What Temp Do You Rug Your Dog Up?

[Two Best Dogs!]

I think there was a thread discussing at what temperatures you hide dogs inside from the heat/don't walk them etc so here's one for the opposite!

I am loving this cooler weather but feeling a bit bad for the thin coated dog. She does have a winter coatrug to keep her warm but I am hesitant about leaving it on her when I'm not there and especially when she's outside. Seems like a bit of a choking risk? More bits to get stuck on things etc.

She's not got much in the way of body fat...maybe there's a way I can make her kennel warmer. First world dog problems ;)

Am looking forward to introducing her to snow!

Ideas are welcome!

Edited April 21, 2016 by Thistle the dog

[Willem]

if it is a double coat I wouldn't bother at all; you might consider a little bit bigger food ratio to address a higher calorie demand so. If she has only a thin single coat: no idea.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Willem

[persephone]

My dogs with very thin- single layer hair have rugs/coats at night only here ...

I figure if there are plenty of interactive toys , and a well-thought out sleeping spot, daytime will be OK >

Winter Kennels/beds do need to be thought out carefully ;)

preferably with an offset door - facing North to avoid the cold southerlies - and , if possible, should be somewhere that morning sun can fall on them - and heat up the space inside .

NOT metal

then filled with scrunchy stuff like blankets /newspaper/wool - even clean soft straw - which will hold warm air /body heat .

I buy old doonas/blankets/cushions from the opshop 'dog bed bin' (they also cut wooly jumpers /dressing gowns into pieces)

[oakway]

My dogs with very thin- single layer hair have rugs/coats at night only here ...

I figure if there are plenty of interactive toys , and a well-thought out sleeping spot, daytime will be OK >

Winter Kennels/beds do need to be thought out carefully ;)

preferably with an offset door - facing North to avoid the cold southerlies - and , if possible, should be somewhere that morning sun can fall on them - and heat up the space inside .

NOT metal

then filled with scrunchy stuff like blankets /newspaper/wool - even clean soft straw - which will hold warm air /body heat .

I buy old doonas/blankets/cushions from the opshop 'dog bed bin' (they also cut wooly jumpers /dressing gowns into pieces)

You couldn't get better advise than this.

I have a fine coated breed and during winter, yes even in Qld. they can be rugged all day in the winter and double rugged at night, and yes they sleep inside at night. Where I live it can go minus overnight.

[Canisbellum]

Jonah has a heating pad in his kennel for the day and gets a coat and blanket at night (indoors) and on our early morning walks. He also needs his food quantity doubled to maintain his weight.

[Two Best Dogs!]

My dogs with very thin- single layer hair have rugs/coats at night only here ...

I figure if there are plenty of interactive toys , and a well-thought out sleeping spot, daytime will be OK >

Winter Kennels/beds do need to be thought out carefully ;)

preferably with an offset door - facing North to avoid the cold southerlies - and , if possible, should be somewhere that morning sun can fall on them - and heat up the space inside .

NOT metal

then filled with scrunchy stuff like blankets /newspaper/wool - even clean soft straw - which will hold warm air /body heat .

I buy old doonas/blankets/cushions from the opshop 'dog bed bin' (they also cut wooly jumpers /dressing gowns into pieces)

Yeah it is a very thin coat! No fur at all in some places and the rest is very sparse. Just how she is. I think technically her winter coat is coming in this time...it's slightly thicker on her back but that is it XD

Hmmm. It's a plastic converted kids cubby. For kennel positioning it's south facing and backed up to a fence - but hopefully those cold southerlies are negated because it's facing the back door and that area of the yard is all narrow? So pretty protected. The bed itself is on a pallet so not straight on the cement. Cooling for summer but hopefully alright for winter? I don't expect it to get to the negatives here.

Gets a bit of morning sun. I'll draw a shitty diagram when I get to work XD

I'll go op shopping for those discount blankets. straw is easy enough to give her, I've got a few bails laying around. Give her that nice comforting smell.

Thanks perse! It's baffling when I think back on all the past dogs and realising they had some nice thick coats. It's a new dilemma.

Oh. Inside at night of course ;) and yeah will look into increasing what she eats. She's already on double the suggested. just high activity and fast metabolism. *shrug*

Edited March 29, 2016 by Thistle the dog

[Kirislin]

I dont rug my dogs very often at all, except for Feather, the oldest whippet, and she pretty much tells me when she wants her coat on, or off. If I was going out with them somewhere where they might be standing around getting cold I'd rug them, but it doesn't happen that often that they need them. Mine are all short coated dogs who feel the cold. At home they can get under a blanket.

[The Spotted Devil]

My Dally really feels the cold so he starts wearing a light coat when it dips below about 16C. I have heavier coats for when we are trialling and camping. He's an inside dog and spends the cooler days standing over the central heating vents. His eyes are going to pop in delight when the wood fire gets installed! The Springers run warm - never wear coats unless they've been working in frigid conditions (freezing cold water) and need to be staked out or in the back of the car ie can't run around to keep warm when wet. I've seen Em's teeth literally chattering after a swim, dried her off and she's gone straight back in the water. Nuts.

