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4 Tips for Keeping Your Dog Warm This Winter
Canine Weekly is a wonderful publication (find it at the link below!) and we’re happy to present this post from the writers over there. Enjoy and keep those puppies warm!
If you have been keeping up with the news as of late, you might have noticed a lot of stories of dogs and other pets freezing outside, literally to the point of death because owners thought that they could just leave their pets outside in freezing temperatures without consequence. Some dogs do quite well in the cold, especially breeds like Tibetan Mastiffs, Huskies, Malamutes, and other large and furry dogs.
Some dogs are just built for the cold, while others are not, but of course this is much less concerning for large breed dogs. The bigger the dog, the more body fat and muscle they have, and usually more fur too. Large dog breeds just have an easier time retaining body heat than smaller ones.
With that being said, even big dogs can get chilly in the extreme cold, and as the owner, it is up to you to keep them comfy, warm, and alive. Let’s go over 4 tips for keeping your dog warm this winter.
A Coat and Booties – But Not Inside
One of the easiest ways to keep your dog warm in the winter is to give them some booties and a coat. Yes, dogs may look funny in winter apparel, but it will keep them warm. It may not be as important for big dogs with thick fur, ones built for the cold, but this is vital for smaller dogs that don’t really have a winter coat.
It doesn’t have to be anything super expensive or fancy; something basic will do just fine. However, keep in mind that you should never put the booties or coats on your pets inside. This will affect their body’s temperature regulation. If you put a coat on your dog inside, when it finally gets outside, its body won’t be able to heat up as much, and not as quickly either. It can actually be rather dangerous.
A Well-insulated Dog House
Another tips for keeping your dog warm in the winter is to get it a nice dog house. If it is old outside, a couple hours might not hurt, but a good dog house can make quite the difference. Some people think it is OK to leave a dog out in minus temperatures just as is, which is not right. A well-insulated dog house will keep in some warmth.
A good dog house should have a small opening for the dog, just big enough to get in and out, but not so large that heat leaks out. A good dog house will also have a raised base, so the floor is not right on the cold ground. Moreover, one that has good walls that are windproof will help as well. It’s just an extra layer of protection that will keep a dog comfy outside.
A Nice Doggy Bed – Possibly Heated
Yet another tip you can follow to keep your dog warm in the winter is to provide your pooch with a nice dog bed. Dog beds can be a bit pricey, especially high-quality ones, but then again, you really cannot put a price on the comfort of your dog.
A good dog bed, especially a heated one, makes a great addition to any outdoor dog house and it will help keep the cold at bay, even when the floors of your house gets quite cold and uncomfortable. Whether indoors or outdoors, a nice doggy bed, possible a heated one, can make quite the difference.
Feed Them Right
The other way to help keep your dog warm during the winter is to feed them a proper diet. Overweight dogs tend to have heart and blood circulation issues, which does not help with warmth.
Furthermore, a dog that is underweight is going to have heat retention issues, as will a dog that does not eat a balanced diet. Simply put, make sure to feed your dog a healthy diet that will allow their bodies to keep warm and maximize heat retention. It’s as simple as buying high-quality dog food which you can find at dogproductpicker.com.
Conclusion
As you can see, keeping your dog warm during the winter is really not that hard. A lot of it does have to do with common sense, such as not leaving your mini poodle out in -20° Celsius weather for more than a few minutes. Just let your pet inside, and after all, you probably did not get a dog just to leave it outside at all hours of the day and night.
Just think of the ways you would keep warm yourself, and combined with some rational thought, you shouldn’t have a problem keeping your dog warm in the winter.
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