How to keep your dog warm for the winter

Does the dog shiver when you go out? In seasons like winter, many dogs and their owners feel the same cold, especially when they are not wearing clothes to withstand the cold and have no specific physique. Keeping your dog warm in the twelfth lunar month is good for their health. What’s more, it is not a hassle for you to let your dog partner have a comfortable and warm winter.

1. The vulnerability of the dog itself

Understand the peculiarities of your dog breed. Some dog breeds are more sensitive to cold than other dogs, but some dogs can adapt to cold winter very well:

Dog breeds like Alaskan Malamute and Chow Chow also go well in winter.

Adapting to severe colds is much more difficult for Dobermans, toy dogs, greyhounds, short-haired dogs, and hairless dogs. If you can, let them stay indoors! Any dog ​​that has been sheared should be included in this category because their thick fur is their coat against the cold.

2. Provide suitable accommodation

Provide suitable accommodation. If your dog can stay indoors in winter, it is of course the best. At most, go out to exercise and get in touch with nature occasionally. This ensures that your dog will not be frozen when you are out or sleeping. Your dog should not be thrown outside, because, unlike some older dogs, they have no ability to keep themselves warm in the cold air.

• 　　If you have a dog living outside (such as a sled dog), make sure it has a small home and a bed in the house. Fresh straw can provide a suitable isolation layer to resist the cold from the ground in the outdoor small home; you must make sure to replace the new straw bed frequently.
• 　　An outdoor dog house should have a sloping roof to isolate the cold and keep it warm, which is especially important in cold climate areas. When the winter rain comes, make sure that the door of the dog’s house can protect the den from rain.
• 　　When the winter becomes extraordinarily cold and long, you should take the dog that stays outside into the house; you know, even the barn and the barn are warmer than the outdoor dog house.

3. Warm the dog’s bed

Make sure that the dog’s warm and comfortable cot is in place. A cot is an important tool for keeping a dog warm in winter. If your dog is on the ground or elsewhere, take the bed off the ground. You can fill a small bed with blankets and old clothes. This kind of small bed is great and keeps me warm.

• 　　For an elderly dog with joint pain, consider giving it a dog bed that can be automatically heated.
• 　　Clean and tidy up the bed frequently to reduce fleas and bacteria and change the messy appearance.

For certain dog breeds and some situations, you can put on dog clothes. Dog clothes can help your dog stay warm in winter, especially for puppies, toy dogs, short-haired dogs (such as Whippets and Greyhounds), and older dogs. [5] A dog that feels cold has a sign: trembling. This is the same as humans. [6] You can buy or make dog jackets, dog thermal underwear, and sweaters (knitting, stitching, hooking, etc.) for dogs of any size. In the spare winter, you may be able to wear a raincoat for your dog, but you must ensure that it can breathe.

• 　　When walking on snow or salt, use baby socks to protect your dog’s paws. Salt will irritate your dog’s paws, while snow will be extremely cold. Baby socks can keep the paws warm and free from salt stimulation. However, unless you can train your dog to accept baby socks from an early age, it is difficult for some dogs to bear wearing such things. In this case, use active intensive training-put on baby socks, feed something, and then take it off. Repeat every day, and gradually increase the number of baby socks, knowing that dogs are used to wearing them. [7]
• 　　Learn how to choose a good dog sweater and help you choose a dog sweater yourself.

4. Dress up your dog

Dress up your dog well. Don’t cut, shave, or shave your dog’s hair, because all a dog’s hair is its weapon against the cold winter. It is also important to keep it in a good shape in winter, because frizzy and dull fur is more difficult to withstand wind, snow, and winter rain, and they can’t keep the dog warm. [8] In the dry winter, insisting on grooming the dog can alleviate the dog’s dandruff problem.

• 　　Only taking a bath at home can ensure that your dog is completely dry before going out.
• 　　Give the hair around the paw a good rest. This will help the dog resist ice and snow and protect its feet. After walking outside, check if the dog’s paw is cracked, injured, or if there is any foreign body.
• 　　If your dog does not wear baby socks, then you must carefully clean the dog’s paws after every walk, and remove the salt, snow, and chemicals on them; the chemicals may be toxic, but the salt is irritating.

