# How cold?



## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

So how low can the temp drop before a dog is affected? What I mean is at night, while the dog is in its sleeping area how cold is too cold?


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

jay lyda said:


> So how low can the temp drop before a dog is affected? What I mean is at night, while the dog is in its sleeping area how cold is too cold?



When I lived in MN the dogs would be outside when it was below zero. I brought them in a few times when it was in the teens below and the dogs hated being in the house.

I don't think you have real world cold where you are so don't worry about it. :-({|=

Maybe throw another blanket or something by the sleeping area. With my kennel in MN the dog had a sleeping area in the garage. I made wooden box about the size of a bath tub and kept it full of straw. The dog never really had issues until he came in the house and pissed everywhere.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I'm much more concerned about keeping them out of the wind and draft. A good pile of straw to burrow into in a dry, draft free area is good.


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

I built a platform in my shop to put the crates up on to get them off of the concrete, under the patform I layed out insulation. I then have the crates coverd with these big wool blankets that I have. Its down in the 20s tonight so it got me thinking. Thanks for the replies. In the negative teens.......now thats cold. So I guess I really don't have anything to worry about. I know that dogs can handle the cold but I just wanted to make sure that I have them the warmest that I could out there.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

I bring them in at minus 10 degrees F. When I had GSD's they didn't even use the dog house at that temperature.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

If the dogs live outside all the time, then they should be fine out of the wind. That was always a big problem where I grew up, as the wind just never seemed to stop.

We brought the old dogs into the house permanently when they were getting close to the end. The first time we did that, it was winter, and the dog was quite uncomfortable. After that, we brought them in during the summer. It was funny when we thought they were getting to the end and then they lived another 4-5 years.


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Jay here's a DEAD give away, if they are stiff as a board...it was too cold! Learn on the next one. Glad to help you. ;-)


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## Al Curbow (Mar 27, 2006)

I didn't think it got cold in GA. I don't know how mals deal with the cold but my GSD's best comfort level for work and play seems to be around the freezing mark. I threw them out at 5 this morning, windy and 25 degrees and just brought them in to eat and they're all bright eyed and bushy tailed from running and playing in good weather for them. Snow is when the fun really starts, they burrow out holes to lay down in, very cool. Heat is the scary thing,


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

I get concerned with the inside - outside temperature variation in minus zero winter weather. My dogs go from 72 degrees in the house to minus degrees outside regularly in the wintertime.

They seem to handle it just fine but I always worry about it.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

As long as they have plenty of bedding in their crate/dog house to 'burrow' down in and insulate them, and the front of their dog house isn't facing the direction of prevailing winds, they should be fine. I feed my dogs that are outside a little more when it starts getting cold, and I put a sheet of clear plastic up on the north side of my kennels to help keep the wind off of them some as well. It was in the low teens last night here, and with the wind it was several degrees colder. 

If they're in your garage, Jay, and have some kind of bedding in their crates, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

My gsd's would prefer to sleep out in the snow on the deck. BUt that's not allowed. The few times they have, I would come out in the morning and they would be curled up under 6-8 inches of snow. You would think they were huskies or malamutes. For my dogs, snow brings a whole new world of joy for them. Even the older one acts a few years younger when he sees his first snow every year. Their favorite time of year. In fact they just woke up to 6 inches of fluffy powder this morning. \\/


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

Howard Gaines III said:


> Jay here's a DEAD give away, if they are stiff as a board...it was too cold! Learn on the next one. Glad to help you. ;-)


Howard, have you considered that perhaps Jay IS on his next one and doesn't want to screw this one up? :-o


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Chris Michalek said:


> Howard, have you considered that perhaps Jay IS on his next one and doesn't want to screw this one up? :-o


Oooops! You're right!#-o


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

I think it depends on the breed too. I know that's stating the obvious, but I thought I'd mention it. I have a min pin I rescued (no laughing), and I'm sure he can't tolerate the cold temps my Malinois and Labrador can. Although, I was needlessly worried about him today - he was out playing in the wind/cold with the other dogs and showed no signs of getting cold. The high today was 33 deg. 

My dogs all sleep in the garage, which is heated and attached to the house. I keep the heater at 55 deg. for them. I'm a softie (plus, its an added bonus not to have to warm up the car!).


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

Chris Michalek said:


> Howard, have you considered that perhaps Jay IS on his next one and doesn't want to screw this one up? :-o


Well, I wasn't going to say anything....







Heat is more of a problem then cold here, as the temp drops you can really see a change for the better in the dogs when its time to work.


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## Chris Michalek (Feb 13, 2008)

jay lyda said:


> Well, I wasn't going to say anything....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Umm yeah.... it's not like you have real world heat either. =;

Try the heat in Phoenix. It dries out your eye balls before you can go from your car to the house. I getting sick of the extreme temps...bitter cold in MN and searing heat in AZ. I need to move to the equator. Oh yeah


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## Heather Trocola (Sep 18, 2008)

Doesn't it depend on breed and coat a little? I have a husky client whose dog would live outside in all temps and weather conditions. I also have a client with a staffy with no coat to speak of that seems to get a chillyl when it's 60 degrees out. Of course, it's the staffy who has to live outside all winter and the husky can come in whenever he wants. Go figure.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

Chris, I believe the last time I was in Maui it was 85 -87, and low humidity. All year round. . That's where I'd be If I could afford it[-o<


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

really, we have heat. sure, it might not get over 101 degrees in the summer... but try having 101 degrees AND 85% humidity. #-o i love the winter in GA.


