback does wear his blanket when we are out doing "farm chores" and it's really cold (<15 degrees) because he isn't running around enough to stay warm. I'm talking about when were just out filling water troughs or checking fences. For running, he'd overheat if he wore his blanket.

My dogs have a dog door that lets into a room in the basement, so they always have access to a warm, dry spot in the winter. The ridgeback spends most of his days there when it's cold. The other two hardly ever go in the room.


 

While I joked about it I will say kudos to you for being concerned and wanting to make sure you take care of your new family member.   I know you're concerned about the shivering but just like humans they need a little time to adjust as well.  I'll be shivering the first morning heading out at 25 degrees and bundled up but in a couple of weeks I'll probably be headed out with just a vest or light down sweater at that temp. 

My dogs have rough wear softshells and booties for winter hikes in deep snow.  The softshells work very well and you may want to look into them if you dog has a very thin coat.  Just watch your dog in the morning and when he goes outside to do his business you should get an idea of his need for a coat pretty quickly/easily.

Hey, how is he doing?  I think of him often but know that they can't post much for updates on the website for legal reasons.