The majority of dogs can live outside, work in cold and even sleep
in snow without any harm for their health. Of course it does not
touch upon small and toy, short-haired dog breeds without undercoat.
Many dog owners consider this fact whether a dog feels cold in
winter before purchase. It is caused by the possibility of dog to
stay outside in winter.
Fur saves dogs from cold
Wire-haired, short-haired, long-haired dogs with thick undercoat do
not feel cold in winter. Of course the temperature level a dog may
bear is limited. For example, Caucasian Shepherd dogs are able to
bear cold up to -40 C. But of course many dog breeds are not able to
undergo such low temperatures. If we consider Northern dog breeds,
as Moscow Watchdog, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Lionberger,
Bernese Sennenhound, they prefer living outside in winter, sleep in
snow and feel perfectly and more comfortable, than spend winter
nights in the house and suffer from heat.
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Take into account, that even representatives of the same dog breed
may undergo the same temperatures in a different way. It depends on
the circumstances a dog is raised. A dog who lives in apartments
feel cold faster than one living outside. Apartment dog spends most
of life in warmth and it causes moult. Thus, it bears cold worth
than a dog living outside and having more thick undercoat without
shedding in winter.
Dogs gain a thick undercoat for winter cold to keep stable body
temperature. But dog size influences dog body temperature much
greater than fur. It is obvious that large dogs feel cold much
slower than small dogs. Dogs without undercoat and short-haired dogs
need special dog wear to keep warmth in winter.
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