Does he need a winter coat?

[Malcolm's Dad]

The weather is getting nasty here in Chicago. Lately its been cold, rainy, and a little windy. We haven't been to the park the last two days. Malcolm doesn't mind the weather at all but I am not up to it. So I'm wondering, do you have a coat or sweater for your dog if you live in the colder places? (Our friends in Arizona don't have to worry about this). Malcolm seems just fine outside, its been in the 40's and he will stay in the yard until I bring him in. But its going to get much colder and this dog wants his park!!! We've been playing in the house and so far we've lost two tennis balls. He tears around the house and suddenly the ball is gone. I'll have to move all the furniture to find the darn things. So we need to get to the park.

The pet stores sell little booties for dogs. Chicago puts a lot of salt down in the winter and people salt their walks. The salt is no good for their feet. But will a Cairn really wear those booties? Will your Cairn wear a coat? Malcolm is getting a little yellow raincoat from a friend in New Jersey. Her neighbor has a Cairn that refuses to wear the raincoat so they are sending it to Malcolm. We will see if Malcolm will wear it.

I'd appreciate any winter wardrobe suggestions. If Malcolm doesn't get out to the park I won't have any house left.

[kintra]

Zach doesn't like any type of clothing...its a stretch to put his belly band on half the time. We deal with cold/nasty winters here but we simply let the dogs out for shorter amounts of time and I've really learned the value of having a dog play fetch up the stairs If Zach had his way, he'd run through snow all day...he loves the stuff.

My elderly Min Pin, ZaZa, is a totally different story. She gets cold very easily and has recently started to have some joint issues. As soon as it gets below 40* outside, Za gets to wear her warm clothes. She has several pairs of fleece pajamas/doggie sweatshirts to wear around the house to help keep her warm. She's the type of dog who goes outside, does her business, and is right back at the door wanting to come in.

My dad recently bought a shelter (don't know the exact dimensions, but about the size of an average shed)to put up in the yard this winter so the dogs can have a slightly warmer area (free of snow) to play in so they can stay outside a bit longer.

[sanford]

Cairns are sturdy little dogs and can probably handle cold & rainy weather, but Chicago can be extreme in the winter & a cold, snowy winter is predicted for this year. (I hope not!). Your vet could probably advise you. Also, all cairns are different. Some are more impervious to the cold than others. I've noticed that some have their coats trimmed very closely... in those cases, I'd definitely use a sweater or jacket.

I'm lucky in that my cairn patiently accepts getting dressed and doesn't resist. He's a senior and has some joint issues, so I use a coat for him in the cold weather, I tried booties to protect his feet from the salt on the sidewalks, but they don't always stay on. Instead I apply "Musher's Secret" to his paws and it works very well. It's important to trim the hair from between the toes, so ice-balls don't form on the bottoms of the feet. I put a raincoat on him in the snow & rain, only because its easier to deal with a dog who's not completely soaking wet when we return home.

Edited October 16, 2009 by sanford

[Tracy A.]

Because the boys expect walks every day (rain or shine) I have winter boots and jackets for

them. The boots because in deeper snow they get snow and ice stuck in their paws and will

just 'sit down' in the middle of walk because their feet hurt. So to keep me from carring

someone home, I put the boots on them! They protest about the boots at first, but I just keep

them moving and they forget about them! jackets are for deeper show too, to keep them a bit

warmer since they are so short!

[Hagar]

I live in Montana, so we do have some interesting Winter weather. There is no way I could get Renny to wear a coat or booties. For Winter he prefers the Yak look.

We walk 3 times a day in nearly all types of weather. When it's unusually cold or wet, the walks are much shorter than normal. Just time enough for him to do his business and head home. When we have more than a couple of inches of snow, I clear an area in the back yard for him. If possible I plow the sidewalk ( I plow half the my block) before we walk. Between what I plow and the alley, we have a 3 block loop, which is long enough in most weather. In sub-zero weather, I keep an eye on him. A few times he has done the "Dad,My feet are really cold" dance. When that happens, I pick him up and carry him for a short way until he wants back down.

When it's too nasty for a walk, I take him to the back yard and STAY with him 'til he's done. If he starts to get cold, I take him inside and try again later.

[tdavie]

For what it's worth, and I do realize that dogs are highly variable (just like people), my Cairn was digging into snowbanks at 7 months of age and would easily stay outside in -30 weather for 1 hour at a time. My Black Lab is a wuss, and won't stay out for any length of time if it is colder than about 40F.

I keep an eye on my little monsters when it's cold outside though.

Tom

[Maggie15]

Chicago? Cold? hmmm...i'd go there for a winter holiday! it gets cold here, -30 and colder for long periods of time...maggie doesnt have any problems out there in that cold... i'd almost guess that a sweater could make the dog colder since it compresses the fur (and the air which insulates)...unless it was windproof maybe...

the only time i find the cold/snow a problem is when it is too warm (like you might get in chicago) where the snow will ball up on her paws and coat...you have to watch, if you see your dog limp or lift a paw, its probably because there is a snow ball under there that is hurting her/his feet...

ak

[kjwarnold]

Packy would stay out all day in the snow if I would let him. He just loves it and doesn't seem to feel the cold at all. I tried some snow booties but he lost them pretty quickly playing in deep snow. He had a ball digging through the drift looking for them, though! You can probably find better ones than what I made out of fleece scraps. They're probably a good idea walking through sidewalks with lots of salt. Or just be sure to rinse his feet well after walking if the cold doesn't bother him.

