To Coat Or Not To Coat?

[Guest greys4ever]

I live in Denver, CO, so it gets fairly cold here. I was told to put a coat on my grey when is it less than 40 degrees or when I would wear a coat. I have not found this advice to be good for Rhoday. At 7 1/2 she hates wearing any coat. She will if is is <25 but warmer than that she tries to shake the coat off and will just turn around and give me the "look".When I take her coat off she looks so happy and I am the mom carrying the coat home from the walk. I have been scolded by others walking by us if they think it is too cold for her to be without a coat.

 

She is very healthy and believe me after our first grey Olivia died of brain cancer at 5 1/2 and had grand mal seizures for a year we know we have been so, so very lucky with Rhoda.

 

any thoughts or feelings on whether is it important to put a coat on our pups when we would wear a jacket?

 

My first greyhound Olivia, we got her at 3 1/2 years old. She had a big heart and is much missed. Passed 11/05.

 

Rhoda-got her at 1 1/2 years old and she is going strong 6 years later!

This pic must have been years ago because her face is fairly white now.

Edited November 6, 2011 by greys4ever

[gazehund]

My first greyhound would not wear a coat. Period. No matter how cold it was. We are in upstate NY. I have coats for all my hounds, but they get very little use. I absolutely do not agree with yet another adoption group "rule". Greyhounds have a coat. It is made of fur too.

[Time4ANap]

It's a judgement call and some dogs just don't like coats.

 

40 degrees on a mild sunny day is often fine without one. 40 degrees with a 20 mph cold wind I would put on a coat, but some dogs still may not need or want it. Depends on their fur, body fat, etc.

 

Rocket usually wears his, but would gladly go without it even in snow. Take it along, if the temps are questionable. If she's cold, you will most likely know it.

[OwnedBySummer]

Summer likes her coats. She has lighter sweaters, too. Maybe Rhoda would prefer a sweater instead? And many greys don't need additional coverings of any kind, except maybe after a vigorous greyhound playgroup run in the cold, just so they don't chill. If your pup is happy and comfortable without one... I wouldn't worry about it.

[EnzaFerrari]

If I need gloves, I figure Enza needs a coat for our long walks.

[Batmom]

When we used to walk more, I didn't coat the greys for walks until it was < 20 F, or else < 30 F + very windy. If the dog is going to be standing around somewhere while you have a long chat with a neighbor, might want a coat at warmer temps than that, but if you keep moving, no precipitation, I wouldn't bother.

[GeorgeofNE]

My George wears coats, etc., but truly, it's mostly cause I think they're cute and he seems to enjoy them. I have never once seem George act cold! I think dogs, like people, have difference tolerences. I have a brother who goes out in a snow storm wearing a down vest when the rest of us are bundled up like Eskimos (are we still allowed to say Eskimo?)!

[Yamaha_gurl]

Bella will literally shake if it's too cold, so she has a wide variety of coats. What was your bridge angel Olivia's racing name?

[Feisty49]

In my opinion, it's one of those judgement calls that only each "mom" (or dad) can decide for each of their Greys. I would not take kindly to someone on the street giving me advice about how to dress (??) Annie Bella.

 

Annie Bella has a terrific fleece coat from Chilly Dogs. The cut off temp for deciding to put it on her is about 35: above that, she usually doesn't wear it; below that she does. But it also depends on whether there's wind; whether it's sunny; and generally how the air feels. Humid air, even at 35 degrees, feel warmer than dry air.

 

I too am in Upstate New York, and it was 22 degrees at 7:30 this morning when we went out for our walk. For the first eighth of a mile, Annie Bella was shivering just a little, even with her coat. We both warmed up, though, as the sun got stronger and we walked more distance. When we took our 1 PM walk, it had warmed up to 40, the sun was bright and she was panting after half a mile of walking.

[greysmom]

I let their behavior decide the coat vs no-coat debate. If they're outside and running around like normal and not standing around shivering, then - no coat. This is usually the way it goes.

 

None of mine really "like" wearing coats or jammies. They get too hot and I end up taking off everyone's jimjams at 2 in the morning! My Angel Dude would absolutely NOT go potty with his coat on, so - no coat. Even in the coldest weather.

[Guest greys4ever]

Boy I had to go do some dishes to allow my brain to remember Olivia's racing name. It was JNB on order. She raced mostly in Pueblo and I got her at Recycled Racers here in Denver.

[Guest mirthlesstroll]

It really does depend on the dog. I have 1 that wears jimjams all winter, or he's freezing and curled up in a little ball 24/7. I throw a coat on over the jams if it's really cold out. Then I have one that HATES to wear a coat or jammies. She pants, whines, and tries to rub the coat off. So do what works for you and your dog.

[seeh2o]

Both mine will wear them, but Carl doesn't usually need one as he runs warm. It has been cold and damp here all day and I've had them both in very light fleece coats...Carl hasn't been panting. It really depends on the dog.

[spottydog]

I'm writing from chilly Calgary. Django wears his coat if it's below 24F or so( and dry). He doesn't really like it as it's fleece lined and he gets little static shocks from the material, but doesn't try to scrape it off unlike some lab crosses I have had. I had bought a coat with legs initially for when it's really frigid here, but although he will endure being put in it, once outside, he simply refuses to walk. He hates fleece jammies too because of the static shocks he receives in this dry climate. And don't even get me started on dog boots...our least favourite thing about winter.

