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Can dogs be outside in the cold for long periods of time2007-11-25 2:59:34

I live in Wisconsin and the temperatures g

et real cold here, I have a black lab thas only a year old and she loves being outside. can she be outside for long periods of time without geting to cold?

Answers:

The length of time your dog can be out in the cold without getting hurt depends very much on the temperature at the time. If your dog enjoys staying outside, you could try an insulated dog house with some hay or straw in the bottom to give her a warm place to cuddle up and warm herself up.

Remember to change the bedding regularly. Hay produces some natural heat, and straw simply provides insulation that holds the dog's own body heat. Over time, the hay decomposes and stops producing heat, and straw will get collapsed, at which point is fails to hold the dog's body heat very well.

The shelter should be not too much bigger than the dog when it is laying down and should have an opening just big enough for the dog to get in comfortably. The opening should also be turned away from the coldes wind direction, and, if possible, with some kind of flap to hold the cold air out.

Just remember, water freezes in cold temperatures, so it is very important to be sure that the dog has enough drinkable water at all times. You might want to increase the amount you feed the dog so that it has the calories it needs to burn to produce extra body heat.

A good dog house can give your dog the freedom to stay out as long as she wants and a place to retreat when she is feeling cold. I am assuming that you do bring her in for the night. There have been cases of dogs in dog houses that have frozen to death because a heavy snowstorm blew snow into the dog house, got the hay or straw wet, and the hay or straw then became a ice cubes of hay or straw. Remember to keep the dog house stocked with DRY hay or straw. Wet hay or straw won't keep her warm.

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NO. IF IT'S TOO COLD FOR YOU WITH A LIGHT SWEATER, IT'S TOO COLD FOR HER. KIDS LOVE TO PLAY IN STREETS, BUT I DON'T KNOW A SINGLE PARENT THAT ALLOWS IT. YOUR DOG DOESN'T KNOW ANY BETTER. THATS YOUR JOB AS HER "PARENT".

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She can stay outside for as long as you leave her outside.or until Cops: Animal Precinct finds out!

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I guess it depends on what you concider long periods of time. You can usually tell when your dog has had enough of being outside. If its really cold I would probably say 1 hour tops. And that is being generous. If its cold for you, its cold for the dog too! You have to use your best judgement.

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IF U RAISED U'R DOG OUTSIDE, THEN LET HER GO. SHE WILL LET U KNOW IF SHE IS COLD.

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no

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Labs have a weather resistant under coat.