Some of you have seen the pics of Packy wearing his booties, but here's what they looked like. I might have to dig them out for Kirby this year. He doesn't seem to tolerate cold as well. I wish he'd grow an undercoat!

[Nikki]

I live in ohio and gets pretty cold here so I have a jacket for angel and for scotty I make him wear a harness that protects his chest b/c he loves pouncing in the snow and I hate getting on the snowballs off. Scotty is all boy he dosent really care if its cold...the colder it is the better he likes it. Angel can take the cold to certain point then she goes inside.

[jodi0553]

Currey does not have any winter gear except his own natural coat in upstate NY (We used to live in Chicago...comparable temps, but more snow here). He LOVES to stay out in the snow as long as he possibly can and is not at all bothered by the cold. In fact, he has to be physically dragged in most of the time, as you can see in the 1st picture. We dig trails for him to take care of business, but he'd rather stomp through snow that is well over his head. He loves to jump up on drifts and has ventured into snow well over a foot deep many times!

Oh man, I am NOT looking forward to another NY winter, but I can assure you Currey is!!!

Although it is worth a mention that CTF's most famous snow dogs, Chase and Gus, DO have sweaters! (

)

[Nena]

Mine is 2 years old now but last winter she would be outside especially when it was 20 or under and start lifting her paws. I would rush her in and clean them from the snow. I got her boots and when it is that cold she has to wear them. I don't know if now that she is older she will still need them we will see about this winter.

I bought cheep ones at the pet store and they came right off. So I order online and these really stay on good. There website is ultra paws gear for dogs. I have a picture of Nena in her boots on my posts. She does not like them but forgets about them after a while. It really saves us going out in the bitter cold weather.

[Jessica H]

I live in NH and it gets really cold here, so cold I would rather be in Chicago as well...

Last winter I was walking in -21F without windchill, so I actually broke down and tried to put a jacket on Scooter. I wasn't even off the front steps and he wouldn't walk and kept getting his front legs stuck b/c he was trying to get it off, I left it hanging on the doorknob. Cairns are pretty rugged little dogs and you would be surprised.

If you feel better by putting one on than go ahead but I am sure your pup will be fine. With any dog just do not expose for too long.

[Malcolm's Dad]

Thank you all for your replies. I've learned a few things. I didn't know about ice getting in their paws. I'll have to look for that Musher's Secret. Something tells me Malcolm won't tolerate booties.

A and J makes a good point, the fur traps air that insulates their bodies. The sweater on Nikki's dog looks just right, loose enough to keep the air inside.

This will be my first winter with Malcolm so I guess we will have to see how he does. The pictures of the dogs in the snow are so cute. They sure don't mind the cold at all. I might have to shovel a spot in the yard too.

Well Malcolm got to the park today so he is a happy tired Cairn. He's sleeping on the couch right now.

Happy winter to you all.

[highwyre237]

We live in boston so the weather is pretty similar, had our first snowfall yesterday :-/!. Riley is 9 months old and a few months ago she was fully stripped. Her hair is still pretty short, and she's been shivering when outside in the rain (comes in and sneezes for a bit too) So we started putting a rain coat on. Its helped alot, and we may try boots to avoid issues with salt as well. I would just feel it out, if the can handle it and dont show signs of being cold, I wouldnt worry. Our girl was pretty much begging for something to keep her warm. I'm sure she'll be better in a few months when her coat is back to normal.

[Hawkeye]

We don't always use the coats, but I do like them when we take walks because it keeps them cleaner. We don't have sidewalks where we live so we are walking on the roads. The salt & sand really messes them up to the point when the walk is over we have to rinse them down in the sink. Not much fun for them if ever time they need to be washed. In the backyard they can run around and collect all the snow balls they want.

[Nikki]

I bought that sweater from Col potter..its just a pull over

mine don't always wear them either ...mostly just for walks..we live in apt so they have to go for walks so when its really cold the coats go on

[angi]

I was wondering what size of a winter coat for a carni Boston terrier 

 

[Dogcoat lady]

I have made coats for 30 years…measure your dog’s top line from base of his neck to the base of his tail along his backbone.  That will be the basic measurement to size your dog’s coat. Some are labeled in inches, it is that measurement you have taken.  The coat should fit.

[angi]

What size did you get for your carni Boston terrier winter coat

[bradl]

I just looked at couple coats laying around and found a couple XS from Sewing Ventures and a Size 12 from Tanner & Dash.

My experience has been that virtually all coats have a sizing chart available so that you can find the size for that particular maker that is the best match to the actual measurement of your particular dog. 

If you measure your dog around the neck, around the chest, and from base of the neck to where the tail comes out, you will be able to look at the sizing chart for the coat you are interested in and see which of those measurements they use to match a dog to a size. 

Here for example is a random coat maker's chart. 

But the thing is, another coat maker may have their own chart so a SMALL here might be a MEDIUM there. So you have to look at the guidance for the specific coat you are looking at.