[Guest greys4ever]

I got jimjams for Rhoda last winter. She does get cold at night. She shows me her teeth when I have tried to stick her feet into the leggings, so the fleece jimjams are now a nice cat bed for our 11 yo cat Ruby! OH these dogs, I am absolutely addicted. We are planning on getting another one when we move next spring.

 

Pearl is on the left (passed 2/2010) and Ruby is on the right (they are sisters)

[greyhead]

Recently got these ultra-lightweight down throws from Overstock: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Microfiber-Premium-Down-Throws-Set-of-2/5615629/product.html One of our greys is a nester and also gets cold at night but doesn't like jammies. So I toss this over him lightly, and he often just stays that way. If he gets tired of it, he just gets up and lies on top of it!

As to coats, we have a variety of weights and materials, including just double layer cotton. I can give you a source for those if you like.

[turbotaina]

Yep, depends on the dog. My old boy loved cold weather and would heat up pretty quickly, so he only got his heavy coat on really cold days, otherwise he'd get a light fleece or an "open belly" coat (in temps between 30-45 degrees). My new boy seems to run hot , too, and though I bought him a nice heavy coat for when the temps get into the 20s and below, I wonder if he'll actually need it. My friend's greyhound rarely ever needs a coat at all and he doesn't even have thick (for a greyhound ) fur. So yeah, depends

[Guest Melissa516]

LOL... I'm obsessed with coats for Ginger. Thank goodness she doesn't mind! She sleeps in her jammies now too!

 

[Guest happygrey]

If your dog doesn't like coats then go without one unless your dog is shivering. If the dog is cold to the point of shivering, I'd recommend putting a coat on or ending the walk.

 

We have a coat-hater in our trio, so I often carry the coat and put it on him AFTER he's gone to the bathroom and we're doing a longer walk. The other 2 don't mind their coats and one of our greys gets chilly in any weather below 40. I wouldn't think of taking him on any length of walk without a coat in colder weather. He's miserable when cold. He's also the only one who needs to sleep in a sweater.

 

It really depends on the dog, and you probably know best when/if your hound will need a coat.

[BootsyCollins]

I used to think coats were more for people than the dogs. Then Bootsy made it clear to me that he gets cold. So I bought him a nice fleece. He even sleeps in it sometimes. But Argos never wore a coat.

[Guest Swifthounds]

My first greyhound would not wear a coat. Period. No matter how cold it was. We are in upstate NY. I have coats for all my hounds, but they get very little use. I absolutely do not agree with yet another adoption group "rule". Greyhounds have a coat. It is made of fur too.

 

 

More bad advice from adoption. I wonder about their learning curve sometimes.

[krissn333]

When I send dogs home with adopters, I explain there is no hard and fast rule - let the dog tell you what it needs.

 

Ace and Pinky need their jammies most nights in the winter - even if I cover them up with blankets, they get chilly and will get up and whine. Fritz really doesn't NEED his jammies most of the time, but, he wants his on when the girls get theirs When he's chilly he curls up really tight and tucks his nose in.

 

We don't put on coats to go out to go potty - usually they're wearing their jammies and I just pull the "skirt" of Fritz's up and tuck it into the collar of the jammies so he doesn't pee on them

 

Pretty much only time they wear their big fleece coats is if we're going to be going somewhere in the car and I haven't been able to warm the car up ahead of time. We don't really take walks in the winter either so they don't need them for that.

 

My parents' dogs do have some jammies and coats, but, mainly Goody wears her jammies during the day when she's lazing around in the living room. At bedtime she gets into bed with my mom and gets covered up and very rarely moves unless she gets hot (she runs hot anyway). Sunny doesn't wear anything in the house but likes to be covered up on his loveseat at night (mom and dad have a loveseat in their bedroom just for him ). The two of them demand a walk every day unless it's raining, so, they do have coats to wear on their walks, which are pretty short in the dead of winter.

[Guest Snazzy_Chloe]

You get the solar effect in Denver from the higher elevation of your city so I would not worry too much about it especially since she doesn't like coats and doesn't appear to mind going outside.

[cello]

Since we live in the Central Florida area, our winter days are usually in the mid 30's to low 40's. Our hounds never need coats to go out for potty breaks, and probably not even for a 10 minute walk. However, we are cheap when it comes to heating our house! I generally keep the thermostat set to 62 degrees all winter. My dogs wear jammies all winter long, otherwise they are freezing. Gizzy, our oldest at 9, and smallest at 58 skinny pounds gets cold the fastest. If the house temp falls below about 68 degrees she is cold, and when Gizzy is cold she keeps us awake at night. So Gizzy has a lightweight 'vest' type of covering for this time of year when the house is cooler but not yet cold. Some people have made fun of my hounds needing jammies, but if the temperature inside your house is 62, it makes no difference what the outside temps are - it is cold!!

 

 

 

 

[Guest happygrey]

Since we live in the Central Florida area, our winter days are usually in the mid 30's to low 40's. Our hounds never need coats to go out for potty breaks, and probably not even for a 10 minute walk. However, we are cheap when it comes to heating our house! I generally keep the thermostat set to 62 degrees all winter. My dogs wear jammies all winter long, otherwise they are freezing. Gizzy, our oldest at 9, and smallest at 58 skinny pounds gets cold the fastest. If the house temp falls below about 68 degrees she is cold, and when Gizzy is cold she keeps us awake at night. So Gizzy has a lightweight 'vest' type of covering for this time of year when the house is cooler but not yet cold. Some people have made fun of my hounds needing jammies, but if the temperature inside your house is 62, it makes no difference what the outside temps are - it is cold!!

 

That picture is about the cutest thing I've ever seen!