Social How cold is too cold before you avoid taking your dog for a walk?

[DoctorTaco]

It's -18c with the windchill right now and only going to fall as the sun sets. My dog (10 year old mix) looks forward to his walk more than anything - on one hand, he has a thick coat and doesn't appear to be bothered when he goes outside in the backyard. On the other hand, the Toronto Humane society says not to take out your dogs in temperatures below -10c. Doggoes does not wear any sort of protective booties or clothing.

What would you do?

Get something to protect his foot pads and you should be just fine

 

[StewDogg11]

If they actually say that, they're fucking morons. Any dog is just fine outside for a walk. Most dogs would prefer to actually live outside and can do so just fine. It's only the last 20 years that people have become so disconnected from reality that some actually think dogs and cats are inside animals. They're absolutely not. We force them to be.

Nope. Many kinds of dogs would die of extreme heat or cold. You really think a short haired dog like an American Bulldog would survive in 10* temps?

 

[Possum Jenkins]

If they actually say that, they're fucking morons. Any dog is just fine outside for a walk. Most dogs would prefer to actually live outside and can do so just fine. It's only the last 20 years that people have become so disconnected from reality that some actually think dogs and cats are inside animals. They're absolutely not. We force them to be.

I don't blame zoomers for thinking this since that's all they've known but I'm shocked at how people 30+ years old have made the switch.

In my lifetime, dogs went from being outdoor animals to needing dogsitters during the day because they might get lonely.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

My dog I didn't walk today because it was -16. I'd say -10 or lower I don't take for walks.

 

[TeTe]

Fortunately the coldest I ever have to walk the dog in, is like 50 degree weather.

 

[StewDogg11]

I don't blame zoomers for thinking this since that's all they've known but I'm shocked at how people 30+ years old have made the switch.

In my lifetime, dogs went from being outdoor animals to needing dogsitters during the day because they might get lonely.

Why would I want my dog outside when I could have him inside with me and the family?

 

[Fishmonger]

do whatever is most helpful for the dog of course (after research and assessing)

 

[StewDogg11]

But to answer below 40* for me.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Why would I want my dog outside when I could have him inside with me and the family?

That dude really hates dogs

 

[GSP_37]

Teach the dog to use the toilet and wipe its own ass.

 

[NoSmilez]

My homie’s pit bull goes back home when it is cold. It goes into the backyard then goes back home.

 

[Possum Jenkins]

Why would I want my dog outside when I could have him inside with me and the family?

For smell and hygiene reasons, mostly.

I'm just amazed that for millennia this was the logic for keeping most dogs outside but it's changed almost entirely in just the last decade or two.

 

[Yehudim]

For smell and hygiene reasons, mostly.

I'm just amazed that for millennia this was the logic for keeping most dogs outside but it's changed almost entirely in just the last decade or two.

For millennia people didn’t live in apartments or suburban houses with fenced in yards, and didnt spend every waking moment indoors whether it is at their job or inside their home.

Quite different for a dog to be loose all day, being able to interact with their owners and others, being able to explore, etc.

it is another thing to keep them in your backyard with no stimulation because you don’t want to stink up your house. One dog is perfectly content being outdoors, the other is miserable.

 

[Jack Reacheround]

I live in California, so it’s never really too cold. It’s too cold for me, but not my dog. She would go out in a walk in anything.

I do enjoy taking her in the rain though because I know all the assholes who like to let their pit bulls run around off leash won’t be out there.

 

[Azure]

Had a beagle as a kid that was an outdoor dog... We would sleep outside year round.... He has a wine barrel stuffed with hay and was just fine.. lived till he was 13.

As others have said you need to treat some dogs with care but most dogs are fine for walks in cold weather

 

[usernamee]

Had a beagle as a kid that was an outdoor dog... We would sleep outside year round.... He has a wine barrel stuffed with hay and was just fine.. lived till he was 13.

As others have said you need to treat some dogs with care but most dogs are fine for walks in cold weather

Wine barrel stuffed with hay sounds like something out of a Mark Twain book

 

[Fedorgasm]

If its too cold,
The dog will do is thing pretty quickly and make you go back inside lol.

If not, put on a better jacket.

Yeah this is the correct answer. Watch the dog's behavior to see if he's acting cold.

A husky's paws won't be hurt by snow and ice. A Chihuahua, maybe.

 

[ThaiSexPills]

My dog loves the cold. I honestly don’t really ever walk her though. I have just under 10 acres in a rural area so I just let her run free and throw a ball around for her.

It’ll be -15 and she still doesn’t want to come in. She’s a golden retriever and I think she loves our new home more than any of us. She spent the whole summer in the river out front.

 

[Possum Jenkins]

For millennia people didn’t live in apartments or suburban houses with fenced in yards, and didnt spend every waking moment indoors whether it is at their job or inside their home.

Quite different for a dog to be loose all day, being able to interact with their owners and others, being able to explore, etc.

it is another thing to keep them in your backyard with no stimulation because you don’t want to stink up your house. One dog is perfectly content being outdoors, the other is miserable.

Ok but suburbs and cities didn't start 20 years ago either. Through pretty much the entire 20th century, most dogs were outside, even in suburban and some urban environments.

Overall, I think way too many people have dogs. Only a few have the time to walk them and play with them daily in order to keep them psychologically ok.

 

[Yehudim]

Ok but suburbs and cities didn't start 20 years ago either. Through pretty much the entire 20th century, most dogs were outside, even in suburban and some urban environments.

Overall, I think way too many people have dogs. Only a few have the time to walk them and play with them daily in order to keep them psychologically ok.

I 100% agree with the second part that is why I feel so strongly because keeping the dogs outside in your little backyard is cruel. I would say almost most people shouldn’t have dogs. No exercise, no mental stimulation, and not even love if you leave them outside.