How cold is too cold?

I have three adult dogs and a puppy. The puppy stays inside at all times and one of my dogs sometimes stays inside with the puppy.

The other two sleep outside. One on the roof and one in the yard. Both areas have shelter where they can go if it rains. The roof of my house is all concrete. I have her a blanket to sleep on but I am a bit concerned that it’s too cold for her.

It’s about 8C or so outside right now. Is this too cold for them?

They are a Lab mix. The youngest one is about 10 months old and the other is around 2 years old.

Too cold?

8c is 46f. dogs body temp. is 37c or 100f. i think it is fine.
i live in montana and i would keep my dogs inside if the temp was 20f or lower. they were in a sheltered area with blankets and water. i think taiwan will always be ok for dogs outside. they are very resilient. if your dog has super short hair it may make a difference, but with a medium or long coat they are fine.
they also make dog sweaters. when i was in taiwan i saw people with coats on their dogs when it was 80 f or 26 c. that is unnecessary.
if you live in a subtropical climate i would not worry about it.
jm

I watch stray dogs to se how they fare in cold weather, and it really doesn’t seem to bother them much until the temperature really drops.

For certain, providing shelter from the elements that includes a door or snug flap and a warm, clean blanket would be fine.

But I have to say this is just opinion; I haven’t really read much about this.

Our dogs sleep on a kind of marble or ‘pretty’ granite floor, with folded towels, duvets, blankets etc. to sleep on. They are all inside an unheated house. I observe them, and none of them curl up too tightly, and most just relax, so I’m sure the conditions for them are just fine. I may get some form of heating in during the colder months, but I’ll base that decision on what I observe of the animals.

Oh, and if the sheltered area you have provided is cosy enough for two dogs to share, that would make a huge difference to their comfort level. A room with six dogs in can feel quite toasty when you walk in, and the ones right now with the duvets and Thai mattresses are very inviting! :slight_smile:

My long-haired cat has no trouble with the cooler temp in our apartment in Taipei in winter, but the short-haired one doesn’t like the cold tiles, and becomes ‘san jau mau’, alternately lifting one of his front paws up to keep it off the floor. It makes him look like he has a lame paw. Kind of cute though, the big wimp.

I guess that’s not much help to your question Lo Bo To, sorry… :eh:

My parents have had, and stil have one, several German shepherds over the last 40 years or so and the dogs never spent a day inside, even with freezing temperatures … what they did have was dog house and straw, blankets … the dog house has a two compartment structure and a plastic flap on the entrance, so the dog is sheltered from the wind … when my father walks the dog, it doesn’t wear a coat or dog socks … even in the snow … not needed, for sure not in Taiwan … or it should be a short haired, tiny dog that always stays inside …

You had straw? Lucky dog. My Keeshound was outside in a blizzard in the high arctic (Resolute bay and Pond Inlet) at -40 or so in a wood lined snow house. Other dogs in the town curled up and were covered in snow only. Dogs are good in cold, but Taiwan dogs might not be.

This is a good question. I’ve been wondering what to do for my dogs when they fly back. Should I ‘clothe’ so the cold air won’t be a shock to their systems. And should I buy little booties for them for walking in the snow…

Our dogs at home had an unisulated wooden shed with some sacking and straw for winter bedding. Only one of them ever used it. The rest preferred to sleep outside in all weathers, and it gets down to minus 20 where my folks live.
Baloo sleeps outside on a few of those flat seat cushions. They’re to stop the hair from rubbing off his elbows and other wear points, not to provide warmth.
The wide is insisting that he gets some kindof doghouse for the cold weather, but I know it’ll be just a waste of money. He sleeps backed up against the front door. That’s his place.
He won’t use a doghouse unless we lock him into it, in which case we might as well just lock him in a cage. 'Aint happening.

Thanks for the advice. I think they will be OK as well, I really care about them and want what’s best for them.

I am going to build them all dog houses when I am felling less lazy. I think that will make them a lot happier.

It was pretty darn cold down here this weekend. I am from Canada and compared to Canada it’s nothing. It can easily get down to -30C. But it’s just so damp here and riding a motorcycle in this weather kind of sucks.