At what temperature should a dog sleep inside?

Nephew

I have a nine month old labrador who has been sleeping outside for the last five months in a warm dog house with a dog bed and blankets without any issue. Now that the colder weather seems to be upon us, at what temperature can a labrador comfortably sleep through before its time to bring him indoors?

wetdogsmell

Nephew wrote: »

I have a nine month old labrador who has been sleeping outside for the last five months in a warm dog house with a dog bed and blankets without any issue. Now that the colder weather seems to be upon us, at what temperature can a labrador comfortably sleep through before its time to bring him indoors?

if its in a warm dry kennel its ok in any temperature we get in ireland

pokertalk

yeah labs do well in most weather .if it gets too cold they will let ya know when ya have to drag him out the back door;)

Nephew

Thanks, guys. Not that I would but even in a warm dry kennel would it be safe to keep him outside when the temperature drops to -5.

kylith

One thing I've done is put a door on the kennel (https://www.brendaspets.ie/products/455/flap-door-dog-kennel), and in winter I use a hay small animal bedding as bedding in there. They can dig a nest in it to keep warm and the hay means they smell lovely. My dogs were nice and cosy in there all last winter.

Also, the Lab breed was developed in Labrador where the temperature gets to -41C, so an Irish winter should be fine.

mymo

My friend has 2 rescue dogs that will not enter the house(one was shaking with fear and pee'd itself when bought inside in the snow last winter), so their solution was to get a shed. They insulated it with some left over insulation and sheets of mdf, painted inside, put lino on the floor and up the sides by about 3 inches(makes it easy to clean), then put the kennel inside that. They put a doggy door on the shed and left it propped open for first while and now the dogs have started using the door, they'll be nice snug this year.
Both of these are Lab crosses they think, similar size and build, but were very cold last winter, even with each other to keep warm.
I know a few people that have similar set ups, sheds with kennels inside, seems to keep out the worst cold and the wind.

seamus

You can get small heating lamps and hook them up to a thermo stat to maintain a base temp. They only work in smaller environment really though; you'd be pissing money against the wall fitting one in a big shed.

Maybe a bog standard portable oil radiator would be as good if the dog is sleeping in a shed?

liquoriceall

Last winter I felt really guilty going to work and leaving my Basset out the back because it never defrosted! Got him a snuggle safe that you pop in microwave for 6 mins and stays warm for 10 hours and got him a coat (fleecy lined thing, would be mortified if anyone saw him in it he looked ridiculous) the coat he was able to remove if he got too hot and the snuggle safe he could shove out of the kennel if he was too hot
Also recommend putting 3 or 4 cheap fleece blankets in so he can snuggle in, they are so cheap and easy to wash you can have a contast supply

Sigma Force

If you want to keep him in the house from now on altogether now is the time to bring a dog in, there's already ground frost.

If you want to keep him outside then just be careful with electrical heaters, condensation can build up in sheds but if his kennel is standard size as said snuggle safe heat pads are great, in cold weather though they tend to loose their heat quicker and you might sometimes only get 5 hours out of it but if it's put in last thing at night it should stay warm for the night till early morning.

Vet bed is brillant, kennels tend to get wet with condensation at this time of year esp. the floor so bedding gets wet quickly and wet bedding can make a dog cold so change the bedding every other day and if it's been raining then change every day. If possible move the kennel to a covered sheltered area and fit with a dog flap if there's space for the dog to jump into the kennel.

Check out bronteglen.ie for vet bedding it's so warm and cosy if you get two or three of them you'll never need to buy another blanket again, they wash well and dry quickly just pop a cheap fleece blanket underneath it just for extra comfort, the non-slip ones are great.

Cherry Blossom

My old lab would never sleep in the house, he was out in the stables with the horses though and had his bed up on top of a few bales of hay so he was up off the ground, any old duvets that were being replaced were always kept for him for winter as well.

sionnaic

Sigma Force wrote: »

Check out bronteglen.ie for vet bedding it's so warm and cosy if you get two or three of them you'll never need to buy another blanket again, they wash well and dry quickly just pop a cheap fleece blanket underneath it just for extra comfort, the non-slip ones are great.

....unless the little darlings shred it.... :rolleyes:

Agree though the vet bedding is fantastic - it's so warm. Our two love it...doesn't stop them trying to destroy it when the mood takes them though...little feckers

Thedogspyjamas

PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS OUT ALL NIGHT IN THESE COMING WINTER MONTHS!!!!

jack presley

Thedogspyjamas wrote: »

PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS OUT ALL NIGHT IN THESE COMING WINTER MONTHS!!!!

