small dog owners & winter

GingerSnark
GingerSnark Posts: 153
edited September 22 in Chit-Chat
I have a chihuahua & I live in a suburb of Chicago. Our winters can get brutal. This will be her 4th winter & were already having the same old problems.

Going outside to potty is a dreaded deed. We have multiple jackets that don't seem to keep her warm enough & even have boots because her feet were freezing if she was standing in snow too long. She'd literally fall over & cry to get her feet off the snow.

Can anyone recommend a great jacket that keeps their dog toasty warm?

She will hold it all day rather than go outside. No accident in the house but even on the rare occasion I cant blame her. I'd rather her make an accident than hold it 10 hours. She's down to barely 2 times a day from 4 or more. Morning & night but she wouldn't go this morning.

We had her out for 15 minutes last night & when she finally went it seems it was too long in the cold. She was panting/wheezing noisily for a while & shaking even after we snuggled her up in a blanket & was petting her to warm her up.

She's a stubborn dog & switching to litter box training at this point isn't an option. We tried pee pads last year & it didn't work.

Replies

  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    There is a new indoor potty for dogs that mimics a patch of grass. It's pretty expensive, but frankly, having owned many toy dogs, I don't think there is any coat that will keep them warm enough. Even my larger small dogs have a hard time when it snows. I have owned a few lhasa apsos and although they are larger, they are still low to the ground. I always have to shovel a path for them and then they go in and out quickly. My last lhasa, when he was getting very old would just go out a few steps and pee on the steps.

    Winters are tough on small dogs. The one I have now is still young and ambitious, but eventually I may invest in one of those indoor patches of grass.
  • mlh612
    mlh612 Posts: 311 Member
    The picture is soo cute.. I have 2 chihuahuas (12 & 11 yrs old) and they are not a fan of the cold either. I'm in Charlotte, NC - so it's not as cold as Chicago.. Mine will hesitate in the mornings at the door, but eventually go outside.. I know you said you tried potty pads, there is also potty grass pad - maybe she will like it better... Just make sure her blanket is ready for snuggling 8)
    I added the link below and good luck!!

    http://www.purchase-green.com/dog-potty-pad-36-36-ns.html
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    I knew a lady with a very tiny chihuahua and she knitted am aran wool body suit for her dog, including leather soled bootees and that is the only way she could get her dog out in the cold. If you can knit get some aran wool and knit her a suit that covers her legs too, you can then put a waterproof doggie jacket on the top of that to keep more heat in. If you're not a knitter and you don't know anyone that could do it for you search the charity shops for big thick jumpers that you can cut down and make a made to measure body suit. 2 Toddlers jumpers with a v neck for the bottom end could fairly easily be stitched together and taken in on the underside to make one.
  • kewkdb
    kewkdb Posts: 207 Member
    I have 2 Chihuahua's and live in Los Angeles. The weather rarely goes under 50 and never under 40. Nothing you do will ever keep your dogs warm except keeping them under the blanket snuggled with you.
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
    The picture is soo cute.. I have 2 chihuahuas (12 & 11 yrs old) and they are not a fan of the cold either. I'm in Charlotte, NC - so it's not as cold as Chicago.. Mine will hesitate in the mornings at the door, but eventually go outside.. I know you said you tried potty pads, there is also potty grass pad - maybe she will like it better... Just make sure her blanket is ready for snuggling 8)
    I added the link below and good luck!!

    http://www.purchase-green.com/dog-potty-pad-36-36-ns.html

    That potty pad looks fab, wonder how much it would cost to do my 100ft long garden lol!
  • GingerSnark
    GingerSnark Posts: 153
    I looked into those faux grass pads & it wont fly with my dog. She doesn't go to a spot & squat. She circles back & forth sometimes in a figure eight pattern.

    I'm looking into a tent w/ no floor. Big enough to walk around in, out of the wind & no snow to shovel. Just bare grass to walk on.

    I found a dealer online who has heated dog jackets so that may be an option.
  • superwmn
    superwmn Posts: 936
    This may not be ideal, but can you train her to use the puddle pads? Poor, cold little girl :(

    Charmagne
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