Edited March 29, 2016 by The Spotted Devil

[Scottsmum]

Short version of the answer: I rug when I am cold, Scottie comes looking for body heat or the insides of his ears are cold to the touch. Occasionally I leave him rugged unsupervised but it has to be really cold for me to consider that.

I try to keep him as warm as possible for his old joints and general "old man-ness".

Much longer version:

When my dogs were younger they always had one rug a year - Waterproof and winter weight. If it was killed they didn't get another one. Off during the day, on during the night. Always had access to a cozy kennel - usually under shelter (the old BBQ shed or car port).

Edited to add: Guin was always a snuggle monster and knew where to find heat. She'd often take herself off to people bed to keep warm. Scottie has no freaking clue & will stay cold. Dork.

I know with dogs Thistles size it can be hard to get rugs which don't have clips and buckles but if you can find velcro closing fronts that should reduce the risk of her getting caught and really stuck.

These days, as I said, Scottie is rugged a lot. He's got quite the wardrobe. Including a "dapper dog coat" which I call his "day rug"

https://www.ozpetshop.com.au/products/1219/dog-coats/dapper-dog-coats.html

He's actually got the little blue one half way down the page. I like it because it's fully velcro, very light and fits him well and it washes and dries fast. Also I got mine off gumtree for $5 so YAY. It's only downside is it has a little collar thing which you can turn up or down but I find it wicks water and makes the coat wet in very wet weather - so if he's out in it and it rains suddenly its useless.

All that said, I really hate leaving him in a rug when I'm not around and tend to subscribe to Perse's methods too.

I always "insulate" the bottom of the kennel with something - most recently I discovered you can use one (or more) of those foil things you use on a windscreen to act as a barrier between the ground and the kennel (they crinkle less than the foil blankets used in first aid and rescue but similar theory).

I also try to keep the kennel up off the ground a bit. Basically I try to employ as many of my dads old camping tricks to help keep him insulated (air pockets and layers). Also line the walls too - which can be harder. Did you ever find a cubby to convert for her? You could insulate that quite easily with a few big cardboard boxes I'd think.

This year we're going to grab a few high rated sleeping bags in the next army disposal sale for him to snuggle into in his beds.

Just a tip - I usually try to buy things which wash and wear well. Not sure how the sleeping bags will do - but we'll trial it. We've had pure wool blankets in the past too - they don't wash so well and do get a distinct smell- but they're always warm & well loved.

Kmart usually have $5 polar fleece blankets. They're queen sized and they wash really well and dry nice and fast. Some times they almost feel dry coming out of the machine. Try to get the slightly nicer ones with a more fleecy look and feel - they're a big warmer. We have a number of them on the go - they usually double as knee rugs for the couch :)

Oh - and I know they're as expensive as sin but if Thistle isn't a chewer I highly recommend investing in a snuggle safe. Those things are incredible. They really go hold their heat amazingly well. Last year while Scottie was a 100% outside dog while we lived with dad he had one day and night and his crate/kennel was always toasty.

Edited March 29, 2016 by Scottsmum

[tdierikx]

Put a layer of cardboard or newspaper under the blanket for extra insulation... I use the old style woollen blankets for my dogs in winter, and a sheet or thin towel in summer.

T.

[JulesP]

I don't rug because they have thick coats. I have changed their sleeping arrangement to the laundry room now though. During summer they are out in their 'bedroom' which is a totally enclosed verandah. During the day they have free access to that room. If the weather is really vile they ask to come inside but they only want to stay in until the weather passes.

I have water proof coats with no fill for rainy walking.

[Rebanne]

My greys have a variety of coats to wear plus different weights. I leave coats on them outside, never had a problem. They are all fleece types of various thickness. I work night shift so in winter time they are rugged up with at least 2 coats on each. Nights I am home they sleep inside with only one on. Daytime the heater is on so rarely wear a coat inside during the day. They have a very good marine ply wooden kennel but prefer to sleep on the tramp beds on the back verandah which are reasonably protected. I don't start putting coats on until it gets to 10 degrees over night and its quite common to get into the minus temps in winter.

[espinay2]

When I had my Dally, I used the guide that if it was likely to stay below 10 degrees for all or most of the day I would leave a coat on her while she was outside while I was at work. She didn't wear a coat while inside (though when older did like to be covered by a blanket in her bed at night). The Pyrs of course never need coats. My Saluki may wear a coat a bit more often in winter (less body fat than the Dally). We shall see.

