Walking dogs in the winter....

dumb_blondes_rock
dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have an Australian Shepard/Collie mixed dog, so she has a grip of fur, but its going to be about 55 degrees out when I want to go walking this morning. Is that too cold to take her with me? I would go walking at night in the summer to avoid her overheating, but not sure if she would be too cold to go out in the weather we have now. I live in California, so 55 is extremely cold lol
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Replies

  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I'm assuming you're talking Fahrenheit? Thats about 12 degrees C which is pretty warm IMO Is that what you meant. My Dogs go swimming in the sea below 0 degrees C. (A lab and a Golden Retriever). An Aussie shepherd/Collie should have no problems in that temperature. As long as you keep an eye on her dogs are adaptable
  • IronPhyllida
    IronPhyllida Posts: 533 Member
    Also if they're running around that'll keep them warm. I've got a labrador and a heinz 57 (collie / whippet / jack russel cross) and he's got think fur (ie not as well covered as the lab) and he does fine, just make sure he runs around a lot.
    And it's about 3-5 degrees C in the UK now so at 12 degrees it would be lovely!! Like springtime in the UK... :)
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    I know it sounds ridiculous, but in Cali we aren't used to cold weather, at least the part where I live. She has lived in this area all her life, so she is accustomed to the weather here. I just didn't want to be cruel to her and make her freezing cold. Thanks for the o.k. to go though
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    An Aussie will likely WELCOME that kind of temp. My sister had one in Detroit. Only problems we ever had was keeping the fur around her pads trimmed so she didn't end up with ice clumps in them.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
    You are definitely good to go! I walk my dogs in like -15ºC weather -- depending on the wind chill will go colder. But I love dressing them up in sweaters or coats if I think they are going to be cold. I've got a beagle and a basset hound!
  • Letje_Lux
    Letje_Lux Posts: 31
    That's still warm for my Sheltie, he isn't bothered at all by freezing temps or snow. He's perfectly happy to go out and chase snowballs. ;)
  • arrseegee
    arrseegee Posts: 575 Member
    My dog (a lazy little pug) went out for a walk with me this morning when it was -3°C. So long as they keep moving and your house is warm for them when they get home I think it'll be fine.
  • smacmillan86
    smacmillan86 Posts: 153 Member
    You are definitely good to go! I walk my dogs in like -15ºC weather -- depending on the wind chill will go colder. But I love dressing them up in sweaters or coats if I think they are going to be cold. I've got a beagle and a basset hound!

    I've got two beagles! Aaah beagle love. :-)

    OP We walk our dogs in weather as cold as -20 C, we just put coats and special wax on their paws and away we go. You should be fine. :-)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I've lived in California all my life - I hardly feel 55º is "extremely cold" and I doubt your pup does either. :tongue: My dogs (a lab and a rat terrier) sleep outside and do just fine, and they love walks in any temperature.
  • lj3jones
    lj3jones Posts: 94 Member
    we take walks down to -20C. that would be just below 0 F. We have a golden retriever.
  • Cinflo58
    Cinflo58 Posts: 326 Member
    55 degrees is cold? Geesh......I was worried about taking my girl out in the 20's. She has a coat but she has gotten too fat for it. She needs MFP for doggies
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Trust the fur. The more they learn about animal fur the more they realize what an amazing insulator it is. Anyway, I suspect that if you have a herding dog, you'll be better off torturing the dog with a little cold than having the (highstrung) dog torturing you because it is not getting any exercise.
  • AmyP619
    AmyP619 Posts: 1,137 Member
    Get him a sweater!! :D I always put a jacket or a sweater on my Boston Terrier when I take him outside if it's cold :D We've been taking him to the dog park on weekends. I'm in Maine, so it gets pretty cold here. He runs around and loves it. 55 degrees is NOT cold at all!!!!! Lol
  • csand11
    csand11 Posts: 22 Member
    When I lived in Northern B.C. My dog got walked in -30C. He wAs fine. We also went out in -40 which is the same in Celsius or Fahrenheit As long as he wasn't out too long in extreme cold he was fine, in fact he would roll around in the snow banks trying to dig out snowballs. And my dog has very short, fine hair like a lab. I felt that as long as I was okay outside so was he.