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## Erica Boling (Jun 17, 2008)

I worry about this too.... and it's been bothering me lately. I have a Dobe and am doing Search & Rescue with her. We train in the Pocono Mtns. in Pennsylvania, and she spends a good bit of time in the car between training sessions. She's an inside dog, and so she doesn't develop a thicker coat in the winter. (Plus Dobes have very little fur to begin with!) PLUS she eats her bedding, and so this really limits what I can do when she's crated! I did purchase an insulated crate cover from Cabella's. I actually used it this past Saturday night when it got into freezing temperatures. She was nice and toasty when I unzipped the crate cover and let her out in the morning, but I'm worried about when it gets in the teens or below zero..... Still trying to figure out how I'm going to handle this... I might try putting straw or hay in her crate, but I worry that she'll eat a lot of it... I don't imagine that would be very healthy for her... I just found out that eating bedding runs in her family. A number of her aunts have already had blockage surgery for eating their bedding.



I don't think I'll ever be able to trust her with bedding in the crate...


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

The Presa breeder at club uses these in her dog houses and says they'er great!

http://www.gundogsupply.com/click-for-hound-heaters.html?type=broad&engine=GAW


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## Amber Scott Dyer (Oct 30, 2006)

Erica, my showline Dobe that was my first "personal" dog I owned died from complications after his second surgery for intestinal blockages. The first time it was for eating bedding, the second time from a sock. i know a lot of AKC showline dobes with that problem. 

i haven't heard of it with any of the working line dobermann people i know, so that's interesting.


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

Decoy fingers is what gets them Amber. Arms, legs such stuff like that.


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## Barrie Kirkland (Nov 6, 2007)

Bob Scott said:


> The Presa breeder at club uses these in her dog houses and says they'er great!
> 
> http://www.gundogsupply.com/click-for-hound-heaters.html?type=broad&engine=GAW


i have similar in one of my kennels , except the heater is a ceramic tube that has a guard over it, it basically takes the chill out of the kennel


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

i think anytime a dog of whatever breed has a small enough enclosed space to snuggle up in, insulated either on the outside &/or bedded inside, they'll be fine. doesn't leerburg have dog house plans on their website that shows how to solve the wind problem even (basically a 2-room house)? even Dobies. and erica-that outside cover sounds like the perfect crate solution for your dog.

but that's just me--my dogs live in the house.


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## Erica Boling (Jun 17, 2008)

This is the insulated crate cover that I bought. I got it on sale over the summer...

*http://tinyurl.com/6ld8rw*


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

That crate cover looks like it would work good. I used to get that mag but I have forgotten all about those things, Thanks.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

One of my neighbors has a boxer puppy, probably about 7 months old now. They've had it for at least a couple of months. Every time I drive by their house, it's out in the front yard, and there is a doggie bed in the yard, along with several toys. They leave the dog outside 24/7 with nothing but the dog bed to sleep in. There is no dog house, no sort of shelter, etc. Nothing. When I came home last night around 10:00pm, I saw the poor thing curled up in the dog bed in the middle of the driveway. As I mentioned earlier, it's been getting down into the teens and twenties at night for the past couple of weeks. Last night it snowed about 1/2 an inch, and was down in the 20's again . Right now it's still blowing snow and the temperature is 13 degrees with the wind chill (27 w/out). 

That's unacceptable. 

A boxer has no business being left out in this kind of weather with nothing but a dog bed. Even the old coots who live back in the hollers with their hound dogs provide their dogs with_ some_ sort of shelter/dog house.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

Kristen Cabe said:


> One of my neighbors has a boxer puppy, probably about 7 months old now. They've had it for at least a couple of months. Every time I drive by their house, it's out in the front yard, and there is a doggie bed in the yard, along with several toys. They leave the dog outside 24/7 with nothing but the dog bed to sleep in. There is no dog house, no sort of shelter, etc. Nothing. When I came home last night around 10:00pm, I saw the poor thing curled up in the dog bed in the middle of the driveway. As I mentioned earlier, it's been getting down into the teens and twenties at night for the past couple of weeks. Last night it snowed about 1/2 an inch, and was down in the 20's again . Right now it's still blowing snow and the temperature is 13 degrees with the wind chill (27 w/out).
> 
> That's unacceptable.
> 
> A boxer has no business being left out in this kind of weather with nothing but a dog bed. Even the old coots who live back in the hollers with their hound dogs provide their dogs with_ some_ sort of shelter/dog house.


so have you called animal control?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I did this morning. Unfortunately, they said it would be tomorrow before they could go out and check on it.


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## jay lyda (Apr 10, 2006)

Hopefully he'll make it through the night so they can see.


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## Sarah Koth (Mar 1, 2008)

All of our outside dogs are in these K9 Condos or their new Dog Dens. They have either a heating plate in the floor or a heating bulb depending on the unit and are insulated too. I usually set the power to a Thermo Cube so the heaters turn on at 35degrees and off at 45degrees (outdoor temp). The dogs do wonderfully in them even on the coldest NY days.


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