Ideas to help keep our dogs warm during the winter

poppellerant

I'm hoping this thread will help others and not just myself. So if you have any idea, post them in here so others can benefit.

I am looking for ideas on keeping a small dog warm this winter, especially at night in a fairly cold kitchen.

I've considered electric blankets, but seems a waste really and there's that chance the dog could chew through the cable. :eek:

Hot water bottles don't seem such a bad idea, but they only keep the chill for a few hours then you want to kick the cold rubber things out of bed.

I'm swaying towards the idea of an igloo. They go for about £25 on eBay though, so quite expensive for what is padding.

I'm in two minds trying to get some old pillows and having them stitched together.

All ideas are welcome!

Person_one

Mine don't seem to get cold! They'll happily roll around in snow, or jump into freezing cold rivers.

I think as long as they have plenty of blankets available, and they're generally healthy and not a breed that suffers in the cold such as whippets/hairless, they'll be fine and you don't need to worry about them.

JencParker

A dog shouldn't get cold, especially if kept indoors. The main causes if they do, are draughts so make sure their bed is in a draught free area.

Caroline_a

What sort of dogs are they? I doubt if any dogs, even the thin skinned type (whippet, etc) need additional warmth inside, even during the winter. Often we tend to think that dogs feel the cold as we do - they don't, although often very old dogs need a bit of extra heat to warm creaky joints. Just make sure they have a nice squashy bed to lie in and they'll be fine.

lostinrates

I have one thin skimmed dog, one hardy one, and one in between one.

We live in a house that has had no heating, and they have had an electric heater through out winter.

If your dogs really are cold at night and they are not in too much of a confined area you could consider a 'pig lamp'. We used them for the dogs and the cats because they can choose whether to be under them or not, so it suits the shivery dog who basks in the light, but the hardy one who dislikes being too hot doesn't have to be under the heat,

The other thing to consider is the room they are left to sleep in, and thickness of beds. Small dogs might find simply having a choice of a bed in a cardboard box helps them keep toasty, our big dogs have cardboard UNDER their beds in winter.

I'd never use a hw bottle with a dog tbh, Nor a normal electric blanket. The young dog had a proper dog heat pad last year.

kazwookie

My dog use to have a basket and a load of blankets in it, she loved it.

lostinrates

Caroline_a wrote: »

What sort of dogs are they? I doubt if any dogs, even the thin skinned type (whippet, etc) need additional warmth inside, even during the winter. Often we tend to think that dogs feel the cold as we do - they don't, although often very old dogs need a bit of extra heat to warm creaky joints. Just make sure they have a nice squashy bed to lie in and they'll be fine.

My greyhound never says no to more heat! She used to wear a sort of onsey through most of winter (different one for inside and outside ) but finds it undo comfortable since she broke her leg and had it pinned, some how the onsey must pull or catch on her.

Even when we had heating she wore her 'clothes' at night and in the worst cold days.

Otoh, her breeder has never once put a coat on a greyhound, and her dogs spend a lot of time in beautiful purpose built kennels with runs, and they have the pig lamp option, with access to an outdoor run. When they get older they all become permanent house dogs.

As you say, older dogs too, might need more heat, and not everyone's house has great heat retention or ch!

aliasojo

My mutt has a cosy cave. It's great and I wish I could get in there with him.

It's a large crate that's left open at all times (the end door is large and flips up over the crate out of the way.

There is a cheapo king size duvet that goes over the top and down the sides (covered with a green fleece that matches the colour scheme and makes it blend in with the furnishings more, lol). This keeps any draughts out, keeps the heat from him in and gives him a sense of security.

The crate sits on an offcut of thick carpet with a layer of cardboard under that. That helps stop the cold from rising up (we have a laminate floor here).

Inside the crate is a foam mattress (covered with a washable waterproof fitted sheet) with a piece of VetBed on top. He also has a single duvet for the really cold nights. He snuggles in like he's nesting. He has several toys and teddy friends that he takes in there beside him.

He loves his 'house'. The crate sits behind the couch in the livingroom so he's in his own space but he still feels close enough to be part of his 'pack' iyswim.

We did dismantle the crate at one point, thinking we'd just get him an ordinary bed but he looked so flipping miserable that we gave him it back after about a week. :rotfl:

This house is freezing. He's definitely the warmest one out of the lot of us.

Faith177

My two huskys sleep in crates at night with the back door open when it is REALLY cold (yes I know they are huskies but they have lead a charmed life) I cover their crates with a duvet to protect against the wind

Better_Days

Some dogs do get cold at night. My friend felt terrible when she found her dog shivering in his crate last winter. He had lots of bedding, but still wasn't warm enough. She got him a onsie which helped a lot. Our lurcher can't get enough heat and follows a sunbeam round in the day like a cat. If I know the house is going to get particularly cold at night I put his fleece coat on him.

I also have one of these pet heat pads which you heat up in the microwave, good for young/old/poorly animals or those that just feel the cold (like I do so I can sympathise)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SnuggleSafe-Microwave-Wireless-Heatpad-Fleece/dp/B0014LJKUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380800687&sr=8-1&keywords=pet+heat+pad

One of these helped a friends puppy sleep through the night, when previously it had kept them up all night!

calicocat

aliasojo wrote: »

My mutt has a cosy cave. It's great and I wish I could get in there with him.

It's a large crate that's left open at all times (the end door is large and flips up over the crate out of the way.

There is a cheapo king size duvet that goes over the top and down the sides (covered with a green fleece that matches the colour scheme and makes it blend in with the furnishings more, lol). This keeps any draughts out, keeps the heat from him in and gives him a sense of security.

The crate sits on an offcut of thick carpet with a layer of cardboard under that. That helps stop the cold from rising up (we have a laminate floor here).

Inside the crate is a foam mattress (covered with a washable waterproof fitted sheet) with a piece of VetBed on top. He also has a single duvet for the really cold nights. He snuggles in like he's nesting. He has several toys and teddy friends that he takes in there beside him.

He loves his 'house'. The crate sits behind the couch in the livingroom so he's in his own space but he still feels close enough to be part of his 'pack' iyswim.

We did dismantle the crate at one point, thinking we'd just get him an ordinary bed but he looked so flipping miserable that we gave him it back after about a week. :rotfl:

This house is freezing. He's definitely the warmest one out of the lot of us.

This sounds fantastic.......wish I had one of those myself!