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  1. #1
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Hot dog or chilly dog?

    Just curious as to how your dog(s) are affected by the weather year round. Our Zo is so happy in the cold. She throws up when it's more than 75 F. Nikki seems to be fine year round. She sun bathes but loves the snow as well. She's our all weather dog. Fran seeks out the sun and can't stand the rain or cold. We have throw blankets positioned all around the house in this weather so we can toss one on her when she curls up in a ball even though we have deep pillows and keep the house in the low 60's.

    What are your dogs like?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    None of my Labs had preferences but both Brutus and Honey had problems with overheating...Bru just with environmental heat but Honey with internal overheating as well as environmental. And none of them really minded the rain or snow except that Brutus would freak out if he was on anything slippery.

    These two? Hah! They don't like rain...they don't even like walking on wet surfaces like dewed-upon grass. They're not interested in snow unless they're loose in the backyard, running through the trails Bob snow blows for them. They both react really early on to heat...their cooling jackets get put on when it hits 62 degrees if they're going to be in any direct sun. They don't seem to mind winter's cold that much as long as they're moving...but we still bundle them up because their walks are actually "sniffs" and not walks. I did notice Sunnie shivering on the deck the other day and it was in the mid-50's so I'm thinking she's at the old dog/more susceptible stage (although she will still lie out on the deck in full sun even when it's really hot out...she's always liked sunning her furs). I got them some nifty wool blankets a couple of years ago and neither dog would sleep on them...I ended up using them myself for chilly mornings out on the deck. I might have to see if Sunnie has reconsidered her opinion.

  3. #3
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    Sophie will go lay on the deck in the full sun when it's 90+ degrees. Brooks wants to be in the shade when it's in the 60's, and hates the heat. I can't use a crate pad for him in the summer, he gets too hot, will just sit there panting. Sophie HATES being out in the rain. When he face gets wet she'll stop and rub in in the ground, which of course just makes it wetter, which makes her want to rub it even more! She also doesn't like walking in wet grass. I tell her she should be very happy she came to the USA, she'd have been miserable in the UK!!!!

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    Hemi and I are pretty much the same, we hate the heat, above 80 and it sucks. 60-70 we love hanging out outside, we are active but not loving it. Below 60 we thrive we are out doing all kinds of things, hiking new places. Even at Hemi's agility class they all noticed Hemi in the weather change, he is nailing everything and having perfect runs and having a great time. Above 80, agility is like too much effort, even though we are in an air conditioned building.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Oban and I both much prefer the cold. His gimpy leg will be worse all winter as he tears around like a wild, crazy thing in the cold weather, running for joy.

    We had one interesting cat who loved the heat. All the others would seek out a cool, shady spot and just lie low. Sadie would become more active and playful and clearly could not understand why we did not join in. Strangely, she was our only long haired, black cat, the one I would have thought would be the least heat tolerant.
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    Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
    Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content

  6. #6
    Senior Dog
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    At the moment, I’ve got one of each. Chloe is good year-round. She loves cold and snow, but tolerates heat well. Cookie is fine in the heat, but we’ve had to have her wear a neoprene vest for cool weather swimming and playing in the snow because she gets chilled easily. Sass thinks she’s going to die of heat exhaustion anytime the “real feel” is over 70, but loves cold weather.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  7. #7
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
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    Thor loves the snow. After a good round of snow zoomies he'll curl up in a ball and snooze right in a pile of the stuff. I swear he'd let 6+ feet of snow fall on top of him while he napped right through it. I've seen him go for miles in deep snow with a big old happy grin on his face, but shut down (i.e. find a shaded spot and park himself) on the same trail in 1/2 mile when it was 90+ degrees.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

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  8. #8
    Senior Dog JackK's Avatar
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    Cassie loves the snow, cold and anything to do with water! The worse the weather conditions, the more Cassie wants to head out and play. Chasing bunnies and squirrels in the snow is about the top of the heap on her list of favorite past times.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Chase would lie in the hot, hot sun but really did not tolerate exercising in hot weather. He loved cold weather and snow and would roll in the snow and try to roll in snow run-off. If I was shoveling snow, he'd lie outside in a heavy snow storm until he was so covered with snow I could almost not see him. The first time he did that I was afraid he was unconscious from hypothermia but he was just happy, happy, waiting for me to finish up and play with him. Lark is pretty much all weather, tolerates heat better than Chasey did. She has never rolled in the snow and doesn't lie in it and seems to get cold sooner but she likes running through it. Swimming in all weather is good for both.

  10. #10
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
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    This thread reminds me of my friend's pup, a retired sled dog. Tally loves the snow more than any dog I know. My friend lives in a town in Colorado where they will issue fines to people leaving dogs outside below a certain temperature. My friend will let Tally out in her yard to do her business, but the colder it is and fiercer the weather, the more likely Tally is to find herself a pile of snow and curl up for a happy snooze. She never lets Tally out there for long, but she's always worried about balancing letting her dog enjoy her favorite thing vs being branded a terrible dog mom.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

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