[Red]

So winter is approaching, and I'm starting to worry that Zoey might actually need a coat.

She's a 2 year old Staffy, possible cross. She's NEVER acted cold out on a walk; no trembling, shivering, stopping etc. She's scared of the rain heh, but has never been bothered by the cold.

My major concern is that Zoey HATES having things put on her...for example, her harness terrifies her I did a ton of CC her to having her harness put on, and it's still an ordeal. Once she's IN the harness she's perfectly happy, but having it put on (I think especially as it goes over her head), she hates. When it's time to put her harness on she will curl into the most miserablest ball ever. I can only imagine she'd absolutely dread having a coat put on, too.

Should I be putting a coat on her? If so, when, at what temperature? (we live in the UK)

Also, can you get coats that have a hole for a harness to be attached to the lead as oppose to a collar?

 

[kelly528]

If she is that difficult to CC to, I wouldn't consider it a necessity. The main utility I see for coats is

a) Preventing rapid heat loss in small dogs and hairless breeds.
b) Protecting longer-haired coats from mud, rain and the matting that they cause.

If your dog is large, your walks are reasonable brisk and they aren't spending a lot of time stationary, just losing heat without the muscle activity producing more, then you should be fine to go without a coat, even in fairly cold weather. And I say this from across the pond here in Canada. If you are really concerned or the dog has something like arthritis that is exacerbated by the cold, you could always start with a loose dog sweater or t-shirt over something stiffer and weightier like a rain slicker.

 

[Red]

Awesome, thank you

She's not a very large dog (she's very small for a Staffy) but never stands still on her walks haha!

I think maybe I will begin CC her to wearing a tshirt-to-coat type thing, just for in the future when she's older (and because she'd look flipping cute in a coat!). I'll add it to my list of 'training to do's!'

I can take it nice and slow knowing there's no real reason to rush before winter arrives too

 

[kelly528]

Yeah, I had in mind the little old lady inching along the sidewalk at a snail's pace with her shivering min-pin. Dogs sense cold differently than we do; I just hose mud the lab I walk in below-freezing temperatures and she doesn't mind. Our pom runs around the backyard in the same temperatures to 'shake off' after his baths. I think that being too warm or hot bothers dogs a great deal more than being cold.

Definitely a nice thing to have under your belt for long-term, in the even that she does get stiffer in the cold when she is in her senior years, but for the time being you should be fine.

 

[pappi pup]

I can't imagine that your dog would need a coat anywhere in the UK--your climate is much like ours in the PNW. Really I think most of these dog accoutrements are more for humans than for dogs. My dog is a Chihuahua mix and he loves going out in the snow, cold is not a problem, thank goodness. He is also very sensitive to anything on his body, including kerchiefs! so putting a coat on him would be an awful experience.

 

[Rain]

It depends on the dog. If Zoey isn't acting cold, shivering, wanting to go back in, etc, then I wouldn't worry about it so long as you are not spending large periods of time outside.

My Chi x Dach, Zody, is cold when it gets down in the 50's f, he's starting to shiver and wants to go in, so he gets a sweater put on him. He has a very thin coat, on his hind legs, and the coat on his chest is nearly not there, his belly is naked and he's only 10 lbs, so he gets cold easy. I've seen him sun bathe in 90 degree weather, and even though it's 70 degrees in the house he likes to sit in front of the space heater. If your Zoey was like that I'd say she needs at least a sweater.

For CCing her she may find it easier to have a coat or jacket like these. They both lay across the dog's back and fasten by velcro, no need to slip it over the dog's head. The grey coat I hadn't unfastened both sides of the velcro on the chest piece, it lays across Zody's back, the chest piece slips between his legs and fastens by velcro on either side. He doesn't mind getting the coats put on as much as he does sweaters which must be slipped over his head then his legs put though the leg holes.

 

[zoorun]

I use this one with a harness under sometimes, but on her other one, I actually put the harness over top

Double Diamond

It depends on the dog really, Remy actually gets more cold at 0 degrees and raining, vs minus 35 and sunny. If she really hates it, I don't know if I would even bother honestly!

The RC Pets one is probably a better style to try, we have the Ruffwear Cloud Chaser and it's a bit of a pain to get them in and out of quickly. The Hurtta ones are also really nice, Lucy has one of those.

 

[Red]

Thank you so much for the replies everyone

I'm so relieved that I don't need to worry too much about getting a coat on Zoey...I've had so many people telling me she needs a coat for winter.

Thank you for the coat recommendations too Rain, those coats look like exactly the sort I would need to use. I think she'd still need a ton of work, but it'll be far easier than one that goes over the head.

...

Hmm, so I'm looking up all these different coats and somehow have been distracted by some of the companies harnesses too...the pups DO NOT need another harness!!

 

[JudyG]

As Staffie's tend to be quite muscular dogs, I wouldn't have thought Zoey would need a coat. My Betsy (Springer) is also quite muscly & tends to run around at 100 mph :eyeroll: so I don't bother with a coat for her (that & she jumps in any water she can find despite the weather!!) My last dog (a cavvie) was a bit more ploddie so I did get her one.

 

[Red]

Haha, Betsy sounds like our Kasper (mind you he is half Springer). He dives into any water he can find, loves a good swim! Zoey enjoys paddling in puddles and splashing sometimes, but is scared of the rain...go figure :eyeroll:

So, do most dog coats require the harness to go on top of the coat, rather than underneath?

 

[Gossamerrolo]

She wouldn't need a coat in the UK in any Winter, never mind this one which has been ridiculously warm so far.