[Baxter]

I rescued my boy at the beginning of the summer in june and have had great times with him.  We have been socializing him with people and other dogs as much as possible.  I do have a general questions though.  

It is starting to get colder here in Virginia and wanted to get everyone's take on this.  At what temperature would you put a little something on them before going outside for a walk?

Thanks for the info....

cheers!!!!
-Baxter's dad

 

[MegRich]

I completely understand. I just got a new pup a few months ago, and I live in WV. I personally, don't walk my pup without a sweater when it's below 50 degrees, unless it's very sunny. When it's sunny, below 45. The wind could be a factor also. I hope I helped.

 

[Michelle]

I was wondering the same.  I am in Chicago and our winters are brutal!! Tyson is in for a big shock!!

 

[JeepKuntry]

I would say that depending on how hard of winter some have, they may not walk they pets during the peak of winter.  Most probably give them free roam of the house for exercise.  Here in Tennessee we haven't had a bad winter in years.  Charlie has been cut before and he doesn't even like his leg wrapped or a sock over his foot, so I doubt he'd be game for a coat!

 

[Baxter]

i think i over heard someone mention that 50 degrees is the cutoff.  Right now we are experiencing low 50's in the morning.  Can anyone suggest a good jacket/coat that i can take a look at?

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Baxter\";p=\"38889":t3vp5ask]I rescued my boy at the beginning of the summer in june and have had great times with him.

 

[Barbs2Ks]

We had one cold snap here were the temps were in the upper 30's low 40's and I took Kiah to the dog park no coat or anything.  She did just fine and had a blast running around.  I just made sure that when we were finished I kept her warm in the car on the way home.  I plan on using a coat when the weather is colder and I have boots for her too when it snows or the weather is really cold.

 

[mblogsd]

I have a jacket for Willy and he actually loves wearing it.  Half the time when I take it off and put it up, he'll stare at it and cry till you put it back on him.  Like you were saying though, I throw it on in the mornings now when it's chilly.  I'm sure he'll have it on more soon though...Ohio winters can be rough.

 

[Suchagirl]

I never put anything on Bo it did not really bother him he loved to go out in the cold, (for short stints)

 

[samsonsmom]

Weather in So Cal, obviously was never an issue, but when we moved to Ireland, I continued to walk Buck & Tia all the time, even after a snow storm..They loved it and I never put anything on them...Same when I moved to Bama, Samson & I walked every day, winter & summer, he never wore anything....I am going to buy them sweater, buts that's more for inside the house to keep them warm and cozy, especially at nite....Last winter i used to make sure that Samson was covered up with his blankie before he went to sleep, so he could stay warm...Got to pamper our senior citizens you know!!! I would say tho, if you have them out in the snow, keep the time short and make sure you really wipe their feet off well when they come in....

 

[Sadiesmomma]

It gets sooo freezing her where I am in Canada...it get to -35celcius, I think that's about -31F...thats with windchill. Yes I will be getting little Sadie a coat!! I have to wear a down filled coat when walking outside for more than 5 minutes and if we are going on longer walks with Sadie, I'll need snow pants! ha  :lol:  We're gonna look so cool haha

 

[ZaraBoxie]

It doesn't even get that cold here on the Gold Coast, but any thing less than 50F and Zara would start shivering if she was inactive (eg watching the boys play soccer at night).  We had a sleeveless vest (passed down from the kids) and that was enough of a difference to keep her happy.  I didn't think boxers were that great with the cold (or the heat).

 

[Palidin]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm in the habit of walking my dogs every night, both for the dog's benefit, and to control my weight.  (I've always had pitbulls up until now) I've read that Boxers don't do well with extreme temperatures. Surely, walking the dog for 30 mins in cold or heat won't be too much, will it?

 

[Zhanna]

30 mins should not be a problem.

Last winter, Henry was so little and he just loves to be outside!  So we used my son's old hooded sweatshirt.  I cut out a space under his belly so when he went potty, he wouldn't get it wet and I rolled up the sleeves to his elbows.  He didn't like it very much, but if he wanted to be outside he had to wear it.  Of coarse, we live in SE Texas, so there were only a few times when it was cold enough to cover him up.

 

[samsonsmom]

No, 30 minutes is fine..I used to walk mine for about 45 minutes or so and they did great...Also, keep in mind that boxers in colder climates will grow a bit of a winter coat as well....Mine actually seem to like the cold, makes them more energetic  

 

[boxerlove]

Three of ours have never had a problem...they LOVE the snow and playing in it.  Our rescue (Berkeley) had a knitted sweater made for her by my MIL and she did wear it when it was colder out (under 10F) because she got cold.  We don't just leave them out for extended periods of time but they are usually out 30 minutes to 1 hour when we are outside with them otherwise if they are just out to potty the will be out for 10-15 minutes at a time or less.  If it gets really cold out (in the negatives) then we make sure we watch them closely and only let them out for a few minutes at a time.

 

[Chase55671]

I wish I could help, but I don't think I can. We usually don't take Lexie for a walk when it's cold because she doesn't want to. She doesn't take very many walks, but she does run around the house and act crazy throughout the day plus no matter how much she eats she never puts on much weight! We have heard for three years now and she stays the same the entire time we have had her.

Chase

 

[Baxter]

I agree with them being more energetic.  Over the summer when I took Baxter to the dogpark or just to a field to play, his energy would get zapped within 20 mins.  Now that it is cooler, when we went to a dog park, he spent an hour and a half running with his friends and i had to practically drag him out of there.  

Thanks just wanted to get everyone's take on cold weather and boxers.    

Cheers!!!!
Baxter's dad