AIBU to wonder why so many dogs wear coats these days?

No coat for my Golden Retriever. He voluntarily plunges himself into freezing cold sea and lakes and rivers. A bit of rain and cold isn't going to bother him. In fact he was bred to plunge into water and swim and retrieve shot game. Many breeds were bred for tough outdoor work.

I do sometimes put a drying vest on him when he gets home though (which he actually loves!) just to wick away the worst of the wetness. That stays on for about half an hour (I wouldn't want him to overheat). Otherwise he ends up walking around like a wet sponge all day. We call him SpongeDog in fact.

Good luck taking a whippet for a walk in winter without a coat.

Had dogs all my life, so have my parents, never put a dog coat on them, they have all lived a very long age without one. But our dogs have hair so we don't bother with a coat

So true. I took my lab on a walk through puddles and a boggy field yesterday. In the evening I spotted two flecks of mud on her hind legs. Everything else had just fallen off her. It's brilliant.

Dogs are different now. Coats, quick wander round John Lewis, employ servants to take them for a walk or keep them company, dogoccino, the list goes on. I mourn the loss of that great event, DOG IN THE PLAYGROUND.

We bought our jack Russell a barbour waterproof coat/cover,he ran into a thick bramble bush and ran out without it never to be seen again.....

I have a breed known for being particularly rain hating (staffy) and she lives up to it! She is also a bit older and hasn't had the best life (rescue); so any small comfort I can give her, I will.

She must prance though, because the belly part where velcro holds it on is always caked when we get back!

Attitudes change.
Personally, i don't think most dogs need them unless ill or v old in the UK.

I've GSP, they are working dogs, used in much colder climes than here, yet many put coats on them.

Mine even at this time of year will swim in rivers and streams, come out shaking, charge around, warmed up again.

I get the dont want them to smell/get the house wet etc but then again, why have a dog in that case, get a cat.

Lots of love to you @IHateTheM25

One of my dogs is hardcore, stood outside in the garden in the wind and cold. Hard to get him in sometimes 😆

😂

Modern dogs are snowflakes, not like old fashioned dogs that used to roam the streets all day and bark outside the butchers shop when they wanted something to eat.

Thank you. He's tolerating chemo well or we wouldn't continue. The loss of his undercoat (and a bit of loss of appetite occasionally) is the only side effect.

Because central heating is better these days so houses are warmer and dogs get used to being in the warm

@IHateTheM25 that must be awful for you and your family. Sending big hugs to all of you (including your lovely dog).

One of my Nordic breed dogs loves the colder weather. Every year as the temperatures drop, he asks to go out for more and more of the day. The colder the better, as far as he's concerned. I can see why some dogs would enjoy a coat, but I don't think he'd ever accept one.

I like seeing the fashion choices of the local greyhound. He has a yellow Mac but sometimes favours the elegant simplicity of the simple navy and white Breton top. I thought his green polo jersey was very cute too.

My dog has cancer and has lost his undercoat due to chemo. I don't want to see him shivering in the cold and as he has probably months to live and he still loves his walks then I want him to be warm and comfortable.

If that makes me pathetic then so be it.

I'd rather be pathetic then so judgemental.

I have a double coated long hair breed bred for cold weather. He's always worn a very light waterproof coat in the rain as he takes hours to dry.

But he's having chemo and has lost his undercoat so he wears a coat in the cold otherwise he shivers on walks and with the limited life span he has now I want him to be as comfortable as possible.

Curly haired dogs require a lot of coat maintenance and getting wet or very muddy can make matting more likely so when it's wet I put a coat on mine to limit the wetness

That's a coat?

Ours wears a thin raincoat in the wet because it’s easier than fully drying that thick spitz fur after a walk. She’s not a fan of rain/water/puddles so she prefers it too. No need for a coat to keep warm though.

If we're going to be discussing dogs in coats, people, let me introduce Bobby the Whippet.

I love the shift in the bloke's voice, from the urbane, 'Toast of New York having a canter' to, 'Bobby! BOBBY COME ERE!'.

I have an all black full size labradoodle so this time of year he wears a reflective coat and LED collar so people are aware of his size! His fur coat is also a pain to clean and matts easily if muddy so protects from the worst of the dirt he gets himself happily into! My smaller rescue is lower to the ground so gets wet and cold quicker - she loves her coat for walks and it saves all the cleaning when we get back.

I didn’t have appropriate wet weather clothing when I went to school 40 years ago, my kids however always had appropriate wet weather clothing - I wonder why that was? Can you have a thought towards why that was the case OP, I’m sure you are not too old for that brain of yours to function.