When the weather is extremely cold, shorten the walking time. Don’t try to walk the dog for as long as in warm weather. A short walk can also allow the dog to get enough exercise and rest and relax, and will not make you and your dog feel very cold.

• 　　Even if you are in the house, keep moving. Play indoor games with dogs, such as throwing balls, tug of war, hiding dolls, etc. If it is possible to let them run into the house, that is the best. Let them go upstairs and downstairs so that they can train their flexibility. Remember, if your dog has a bone problem, you can’t run, just let them slowly go upstairs and downstairs.
• 　　When walking the dog in winter, keep it on a leash. If something happens, such as a blizzard, a sudden ice plow, or your dog suddenly rushes to a frozen lake and falls into the water, you can help you encounter a dangerous dog.

Don’t feed your dog. Although a regular diet and nutritious food are very important to maintain energy and warmth for dogs in the cold winter months, a dog that can stay indoors does not need to increase the amount of dog food. If you feed it more, it may cause the dog to be obese.

• 　　Only those dogs who stay outdoors all the time and those who are extremely active in winter need more food. Talk to your veterinarian to find out what special energy needs your dog has.
• 　　Make sure your dog can clean itself often, for example by melting the ice, when in and outside the house. You can buy a heated bowl and put it outside.
• 　　If you think your dog is too heavy, read the article “How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight”.

Don’t let your dog’s teeth get sick in winter. Just like humans, dogs can get sick in very cold weather in winter. Respiratory tract infections, frostbite, and poisoning are the main symptoms.

• 　　Keep your dog dry and warm. This will help it fight respiratory infections, such as kennel cough (a cold that humans also have). If your dog has a respiratory infection, take it to the vet immediately.
• 　　Frostbite can be a problem for some dogs, especially those without hair. In particular, check the dog’s ears and tail carefully-if they look cold, then these areas will appear white, red, or gray, and/or cold and hard, and then frostbite will occur. If you suspect that your dog has frostbite, wrap your dog’s limbs with a blanket, towel, etc., let it warm up slowly, and send it to the vet immediately.
• 　　Keep those winter toxic substances away from your dog. Generally speaking, antifreeze is quite sweet for dogs. If they can get it, they will lick it. However, only four scoops can kill a dog weighing less than 4500 grams. If your dog eats this, go to the vet immediately! Because you want to save the dog’s life, you need to be treated within an hour. Another winter’s problem of toxic substances originated from rat poison. Rat poison is used in a large amount, and everyone is close to it. Keep all toxic substances out of the reach of dogs and other pets. If there is any spillage, clean it up immediately. (When you do this, lock up the pets and keep them away from you).
• 　　Your dog’s knee arthritis and osteoarthritis may be exacerbated by the cold weather. Talk to your veterinarian about medication, treatment, and ways to keep your dog’s joints warm in winter.

Take a few showers during the week, or don’t wash them at all. This will help the dog avoid concentrating on cold problems. If necessary, try to give your dog a short bath with hot water, and then quickly dry the dog’s hair.

hint

• 　　You can put a thermos under the dog’s bed so that it can warm up quickly.
• 　　Before putting the sweater on your dog, blow the sweater on the dryer for 10-15 minutes. This will make your sweater warm and comfortable for the dog, and also provide some warmth when he is out.
• 　　When your dog is playing outdoors, keep him away from snowplows. They are unaware of the existence of danger and can easily be picked up by machines.
• 　　If you feel cold, your dog may feel the same.
• 　　In very cold weather, keep all outdoor activities as short as possible. Even if you have a dog passage or a way to let the dog in from the cold into the house, controlling the time the dog spends outside is also very important, because this can prevent it from overplaying in cold weather.

caveat

• 　　Never let a domestic dog stay outdoors in winter. Dogs need time to adapt to changes in temperature. If you want a domestic dog to stay outdoors in winter, let it adapt in the fall so that it can adapt to temperature changes and its fur can grow thicker.
• 　　Never let your dog stay outdoors for a long time in freezing weather.
• 　　Never leave your dog in a cold car. When the heater is turned off and the temperature drops quickly, sitting in the car is like sitting in an ice cellar, and the air is not circulated, and it is always cold.
• 　　If your dog falls into an ice lake or river, you need to ask for help. Don’t risk your life to rescue your dog.