How to Keep Outside Dogs Warm in Winter

The Iditarod would not have anyone going anywhere in some of most inhospitable conditions on earth without dogs. The extreme cold does not faze them, but sled dogs are pretty much the hardiest dogs on earth. Your dog may have never pulled a sled in its life, but it may still be an outside dog and for people in rural areas that is pretty common. There are dogs here in Canada that sleep outside all year round, and it gets pretty darn cold here from November through March. What we’re going to look at with this entry for our pet pharmacy is how to keep dogs warm in winter when outside most of the time.

The obvious answer is to provide them with some kind of shelter, and everyone will think of the Dogloo pet houses and they’re one of the best heated dog houses. This is definitely first of how to keep dogs warm in winter, and these days there are more DIY superstars and some people have built their own outdoor dog houses. There are all sorts of impressive stuff built into them, and as you would guess there are doghouses with solar panels that charge up a floor that is set on a timer and then warms up overnight. Portable power packs can be used to charge these types of warming design features.

Another smart design feature that anyone can do for how to keep dogs warm in winter is have a custom extra warm blanket made and have it sized to touch at 4 points at the sides of the house below the dome or roof. Sew Velcro squares onto each corner of one side and then glue the others into place on the interior. Have the blanket sagging down, because your dog will learn to bite and tug down on the blanket to release it and have it come down over them, and you will know the best height based on the size of your dog.

Bulk Up a Bit

That is about all there is to do with the environmental control aspect of how to keep dogs warm in winter, and the rest of what we will recommend is based on your pet’s activity level and what they eat. Most dogs that stay outdoors in winter will be the breeds and types of dogs that are suited for it and if you look at those Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes powering the sleds, they have very thick fur coats and there is an evolutionary reason for that. Most outdoor dogs with owners that keep them out of the home will have dogs that are perfectly fine with cold winter conditions.

These dogs will also tend to be active, so it can be a good idea to increase their food intake in the months leading up to winter so that they carry a little bit more dog body fat to insulate. Some dogs will not need this at all, but it might be helpful for others and if they are active, they are going to be burning a lot of calories as it is. This can be a part of how to keep dogs warm in winter too.