Edited March 29, 2016 by espinay2

[Maddy]

For me, it's not just one particular temperature or anything. If I'm cold in a short-sleeved top, they get coats/jammies on. If their ears feel cold, they get coats/jammies on. If they're sleeping curled up in a tight ball, coats/jammies. We keep the heat pump on 24/7 in winter, set at 21 or 22^oc but even then, they're usually rugged from April through until October/November, depending on how cold the year is. To help keep their hair in good condition, I also switch to a slightly fattier meat mix and that, combined with rugging, means they come into Spring without kennel coat and without having lost any weight. I wash a lot of coats over winter but I'd rather be doing that than stripping out kennel coat and combing out the scurf it causes.

[Scottsmum]

For me, it's not just one particular temperature or anything. If I'm cold in a short-sleeved top, they get coats/jammies on. If their ears feel cold, they get coats/jammies on. If they're sleeping curled up in a tight ball, coats/jammies. We keep the heat pump on 24/7 in winter, set at 21 or 22^oc but even then, they're usually rugged from April through until October/November, depending on how cold the year is. To help keep their hair in good condition, I also switch to a slightly fattier meat mix and that, combined with rugging, means they come into Spring without kennel coat and without having lost any weight. I wash a lot of coats over winter but I'd rather be doing that than stripping out kennel coat and combing out the scurf it causes.

This.

I also spend my life doing dog laundry. .. between towels, bkankies & rugs.

A Waterproof collar was one of the best investments I've made

[Maddy]

For me, it's not just one particular temperature or anything. If I'm cold in a short-sleeved top, they get coats/jammies on. If their ears feel cold, they get coats/jammies on. If they're sleeping curled up in a tight ball, coats/jammies. We keep the heat pump on 24/7 in winter, set at 21 or 22^oc but even then, they're usually rugged from April through until October/November, depending on how cold the year is. To help keep their hair in good condition, I also switch to a slightly fattier meat mix and that, combined with rugging, means they come into Spring without kennel coat and without having lost any weight. I wash a lot of coats over winter but I'd rather be doing that than stripping out kennel coat and combing out the scurf it causes.

This.

I also spend my life doing dog laundry. .. between towels, bkankies & rugs.

A Waterproof collar was one of the best investments I've made

I've managed to break my washing machine a few times with dog stuff Coats are usually okay, as are blankets, provided something else equally heavy goes in on the other side. The bane of my washing machine's existence.. dog beds. Beds for 30+kg dogs do horrible things to the washing machine and I've yet to figure out a more efficient and hygienic way of getting them clean and then also enough water spun out so that they don't break the clothesline under their weight. Current method is to bypass the spin cycles (because that's where sh*t starts getting hairy) and then drag the water-logged bed up to rest it on the centre bit (whatever it's called) until enough water has dripped out to make it light enough to carry outside and chuck onto the top of the clothesline. In winter, they then take at least a couple of days to get dry enough to bring inside to finish drying. And that's the best method I've figured out over 10 years of washing the damn things

[Little Gifts]

Just some advice on dog coats and bedding, particularly for outside dogs - if something is made from 100% wool (knitted or sewn) it will stay warm even if it gets damp or wet. Keep your eye on your local op shops in the warmer months and old style wool blankets (sometimes with a little damage) can often be purchased very cheaply. I've had no problem washing them in my washing machine either.

As for my dogs - I have one that has practically no coat and no body fat and she really feels the cold. I can usually tell by how unsettled she is trying to sleep whether she is feeling cold. She normally has a double layer coat on (specially designed to cover as much torso and belly as possible as she wont wear pj's), a blanket over the top with only her nose poking out and a couple of snuggle safes for her to lie near on my bed.

[Leah82]

If you're looking for a sturdier kennel we'll be wanting to get rid of our's at the end of May

it's not the best photo but essentially pine frame, marine ply on the sides, top and bottom and tin roof which sits over the top of the ply roof on an angle. Size wise it's about the size of a standard kmart bed, we've had up to 3 cocker spaniel sized dogs in there at once.

it's looking a bit worn out these days but nothing a lick of paint can't fix

[Two Best Dogs!]

Work is busy oi

Thanks everyone! Looking like making the kennel a nice warm base is best.

Yyes scottie I got a plastic kids cubby to convert. A Bunnings pallet fits in it perfectly and the orthopaedic large snooze fits on top of that perfectly. Like all 3 were made for each other! It's got cute decorative Windows that make nice airflow in summer but in prep for winter I think I will board those up and take all he insulation suggestions to turn it into a nice warm den.

Rugging her up I will keep for when I am home. Can't help but worry!

Side note I had not realised dallys need so much rugging up! Good to know as one of the few breeds I have consider for in the future.

[Daisys Mum]

Lacey my Cavalier is starting to creep under my covers of a night time so she must be starting to feel the cold.... Last night it got down to 9 degrees ????

I'm lucky that I work nights and my housemate is home a lot of the time but I still put their coats on if I am taking them for a walk ,or they have to be outside when we both aren't home , but that's not very often.