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.

My dog is a gundog and definitely does not wear a coat, ever.

Depends on the dog: breed, age, type of coat.

Whippets and greyhounds, yes.

If it's muddy I put a coat on my basset (low body gets filthy), but otherwise I don't as she is a breed meant to be outdoors so seems unnecessary.

In general I think most dogs are fine without them and keep themselves warm.

Seconding pp about not washing.

We only wash ours if it's extremely dire, so her coat is still waterproof and has all the natural oils. It really is important not to strip their fur with washing as it means they get wet and cold.

@TheSockMonster

Watching with interest.

I have a spitz type dog. He looks like he’s built for polar exploration but looks so bloody miserable in the rain that I’ve wondered whether I should try to find him some sort of light-weight water-resistant jacket. He tries to get back in the car/house if it’s raining hard, then runs pathetically from tree to tree in a bid to avoid it.

I’m wondering the same thing after reading this. My Pom is fine in the cold but hates getting wet....he looks at us pathetically as if asking us to make it stop! I might get him a raincoat.

I put a jumper on mine when it's wet....it's mainly to stop her becoming so muddy she needs a bath really. Though her paws often need a quick clean. She could do with some wellies really.

My dog also looks at me like I can make the rain stop @AmICrazyorWhat2

He also seems to think that if he goes back into the car or house he can emerge through another door to a place where it is not raining.

I always think of this bit from Judith Kerr’s ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’...

Mog looked through her cat flap.
It was raining in the garden.
Mog thought.
“Perhaps the sun is shining in the street.”
When the milkman came she ran out.
The milkman shut the door.
The sun was not shining in the street after all.
It was raining.

Our JRT wears a coat if it's really cold or wet. I doubt he needs it for warmth really but he doesn't like being dried off so wears the coat to minimise the towelling off time when it's raining.

We have a poodle and most of the time let his hair grow. We do off lead walks,so he gets to roam and run around, he would overheat with curls and a coat. He wears a coat for a few weeks after short clips with the groomer. It covers his back and most of his belly. Once it's grown in a bit we don't bother unless it's particularly cold. It's a Equafleece.

@TheSockMonster

My dog also looks at me like I can make the rain stop *@AmICrazyorWhat2*

He also seems to think that if he goes back into the car or house he can emerge through another door to a place where it is not raining.

I always think of this bit from Judith Kerr’s ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’...

Mog looked through her cat flap.
It was raining in the garden.
Mog thought.
“Perhaps the sun is shining in the street.”
When the milkman came she ran out.
The milkman shut the door.
The sun was not shining in the street after all.
It was raining.

Love Mog. I still can't read Goodbye Mog without sobbing. Thankfully my children are adults now

A relative in Scandinavia had a lean Bedlington, she liked a coat type thing if it was around 0 or below. I was told the important bit on the coat was that it wasn't just a cape with straps but had a sort of patch that went under her torso, over her undercarriage to keep her belly warm, because cold snowy ground.

I am a big Equafleece fan. Unfortunately, my staffy cross is very careless with them. The dog coats have survived. The tankies, which I really like as they cover her tummy as well, are always being "lost". She will chase a fox/deer into a bramble thicket and then, when she returns, she does so without her tankie, having left it somewhere inside an impenetrable bush. She's lost three in one year though I am constantly on the lookout for foxes wearing Equafleece tankies. I thought of getting her a smaller size (though probably could not get her into it) but I have to consider that, if she could not get out of it at all by herself, she might not be able to get out of the brambles ever and I'd never know where she was. Worst of all, I've just gone online to replace latest missing one and Equafleece are not doing any more orders for dog coats/tankies, etc as they've run short of all colours at the moment with regard to new orders as are dealing with a huge backlog of orders due to having to close for duration of first Covid lockdown. AARGH!