Sweater or No Sweater??

Category: Dog Care, Holiday Tips, Pet Health, Pet Tips, Pets | Tags:

Date: December 30th, 2014

I myself have about 10 different coats/sweaters for my dog Valentino, but I know some people tease me about this, and don’t see a need- saying, well he already has a coat on, his fur!

If Valentino was a breed of dog that was acclimated to cold weather, like Huskys and Malamutes are, I would certainly not put a coat on him.  It’s not that I simply enjoy putting clothes on my dog, I certainly feel the opposite actually- its one more step, that I don’t want to do, but I do. WHY?  Because Valentino has a thin body type, and very short fur, with some of his skin even exposed.  Also a big sign is that his whole body shakes when it is cold outside.

So a good general rule of thumb is, if you have:

(1) Small dog;

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Elderly dog or chronically ill (such as arthritis);

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Breed with thin body type, especially those with short fur;

 

 

 

 

 

Then I would purchase a coat or sweater for your pup!

These 3 types of dogs have more difficulty generating and retaining enough body heat on their own.  Also, if you are keeping your heat down in your house/apartment during the day, you might think of keeping a sweater on your pup inside as well.

Even if your dog doesn’t need a coat, it certainly won’t hurt him!  I also put a light rain coat on my dog when its raining even if its not cold, so there is less clean up when I get home!  And when its snowing, its also good to invest in a pair of booties for your pup to protect their sensitive paw pads from the salt and chemicals used for de-icing.

Final rule of thumb – get a coat that compliments your dog’s coat and coloring 😉