We know that dogs have a higher body temperature than ours and therefore have better resistance to heat and cold than humans! Although protected by their fur, even our best friends suffer from winter temperatures! Quindi be careful and learn to understand if your dog is suffering from the cold in order to protect him!
Do our four-legged friends suffer from the cold?
Not all dogs are equal in their resistance to cold. Here are some of the factors that influence the fact that a dog is more or less sensitive to low temperatures:
- Age: older dogs are often less resistant to cold temperatures. With them also newborn puppies (less than 2 months), as they have not yet developed body
- The size: smaller dogs are almost always more sensitive to cold (such as the Chihuahua or Yorkshire)
- The type of hair: dogs without undercoat are the ones that suffer the most from the cold, but even our short-haired friends endure the winter less. On the contrary, those with long hair, thanks to the presence of the undercoat, are able to maintain a stably warm body temperature.
Of course, there are some breeds of dogs that are more accustomed and more resistant to cold and others that have more difficulty dealing with it.
How to know if your dog is cold?
A question to ask with the arrival of winter! There are several visible signs that make us understand if the dog is cold, here is a list of some symptoms to keep an eye on:
- Tremors
- Very dry skin, excessively dry scam
- Breathe verylightly, particularly during the walk
- Rigid posture
- Sleeps much more than usual
- Hesitates to go out of the house
- Try to go to the hottest rooms in the house or lie down near heat sources: fireplace, radiator, etc.
What are the main breeds of small dogs that suffer the most from the cold?
Here are the coldest dog breeds ever:
The Chihuahua is one of the smallest dogs. Being so small, it is also one ofthedogs that suffers the most from the winter cold. How to remedy? Coats and clothing for dogs suitable during walks,warm blanket at home in his kennel and plenty of time in the heat with you!
The Poodle is a dog that also suffers a lot from the cold, so he must live in mild environments and wear a coat, a duvet or a waterproof jacket during outings in winter (especially if it rains or snows).
The Dachshund and the Dwarf Dachshund, just like the Chihuahua and the Poodle, is a dog that suffers a lot from winter temperatures and humidity (especially if they have short hair). It is recommended to reduce the duration of walks outside, and to favor play and interaction at home in the heat.
Yorkshire is one of the smallest 4-legged friends and for this reason it must be protected from the winter cold! In fact, in addition to being very small, this dog has no undercoat. For this reason, it often tends to get sick in winter: for this reason it is strongly discouraged to make it sleep outside. How to do it? Try to always keep it warm in a kennel with warm blankets, or in an appropriate bag when walking around together, or cover it with clothing (sweaters, coats, duvets, etc.) adequate during walks with particularly cold temperatures and.
The dwarf Pinscher, just like the Yorkshires, has no undercoat and for this reason it suffers a lot from the lowest temperatures. Also here it is advisable to keep your puppy warm,reducing walks in the cold and equipping yourself with the right winter clothing for him. It is not recommended to make him sleep outside in winter: he could get sick quickly.
The Jack Russel, being a small dog, is one of the friends who suffers the most from the cold (especially if it has short hair). The advice is always the same: avoid leaving your dog outside the house at night and equip yourself with coats and winter clothing for walks in very cold temperatures.
How to protect the small dog from the cold?
It is important to know how to protect your puppy from the low temperatures of winter!
Here are some tips:
Cover your friend's chest area with a coat, duvet, rain jacket or sweater.
Often these accessories are purchased for aesthetic vanity, when in fact they are very useful to protect your puppy from the weather (cold, rain, snow, etc.). Especially for small dogs, short-haired as we have seen before. Keep in the heat the chest area of your dog, where the heart and lungs arelocated, is essential!
Keep your friend warm when you take them with you for a walk in a bag or a carrier.
There are bags with, for example, the faux fur interior to carry your puppy always with you always protecting him from the cold and bad weather. You can also add a warm blanket in your little one's bag if it's very sensitive to cold (like Chihuahua or Yorkshire).
There is also a stroller for our friends, very comfortable if you have many dogs, suffering from the cold, to take around with you!
If your dog lives outdoors (in the garden for example) try to isolate his kennel from the bad weather
To protect your friend from the winter cold, the ideal would be to keep him indoors with you. If it is not possible, it will be necessary to guarantee your dog a warm and comfortable shelter even outside. There are very comfortable kennels: it must be raised from the ground (to avoid cold contact) and there must be blankets, woolen sweaters and warm pillows to warm the puppy. In addition, it is important to place it in an area sheltered from wind and drafts. It is highly discouraged to put the kennel in the garage: the environment may be very humid and unhealthy due to the continuous presence of moving cars.