Trouble with putting on pajamas

[carrotcait]

This is our first winter with our pup, and up til now, he's only worn jackets/sweaters. He didn't love us putting something over his head at first, but he got used to it pretty quickly with the help of some treats, and he's fine once he's wearing them. 

It's getting colder at night, so I made a pair of fleece pajamas for him. I'm having trouble actually getting them on him, though. Unlike the sweaters/coats he's worn, these have arms/legs, and that seems to be the big problem. When I was in the process of making it, he was okay (if a little confused) with me dressing and undressing him, and when I got him in the finished product, he loved it -- they seem to fit well, and he was wagging his tail and showing off.

When I tried to put them on for bed, though, I was not successful. I was using a method I found in a video where you start with the head, do the front legs one at a time while standing on the opposite side, then do the back legs. He was very reluctant to give me his first front paw and wouldn't let me do the second at all -- he did a little bark and pulled away from me. I didn't want to turn him off wearing pajamas, so I took them off and let him be for the night. I tried again the next day with him laying down (plus giving him treats), but same problem -- he growled, so I took it off, gave him some more treats, and haven't tried again since.

He's generally very tolerant of us touching his paws, so I'm not sure what's up. I don't see any sign of injury, though I know there's a possibility he's hurting in a way that's not externally visible, so we're keeping an eye on that. 

I'm not in a rush (thankfully, he runs a bit warm), but I do want to work toward getting him in them as I think he'll be more comfortable at night when it gets colder. So far, I've just been spending some time touching his paws and giving him treats (he hasn't growled/pulled away, it's more of a preventative measure), but I'm not sure when/how to try the pajamas again. Has anyone run into this before? Any suggestions?

[Houndtime]

A lot of dogs do not like wearing the pj's with legs.  I make flannel house coats which are the same pattern I use for the fleece jackets.  I usually make the pj's a little shorter, so the dogs do not get tangled up in them when sleeping.  Since you sew, I suggest making him something out of flannel or lighter fleece, for night time in stead of making him wear the garment with legs.  You could also try pj's with front legs only.  Maybe he would like that better than all legs "in".  He just may be sending you the no pj's message.

[greysmom]

Or make them out of a stretchy material - jersey? - or polyester something.

FWIW, when we first got our greyhounds we went over-the-top buying pjs because they are TOTALLY CUTE in them.  And we keep our house fairly cool, even in winter.  They start out liking the pj and sleep well until about 2 am, then they are either shaking the bed with their panting or standing over a sleeping human with drool dripping in your face, and then struggling to get a too-hot dog out of their jimjams in the middle of the night!    

Give him a nice blanket to snuggle in.  Or pjs with no legs like Irene suggests above.

[HeyRunDog]

Like humans some greyhounds feel the cold and others don't. Grace doesn't wear anything even on the coldest nights but will happily sleep curled on the sofa with a child's quilt. There again as she won't wear a coat unless it's 3 degrees below freezing outside it's not surprising.

[Onyfalk]

He's probably telling you that he likes to sleep naked. I wouldn't push it, my girl will wear a coat but if she thinks I'm overdressing her then she goes all wriggly and tries to escape. I made her a simple coat that's a single layer of fleece, lined with an old jersey cotton sheet. It's lighter than anything I could find pre-made and she's much happier to put it on. 

She won't wear anything indoors but has duvets and Sherpa blankets to snuggle into.

[cleptogrey]

it sounds like Lettuce- She melts when p.j. are near her! i found her legs contorted into other legs in the 4 legged kind, given to her by a friend. so, i use a lightweight single layer fleece coat. she thinks she's going out when i put it on. you should look at this link- irene makes flannel garments as well, no static electricity.

 http://www.houndtime.com/?fbclid=IwAR1PqeXXYZnzfD5I5DMY8Mv1580BWc93btkD4Y14hrkDmK6lEoXbMehlWtA

 

oh i see irene posted- give a look!

Edited November 4, 2021 by cleptogrey

[Time4ANap]

When we lived in a cold climate, we had one pair of heavier PJ's for Rocket that only had front legs with the remaining garment going over him like the fleece housecoats. He liked those when it was really cold.  For most average winter temperatures, the flannel housecoats like Houndtime makes were the perfect weight to keep the chill off without overheating the dog. We are big fans of those housecoats here. 

We have quite the collection of housecoats for the various dogs that have been here. Most liked them in cooler weather. Except for Petunia. Petunia was not going to wear a coat, no way, no how ,not ever.   She didn't growl but expressed her displeasure by doing everything in her power to get away or get the coat off if we managed to get one on her. Not all greyhounds like or need coats. 

We also have quite the collection of those flannel blankets that are dog-sized. Some of the dogs like being covered while others wanted nothing to do with it. We keep a few in the bedroom year round since our AC can blast fairly cold. If a dog gets restless during the night, a blanket is often all that it takes to get them back to sleep. 

[MerseyGrey]

We have a few items of clothing for ours but this was the first year that we have tried something that requires us putting his legs into. Once it’s on, we leave it on. Although he doesn’t seem to mind us pulling him around too much, he’s not a big fan of it and as an older gentleman, he’s not quite as supple as he used to be so I think he’s a little uncomfortable when I try and scissor fold his legs to get him into clothes. 
but, once the really cold and miserable weather sets in here in the UK, he is going to be wearing his jumper that his nanny knitted because she has also knitted me a matching jumper!

I had the same thought as Greysmom - if you’re going to persist, try something really stretchy. Otherwise steer clear of the legs and if you’re worried about him being cold, you could double up on coats. That’s what we’re doing at the minute.

[HeyRunDog]

12 hours ago, MerseyGrey said:

he is going to be wearing his jumper that his nanny knitted because she has also knitted me a matching jumper!

You mean like Howard and Hilda from Ever Decreasing Circles*

(*British sitcom from the mid 80's. Howard and Hilda always wore matching clothes)

[Time4ANap]

29 minutes ago, HeyRunDog said:

You mean like Howard and Hilda from Ever Decreasing Circles*

(*British sitcom from the mid 80's. Howard and Hilda always wore matching clothes)

As someone who watches Keeping Up Appearances every Saturday you've given me something new to stream. Thanks!  I love British sitcoms. 

[EllenEveBaz]

Are their ears cold when they've been inside a while?  Need some sort of covering -- coat, pj's, blanket.  Ears warm?  Nada.  A more abstract way to gauge is how easily they get hot outside when it's warm.  If they're one of those hounds who starts to pant out on a walk when it's 70F degrees, their internal thermostat probably runs warm all the time and they will rarely need something inside.  

[MerseyGrey]

On 11/5/2021 at 6:09 AM, HeyRunDog said:

You mean like Howard and Hilda from Ever Decreasing Circles*

(*British sitcom from the mid 80's. Howard and Hilda always wore matching clothes)

Yes. But maybe not as fashionable. I used to love that program!