Do dogs need coats?

[sunglassesonthetable]

I have a year old dog, so going into his first full winter.

He's a Bedlington with a short woolyish coat and a bit like a whippet underneath, build wise.

I see lots of dogs in the park with little padded coat/ waistcoat type things now that it's colder.
It has crossed my mind that a raincoat / oilskin type thing would be handy if it was tipping down as he wouldn't be bounding soaking wet back into the house. So Probably more for my benefit.

But how do you know if they actually need a coat for the warmth?

I am completely non judgmental either way just wondering if he could need one or not.

wondering the same for our labrador!

I have friends with woolly dogs (bedlingtons) and I've never seen them with coats if that's any help

Mine feels the cold and shivers

Most breeds absolutely don't need coats, exceptions being whippets/greyhounds.

My working cocker seems to have a thin silky coat and one would think he would feel the cold but he chooses to go for long swims in near freezing temps!

My JRT's have fleece coats they wear in the rain. They both have a short hair double coat so don't actually get that wet without them but it is for my convenience as I don't need to dry them and no wet dog smell.

My lurcher shivers below 2°C, so wears a jumper 😄

My cocker has never needed it for warmth. Has needed it in the snow to stop ice balls forming on the fur though, which can cause them a lot of pain.

I have a skinny Southern rescue that's whippet shaped.

He'd wear a coat indoors if he could. Soft as shite.

Mine wears a fleece coat for my benefit mostly, it keeps the mud off so he just needs a quick paws and tummy rinse after a walk rather than a full bath.

Depends on the breed, and their coat. I have a rescue dog from Spain - he’s a thin coated sighthound and he feels the cold so needs a coat. Coats for dogs seem really trendy now though and in many cases it’s about fashion, so more for the owner than the dog I think.

Mine has a waterproof coat with a fleece under layer. She’s very slim and shorthaired though so feels the cold.

In winter, I put coats on all my dogs when they're outside. They get cold leaving a warm house the same way we do.

Whippets and old dogs yes, gun dogs and terriers no.

Imagine having to go for a run wearing an overcoat.

No.

Not unless they are very old/skinny/close coated.

Whippets and greyhounds (and similar) can need them because they’ve hardly any fur and no body fat, some tiny breeds can need them because they’re so small that they can’t warm themselves up and long coated dogs who’ve had it all trimmed off can need them.

But mostly, they don’t, they’re wearing them already.

@mrsShelton

For Labrador would not bother my boy old fashioned lab and resemble a bear but even the smaller working lab are double coated

I do have a drying coat especially for after got wet be that rain or sea and throw that on him but that's more to save my car /house

I've just ordered one for my very fluffy double coated dog.... because she's just been spayed and they shaved most of her underside and sides off and she is not happy about the cold! She'll only wear it til her fuzzies grow back tho!

I think it depends on the breed. I have malamutes so they love the cold.

I have a slim build JRT (think whippet) with very little fur, she likes to wear her equafleece in the house as she always thinks she is cold!!! She gets freezing cold ears, shivers when outside in winter and hates the rain.

Lean dogs with short hair, I’d say yes. We’ve had two that shivered in winter without, and one would refuse to step out of the house without. As you say it also makes it a lot easier when you get home and only have to dry/clean their paws.

Any dog with a long/double coat won’t need one for warmth, however I know some people with spaniels that put Equafleeces on theirs to keep them clean and dry.

Ours is young and fit and has good fur so i only use one briefly if it’s bucketing with rain. She does feel the cold though as sometimes shivers in the car so I put something over her if notice that

wondering the same for our labrador!
No - they have loads of coat, they don't need any extra.

I'd only consider coats (apart from drying coats) for mine if they were standing around in the wind and rain and cold. Other than that, no. I've had a six month old skinny puppy with a very fine coat out training for an hour in the snow. She was steadily working hedge banks, and now and again quartering open ground, no dashing madly around, and she was as warm as toast and massively happy with life.

Also, if you don't wash your dog too often, the build-up of natural oils helps to keep the rain off their skin.

It also depends on whether the dog will wear a coat!! I bought our dog (terrier mix) a coat and he just stood there completely miserable and refused to move!!

Tbf he has fairly thick fur and doesn't seem bothered by the cold.

I'm a dog walker so I see zillions of different dogs. They are all different- really different.

On the same walk I can have a dog which is warm as toast and whose hair may be soaked on the outside but is bone dry next to the skin, and a freezing cold dog which is absolutely soaked to the skin and shivering.

Much of it is breed specific, but it can also be affected by energy levels, age, size, body fat, and whether the coat is clipped or long.

I don't like the assumption that only 'wimpy' dogs need a coat (not suggesting that's the tone of this thread). Some really are cold and uncomfortable without one.

My little dog shivers and hates the cold. My labs don’t seem to care. But mine all have waterproof rugs anyway- it keeps them dry and they don’t smell as much!