IS IT TOO COLD???

[OSO-DETROIT]

IS IT JUST ME OR IS MY HUSBAND RIGHT? "OSO" OUR PITT, LIKES TO GO OUTSIDE BUT NOT 4 LONG,AND TO ME ITSEEMS LIKE HE GETS COLD. I DON'T LIKE 4 HIM 2 STAY OUT TOO LONG. I FEEL BAD, LIKE MY KIDS OUTSIDE WITH W/O A JACKET. HE SAYS HES A DOG HES SUPPOSED TO B OUTSIDE.IS A COUPLE HOURS 2 LONG 2 STAY OUTSIDE. HES VERY SHORT HAIRED.

[ACO]

You are right. Dogs feel the cold just like we do and while some breeds are more resistant to it, all dogs need proper shelter. If your dog appears not to be enjoying him/her self bring him/her in. With the exception of walks with me, when he wears a jacket, my boy doesn't want to be outside in the winter for longer than it takes him to do his business. My other dog, however, will stay outside rolling in the snow until I call her in. It is largely based on breed. My female who loves the snow is a Saint Bernard....her 'brother' who is a weather sissy is a presa canario (short haired and muscular) So in short...I say bring your baby back inside.

[someday]

I would say a couple of hours is too long to be outside if the dog has no shelter. I know here in missouri this time of year, my pit bull,Annie, is ready to come in after about 20 minutes of playing in this weather..she obviously is cold. If your dog has a dog house, he would probably be fine if you insulate it with straw or blankets. But if he is an inside dog anyways, i'd just let him in when he's ready to come in.

[nern]

IMO, yes. A couple of hours is too long for certain breeds of dogs to stay outside during cold weather. If the dog appears to be cold and wants to come in I would allow it.

[MyPetTherapyDog]

My dogs love to go outside and play but I find after about 15-20 minutes, they are all standing at the door begging to come inside and warm up.
Yes, I think its too cold especially for that breed.
They have such short fur.
Sue

[bellack1]

I have a schnoodle puppy (5 months) and after not even 5 min of being outside he starts limping and crying and walking on 3 feet cuz his paws get so cold.
Does this happen just cuz hes a puppy and his paws arent hard yet?

http://dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=204763

[Jamiya]

One of my dogs (Bonnie, 3 years old) starts limping when her feet get cold. If it's really cold out, it only takes a few minutes. I let her in and always check all of her feet for ice stuck in her pads or for cuts, but they are always fine. As soon as she is inside and warm, she stops limping. She prefers to sunbathe.

Nala can stay outside in the snow forever. She likes to stick her head in big piles of snow. I used to call her back in to make sure her feet were warm enough, but they were actually hot when I felt them! She prefers the cold.

I had a Labradoodle foster for a day over the weekend and she LOVED the snow. She romped through it and layed down in it and tunneled through drifts with her head.

That being said, two hours is a long time to be outside. Heck, my dogs are never out in the yard for two hours even on "perfect" days! They always want to come back in before then. Usually 45 minutes to an hour is the longest they will stay out, and most of the time it is less than that. But then they go out again later to play some more! They probably go out at least once every hour or two.

[honeybears]

well if you are in Detroit by your tag name, then yes, your dog wouldnt do well left out in the cold for a long period of time, like 2 hours you mentioned because he is a short haired dog and dont have the thermal mass like a cold weather dog, husky. It is the law that we provide our dogs with food and shelter. If you do need to leave him out for any period of time I would get a dog house and use hay inside which is a great insulator.

[Killerbee2]

Well, I wouldnt leave a dog out in the cold to long. It actually depends on how cold it is. If it is -20 degres(sp?) then i wouldnt leave it out there for a couple hours. If it is like 10-30 degres(sp?) Then i think it would be fine.