    The only concern I had with the cold was taking him on errands where he'd be waiting in the car. In that case my rule is plus or minus 20. If the weather is over 20 or under-20 Celsius the dog stays home.
  • dumb_blondes_rock
    dumb_blondes_rock Posts: 1,568 Member
    She loved the walk...I know I know, us Cali people are spoiled and don't really know what cold is. I just wasn't sure if like her feet would be sensitive or something. She frolicked through the grass like a child from little house on the prairie though
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I take my fifteen pound pug out walking even when temperatures dip into the teens and single digits. We go 4-6 miles. He does great and is usually panting by the end of the walk.

    He even loves going out in the snow!

    3213249293_229b4c0e65.jpg

    55 degrees isn't cold *at all* for dogs.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    My dogs went outside in 25 degrees yesterday for a couple hours and didn't mind one bit. They actually didn't want to come back inside.

    Dogs fur is very warming. Especially if it's thick or long.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I have an English Bulldog and he's a big wuss in the winter. He goes outside to do his business and wants to come back in right away.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    I was going to say your dog will probably love, love, love the coolness. And an aussie/collie mix does not need a sweater or coat, then you would have to worry about overheating.

    We have a saying about blanketing our horses/dogs in the OH area, if we feel they are cold and need a blanket, it's probably because we are cold and need a blanket (stress on the word we).

    It's around 25F here today with a wind chill around 15F and my dogs will not come in the house, they are border collies and belgian shepherds.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    It's 9F in St Paul today. My havanese moves briskly in this weather. But soon we'll likely get him a jacket, primarily for the wind.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I have an Australian Shepard/Collie mixed dog, so she has a grip of fur, but its going to be about 55 degrees out when I want to go walking this morning. Is that too cold to take her with me? I would go walking at night in the summer to avoid her overheating, but not sure if she would be too cold to go out in the weather we have now. I live in California, so 55 is extremely cold lol

    55???? Lol I took my pup for a 3 mile run yesterday in the teens. 55 is a nice warm day.
  • caseys29
    caseys29 Posts: 63 Member
    My German Shepherd loves the cold weather! It's very hard to tire him out on walks in the winter, because we can go for miles and he's not even panting when we get back. I've never seen him act cold, even when he's playing in the snow.
  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
    I used to live in the South and 55 F is NOT cold. Especially not for a dog. Now that I live in the frigid North I take my dogs out walking so long as it's above 10-15 F. They are small dachshunds with not much fur on their undersides. I bet an Aussie would love that weather.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,513 Member
    Wow. Your post made me feel a little guilty for walking my lab in 35 degree weather last night. Then I remembered the years we spent out in the country when she would break through the ice on the pond to go swimming! :laugh:
  • blessybuva
    blessybuva Posts: 44 Member
    I walk my dog every evening around 10PM or after. There is alot of snow here atm and its quite cold, below zero. she always has either a hoodie or a coat on, depending on the temperature.
    I dont know how you do it though, I can't live without cold weather. the warmth really bugs me, and having to deal with it all year round would probably make me go insane
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    It should be fine really and if ever there is anything you will see it in her face :wink:

    I walk mine all year long twice a day and in the winter it can easily get as cold as -20C (-4F)

    I bought her little boots to protect her paws 2 years ago, she liked them and it makes sure it doesn't damage her paws whenever she hits ice or salt.

    When it's too cold she just starts making weird faces and she starts pulling towards home lol
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    Your fur baby will let you know that it's cold. I walk my dog in -25 degree celcius, but she's a husky/lab/shepherd mix so she's well suited for cold. She does however have a problem with her paws. If she gets any snow packed inbetween her pads, she immediately stops and rolls onto her back. It worried me at first because I though she had frostbite, but it turns out she's just a wussie. I dig the snow out and she's good to go. I am buying her booties for Christmas, just to see if they're going to be any good. I would say that your dog is loving that weather.
  • Bj0223
    Bj0223 Posts: 133 Member
    I live in Southern AZ and I think 55 is cold. I take my border collie mix out with me for 3 mile runs M-F. This week has been the coldest by far, Monday it was 41 and my pup was a trooper. I think yours will be too. I worry about the concrete in the summer burning his paws but not the cold.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    I long for the day when mid-50s is considered cold. Hell, that's shorts and t-shirt weather...lol.
  • donrdon
    donrdon Posts: 216 Member
    My dog loves the snow!! That temp is perfect for a walk.

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