Do you/will you leave heating on for your dog?

[TracyK]

Currently I have mine with me 95% of the time - but am wondering now that it's getting colder - she may not enjoy being in the boot of my car and might leave her at home if I'm goin to be out and about for a long time.

But my house is blooming freezing - should I leave the heat on low? or will she be fine snuggled up in my bloody duvet??

I don't. She'll be fine.

I don't, they are more than capable of coping with lack of heat inside. If you were talking leaving her outside then it may be more of a problem.

Mind you, take my advise with a pinch of salt - I don't even put the heating on for my dc if I can help it, the back door stays open from 7am to about 6pm so I don't see the point in having the heating on until after that [bad mummy]

I used to leave the heating on very low in just one room where the dog was when she became a very old lady.

Cars do get much colder than houses though, and very quickly once the engine is switched off.

Last winter I actually bought an oil heater for the dog

In my defence he slept in the kitchen which, due to an air block in the adjoining bathroom, is freezing.

He now sleeps in his (half eaten) crate on the landing and the puppy is in the dining room, which are much warmer and my heating has a thermostat so I keep it on constantly anyway, it turns itself off when it needs to, although it is set to a cooler temp on an night.

I think I'll put a dog bed in my boot for when she is with me in the car. She only has a towel at the mo.

I try to explain to her that she'd be better off staying in the house where she can snuggle up - but she jumps in the boot every time!

I do.

Mine are 3 bloody greatb things too, a Lab cross and 2 GSD.. and one of those GSD has a huge long coat!

But I don't want them to get cold, they're my babies...!

Unless your dog is very old, I really wouldn't bother leaving the heating on - and even then it would only be on low. I'm assuming your dog has a bed in the house? If so this will be more than fine, they have coats for that very reason. If she snuggles up on your bed as you seem to be suggesting, she really doesn't need the heating on.
Our GS sometimes comes into work with me and stays in works kennels (an insulated internal walk in kennel about 6ft x 6ft, and an outer area) and she was fine last winter - when it was sometimes -2. She only had a single duvet in the internal bit, and was as happy as ever. Dogs are built to withstand a lot colder temperatures than us. x

I do, but in my defence they are whippets.

no, I have never left the heating on for my dog.

Ooh Boris, my puppy is a whippet. I'm off to get her her first winter coat tomorrow when the pet shop opens. Very exicted

I don't, mine is a Lurcher so he has a nice purple fleece jumper to wear.

Awww Dooin they're sooo cute when they're wee. I would be excited too - it's almost as much fun as shopping for yourself!

Although we do have heating on, you can also be guaranteed that oldest whippet, 13, when cold will jump over two stair gates to burrow his way into my bed and under the duvet. I have now given up making beds in the morning - it's totally pointless .

Pics of my whips on profile if you fancy a nosey.

God no. lab and spaniel who will break ice to go swimming.

Love the whippets Boris and your daughters are pretty beautiful too!

No way, unless I win the lottery. MY dog has an off the floor bed lined with fleece, he will be fine

If we're leaving the dog for the day we tend to leave it on but with the thermoset low so it'd only click on if it got really cold.

I will be using my dogs as heating when it gets really cold. Two Bassets over the knee and a Slanket, plus hot water bottle = toasty, if leg-deadening.

Thanks

No, my dog is indestructible - idiot spaniel who chooses to sleep on a cold kitchen floor rather than anywhere else and ate his last bed...

However, we have an old arthritic cat, so I do leave a radiator on for him to snuggle up to.

I have the heating on a timer so it is on a lot of the day.

I am in and out a lot and hate coming home to a cold house, besides it costs more and my cat likes to be toastie, she has a bed attached to the radiator and LOVES the heat, so it would be terrible for her if I didnt leave the heating on, besides I hate coming into a cold house.

Both dogs have beds and vetbed which keeps them nice and warm.

Maybe a large piece of Vetbed in the boot of the car will help.

No - my dog has plenty of fur and gets upset if the house is too warm. He's still swimming in local (freezing cold) river and won't be kept out of water. Not a labbie, even!

Think you need to make sure she is warm in the car

Depends on the dog, if I had a greyhound or whippet, or something very tiny, I'd be more worried about it. With mine it's not so much of a concern as he's big and furry :), I worry more about keeping him cool in the summer. Though he does seems to be getting a bit of arthritis as he gets older so we've been stopping up draughts etc so he doesn't get too chilly.

No I don't - but he sleeps in the kitchen with the Aga so I don't need to . When we went to the caravan in October he was bloody freezing and whined outside my bedroom door to come to bed with me. I let him as well as he kept me lovely and toasty.

Not anymore as live in warmer house with proper heating which comes in morning and at night when we're home, but last winter was in freezing house and used to leave halogen heater on for dog (whippet cross). I realised my mistake when came home one day to discover brown fake fur throw on the floor with giant burn mark on it, and very sheepish dog. Somehow, dog must have knocked throw off chair onto heater and then managed to pull it off again before the house burnt down. Was actually quite impressed with dog's ability!