[Priest]

Neither of my dogs have been blessed by mother nature with winter coats. It has been dificult in the past winters to keep them warm and I have refused to buy some retarded looking knit blanket thing for them. Well, I broke down and decided they need coats. I am most of the way done making the first one and am posting it up here for suggestions on the finishing touches. I have already been told it needs a name tape, a flag on the shoulder and there has been suggestion of some Moly Web. There is also the consideration of making a holster to have the ultimate head explosion for a liberal... a pitbull with a gun!

It is a light canvas in desert cam print with a fleece liner for warmth. Suggestions welcome....

 

[EJR914]

Good looking work, Priest! :righton: Very handsome dog as well.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

Great idea! I had to pay a fortune to have a coat for my Great Dane. Some suggestions:

- Velcro bands to put reflective bands. Camo is great when you don't want your dog to be found, but walking the dog or looking for it in a 3 acre backyard when the dog is camo is a pain.

- No front paw sleeves, open bottom and open front. But Velcro to close the jacket on the front chest and 2 velcro straps under the belly and thorax for fast installation. Some days, I need to put it on and remove it 10-15 times on my Great Dane. Bull Dogs are very heat sensitive, just unstrapping a velcro to make him cool would be nice too.

- Hole in the back of the neck to pass the leech.

-Finally, pockets will be great. Small pockets for poo bags and at least 1 pocket on each side to carry water bottles. For some dogs, those pockets can be used to put more weight to make the walk more tiring for the dog when he is a high energy breed.

Thank you

 

[Priest]

This one is actually a velcro back. i can pull it open and it hits the floor. the entire length of the back is one long velcro seam. to put it on either one of my dogs i can lay it on th floor, call them over and put my pointer fingers in the sleeves... they will step in. Then all I have to do is flap it over the back and it is on. I am building in a harness into the jacket so all I will have to do is clip a leash to the jacket. They use harnesses anyway, so they are used to a pull across their chest if they hit the end of the line rather than a pull at the neck. I will be adding reflector strip sections. The Camo was a cool idea, and it was cheap material, and it is the same colours that the dogs already are... so I know how hard it is to find them if they want to hide in the leaves.

I'll take some more pictures of it later with it off the dog so you can see the construction better, but I appreciate the input.

 

[howie1932]

That's a nice looking coat. Sounds like you've thought of pretty much everything. Also sounds like you have some really well behaved dogs. Can't wait to see them in the finished product.

 

[NTA]

Serious question:
are dogs really bothered as much as we think they are by cold ?
I cannot believe that horses live outdoors all winter even in places like Calgary, Alberta.
Been there, seen it.

I used to have (wife did) horses and even in south TX people would keep them in the barn and put clothes on them when they went outside.

 

[Priest]

I know with mine they will shiver and shake pretty bad in cool temps and will seek out something to warm them. They stop listening very well if they are in cold temps for very long and almost shake like they are convulsing. My dogs normal temperatures are 102*, they have very little insulation so it takes a lot of energy to maintain that temp in sub freezing temps. Of course, these breeds are from a much warmer environment originally... they dont belong where it gets below freezing.

 

[kestak]

Greetings,

Yes they do suffer from cold and heat. Dogs can suffer great pain before you notice they are in pain. Their threshold is way higher than humans.

Thank you

 

[howie1932]

A couple of years ago we went home to see my family in Illinois for christmas and took our dogs. My greyhound flat out refused to go outside without atleast 2 coats on while we were up there and the temp was in the single digits and the wind chill in the negative 20s. Dogs most certainly are effected by the weather temperatures.

Keep in mind that not all animals are built alike. There are several different breeds of horses, dogs, etc.

 

[NTA]

I'd never let my animals get cold, just asking.
Can't believe sled dogs and horses and other mammals can take the winter as some seem to do.

 

[45_Fan]

There are many more dogs out there that are happier in the cold than they are in the summer temperatures we get in Georgia.

For my part, I'm amused that some dogs are naturally equipped to deal with -40F weather when the silly humans are running around grabbing coats and bonfires.