Even my polar bear?

falabo

hello there

I'm leaving my cocker spaniels outdise, they have a kennel with blankets, not exposed to win at all cos its a small enough area so they can snuggle together in their house, I'm starting to think of the winter, do u think it would still be ok to leave them outside from 07 a.m ? they sleep inside every single nighet and I am letting their coat grow for the winter

what if it's still -5 when I leave at 07.00 a.m. like last winter ?

Cheers

jap gt

Thedogspyjamas wrote: »

PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ANIMALS OUT ALL NIGHT IN THESE COMING WINTER MONTHS!!!!

why, its been done for years and will continue to be done, the subject is coming up alot lately, once a proper house is provided there is no harm

lrushe

falabo wrote: »

hello there

I'm leaving my cocker spaniels outdise, they have a kennel with blankets, not exposed to win at all cos its a small enough area so they can snuggle together in their house, I'm starting to think of the winter, do u think it would still be ok to leave them outside from 07 a.m ? they sleep inside every single nighet and I am letting their coat grow for the winter

what if it's still -5 when I leave at 07.00 a.m. like last winter ?

Cheers

Anything below zero I would bring them in

The Sweeper

The problem isn't as simple as temperature.

There are a number of factors - temperature, windchill factor, the coat on the dog, the age of the dog, the nature of the shelter provided, the size of that shelter and the ability to provide a heat source in the shelter.

A dog's kennel needs to be the right size for the dog - that is big enough for the dog to get into and to curl up in, but not too large - a too-large kennel means the dog is exposed to drafts and more cold. A too-small kennel means the dog can't get into the curled-up, nose-to tail position and may have to hang a body part out into the elements. There is also a problem of drafts - if the kennel is drafty it can let in cold breezes and/or rain or snow.

Usually the best kennels for environmental conditions are home-made, because the owner has measured the kennel to their own dog and has designed it appropriately.

I recently saw a fantastic kennel - a large rectangular build with the door at one end of one of the sides. The kennel had an internal 'draft wall' - so the dog goes in, around the internal wall, and there's a square space with bedding and the elements don't blow straight in through the door onto the dog. The kennel was timber built with a colorbond roof (corrugated roofing steel) - sloped roof, not pitched, the high end away from the entrance. The kennel was double-walled and the owner had used insulation between the outer wall (treated overlapping timber) and the internal wall (plywood) on all sides. On a particularly cold night, the owner can put a heat pad under the dog's bedding and lead a wire out through a tiny wire-sized hole in the base of the kennel and into an external socket.

Frankly, I'd sleep in it myself in minus temperatures, so I'd have no problem putting my dog in it.

I WOULD have a problem putting my dog out in some clinker-built kennel with a large door, open to the elements, and the sort of mat bedding that doesn't come up around the dog while he tries to sleep in it. That'd be bloody freezing.

thebullkf

The Sweeper wrote: »

The problem isn't as simple as temperature.

There are a number of factors - temperature, windchill factor, the coat on the dog, the age of the dog, the nature of the shelter provided, the size of that shelter and the ability to provide a heat source in the shelter.

A dog's kennel needs to be the right size for the dog - that is big enough for the dog to get into and to curl up in, but not too large - a too-large kennel means the dog is exposed to drafts and more cold. A too-small kennel means the dog can't get into the curled-up, nose-to tail position and may have to hang a body part out into the elements. There is also a problem of drafts - if the kennel is drafty it can let in cold breezes and/or rain or snow.

Usually the best kennels for environmental conditions are home-made, because the owner has measured the kennel to their own dog and has designed it appropriately.

I recently saw a fantastic kennel - a large rectangular build with the door at one end of one of the sides. The kennel had an internal 'draft wall' - so the dog goes in, around the internal wall, and there's a square space with bedding and the elements don't blow straight in through the door onto the dog. The kennel was timber built with a colorbond roof (corrugated roofing steel) - sloped roof, not pitched, the high end away from the entrance. The kennel was double-walled and the owner had used insulation between the outer wall (treated overlapping timber) and the internal wall (plywood) on all sides. On a particularly cold night, the owner can put a heat pad under the dog's bedding and lead a wire out through a tiny wire-sized hole in the base of the kennel and into an external socket.

Frankly, I'd sleep in it myself in minus temperatures, so I'd have no problem putting my dog in it.

I WOULD have a problem putting my dog out in some clinker-built kennel with a large door, open to the elements, and the sort of mat bedding that doesn't come up around the dog while he tries to sleep in it. That'd be bloody freezing.

jaysus...sounds better than my bed!!:pac: