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

[DogCoat]

I am quite old, so in my day, you never saw dogs wearing coats. These days, a high percentage of dogs are dressed in coats to go out. What is this all about? Why did dogs not used to need coats, but now they do?

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.

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

😂

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

Lots of love to you @IHateTheM25

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.

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!

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.....

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.

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.

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

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

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.

A lot of dogs are clipped really short and do need a bit of cover in the winter. A wet dog smells, so a coat helps prevent that. A small dog may get a really dirty stomach during wet walks, so a thin coat covering them keeps them clean and keeps your house cleaner, too.

I don't like to see dogs dressed in silly outfits, but sensible cover is fine.

We have a Bichon Frise and she LOVES walking through muddy puddles and getting muddy in general. We always say she never got the memo about being a white floofy dog. A waterproof coat doesn't save a visit to the bath all the time (which thankfully she also loves), but it does keep her belly cleaner than it would otherwise be. She also takes ages to dry given her curly double coat, so it can save a ton of grooming and blow drying on work days in wet weather.

Our westie doesn't need one. We remind ourselves that he should, by rights, be living in a barn and running across Scottish heathland retrieving pheasants shot by toffs.

Mine doesn't wear one but it can be breed specific, Greyhounds, Whippets etc have very thin skin and very little fat to insulate them, so they have to wear coats or they'd get hypothermia quite quickly. Other breeds may have them on to stop them getting muddy - easier to wash the jacket than the dog.
You are not being unreasonable.

I'm guessing it's been discovered that they actually feel the cold? Would you go out in the cold without a coat on? It depends on the dog also. A dogs 'coat' is only hair after all, I know I wear a hat in the cold weather, coverage of hair does not guarantee warmth from the cold.

The dog or the coat?
I tried putting one on my JR and she absolutely hated it - talk about sulking - as soon as I took it off, she instantly cheered up!
She's a rescued travellers dog, so I think she's used to cold.