 

[SheriffOconee]

I have seen more than one dog that has been left or tied outside during cold weather that was found dead the next morning. I don't have much of a sense of humor about it either. It's a terrible thing.

 

[fflintlock]

We have a beagle and a Shepard mix that can't wait to go out side when it's cold out. They will flat run you over if you are in the way when you open the door. It's hard to get them back in too. They also actually like sunning them selves out on the back deck in the summer time, go figure :screwy:
Animals grow winter coats, but they still get cold.

 

[Priest]

I have seen more than one dog that has been left or tied outside during cold weather that was found dead the next morning. I don't have much of a sense of humor about it either. It's a terrible thing.

I have no sense of humor about it either and have rescued a couple dogs from this fate....

My puppies are spoiled though. They live inside, have nice warm beds in the house, they even have their own sofa in the home office.

 

[MyFred]

I have seen more than one dog that has been left or tied outside during cold weather that was found dead the next morning. I don't have much of a sense of humor about it either. It's a terrible thing.

+1

 

[fiwit]

I have seen more than one dog that has been left or tied outside during cold weather that was found dead the next morning. I don't have much of a sense of humor about it either. It's a terrible thing.

The year my dad died (2 years ago today, actually), my sister's ex-husband left her chihuahua mix in a wire crate on the back porch in rural Ohio. She came home the next morning, after spending the night at Dad's house, and found her favorite dog dead on the back porch.

I'm with Sheriff - no sense of humour about that at all. That said, I used to laugh (quietly, and to myself) at folks who dressed their dogs. Then I adopted retired racing greyhounds, and fell in love with Italian Greyhounds.

My dogs have winter coats, sweaters, raincoats, and the little ones have longjohns.

My 15yr old Italian was outside with a sweater on, for about 20 minutes early Sat morning (I didn't realize it was sub-freezing) - when she came inside, it took her 20 minutes of cuddling up with me under the blankets before she stopped shivering. They definitely feel the cold and/or heat.

 

[CountryGun]

I dare you to find a wet hair in the undercoat of a Great Pyrenees, on the wettest and coldest day of the year. I have kept as many as seven, in protection of my goat herds, and they have never required shelter. I've certainly made it available. They choose otherwise.

They will lay out in a freezing rain, content to have their nose tucked under a leg, and never complain.

It's very much all about the breed. A Chihuahua may well balk at 40 degrees, while my Pyrenees welcome 0 degrees. They'd actually be very comfortable at minus 30.

So, if your companion is a short-haired wimp, bring him/her indoors. If they're built for the cold, leave them outdoors. It's as simple as that.

 

[Jonboy]

I dare you to find a wet hair in the undercoat of a Great Pyrenees, on the wettest and coldest day of the year. I have kept as many as seven, in protection of my goat herds, and they have never required shelter. I've certainly made it available. They choose otherwise.

They will lay out in a freezing rain, content to have their nose tucked under a leg, and never complain.

It's very much all about the breed. A Chihuahua may well balk at 40 degrees, while my Pyrenees welcome 0 degrees. They'd actually be very comfortable at minus 30.

So, if your companion is a short-haired wimp, bring him/her indoors. If they're built for the cold, leave them outdoors. It's as simple as that.

When I moved from north GA to southwestern GA I gave my Pyrenees away- I thought it would be just too brutal down here. My dogs always stay inside at night but she did love to be out during the day and I couldn't stand to keep her cooped up all the time. Great dog though- it was hard to part with her.

 

[warrioroftheland]

throw some mollie webbing on the back or sides and some attach some mag holders. it would be tacticool! just kidding man. i gotta come up with the same thing for my pup. looks good and i like the name tape idea.

 

[blackbirdzach]

I could brush my Shepherds and send you some hair. The good lord knows we have plenty of extra. Winters are fun for us, both summers are tough. They stay inside unless we're out walking or they're out for a potty break. If they're out for the day in the fence, they have lots of shade and always have a pool full of fresh water.