DU'ers in real cold states, what do you do with your furkids in the winter?

Do you keep them in all the time? What about potty breaks in sub-zero weather?

And what about your livestock--do they have to stay in the barn all winter?

is an inside dog and has very short hair with a pink naked belly..he wears a sweater in winter when he goes out for potty break. The horses have access to a barn and can come and go as they choose..they have very long shaggy coats in the winter. As long as they are fed well they can generate the heat they need just like the wild animals.

Wintertime is when old houses get interesting for cats anyway, since that's when all the mice and squirrels come into the basement, the walls, the attic, etc...

Dogs, I take out for walks, but they stay in the rest of the time. It's my least favorite aspect of both dogs and wintertime.

Livestock usually stays where it normally is, except during very cold weather. Sometimes the farmers I've known (dairy mostly) will change the livestock's diet for the cold. The ones that allowed their dairy cows to free range a bit also used to put some hay bales out in the fields if they felt like walking around.

but letting them out after the first snow was always hilarious, especially if it had been a deep one. They'd acclimate pretty quickly and we'd soon see them tunneling all over the yard.

I now live in coyote country, so the fur babies stay indoors year round.

As for dogs, some breeds do well outdoors in the winter, although all need shelter from wind and rain. Other breeds are indoor doggies and only go out to do their business in bitter cold.

The same goes for livestock. In really harsh climates, chickens need a heat source in the henhouse, as simple as a heat lamp. However, just providing shelter from the weather at night does well for most livestock and they range outdoors during the day.

Nighttime temperatures here in the high desert approach zero F from time to time, yet my neighbor's chickens seem to do just fine in an unheated henhouse.

his paws are built like snowshoes so it was fun to watch him try them out, especially in first snow. Of course he hasn't needed to use them as such since we moved to FL, LOL.

Animals who are winterized w/their heavy coats usually do just fine. The challenge is making sure their water source remains accessible because of the freezing weather.

They have dens in the wild. Providing shelter is up to us if they're living with us.

can stand a short time outside for potty breaks. One thing that many do not know is that a barn can stay warm merely by the number of animals that are in it. When it is extremely cold we all keep the animals in. It is often the law.

during recent blizzards--but that is not because of the cold as the fact that they could not get to any kind of grazing or water. Most livestock can survive the cold relatively well if they can get away from wind and have access to feed and water. But, I would certainly stable any horses or smaller stock if possible.

As to dogs, definitely bring them in. The little poofy types will hate going out and probably need to be coaxed, but all manner of little coats and booties are available for them and I've even seen fake grass pads for the balcony or deck, for that purpose. "Regular" dogs (or as I prefer to think of them as "real dogs") can do quite nicely, though at some point salt on sidewalks or extreme temps (below zero) may freeze their pads. I do what the Iditarod folks do then--spray PAM or some other vegetable spray on them or even buy special protective boots. Short haired breeds, like greyhounds will definitely need some kind of coat.

My babes have always been snowhounds and live for the cold, so not really a problem to get them to go out.

own, but I'm a petsitter/dog walker by trade. Some of my dog clients have coats they wear for their walks, some don't. Depending on how cold it is and the depending on the client I make adjustments. If the dogs don't like or can't take cold weather, I get them outside to do their business and then we play indoors for exercise. If the dog doesn't mind the cold (one of my clients is a Samoyed) I bundle up and deal with the frigid temps.

Edited to add: I live in an urban area, so dealing with livestock is above my pay-grade.

They have free access, through an in-wall doggy door, to a fenced yard.

So they come and go as they please.

And they have a little doggy house attached to the side of the house as well (that they access via the doggy door) with a "patio" and sliding windows and ramps. When we put new vinyl siding on the house two years ago, we also had the doggy house done.


Yes...they are spoiled :7


anyway, that's what we do. We let them decide when they want to go out.

without pics!

I'd love to see a pic of the little doggy house! (And the doggies, too, of course!!)

:)

This is their fenced yard









And this is their little doggy house with ramps and patio. There is another window on the other side of the house, and both have sliding plexiglass that can be closed in bad weather. Where the black dog is standing, that's the "patio" and there's a big door that leads to it. The siding matches the house.

Oh, one other note...the dog house is attached to my kitchen wall. About three years ago a small black bear got over the fence at 4 AM and was standing on the roof of the dog house peering through the kitchen window.

But I'm sure they're worth it. They look great. The Shepherd is really handsome!

Thanks for the pics.

Do you have a picture by any chance? I'd love to put do a doggy door from the house into the pool area (it has a screened enclosure) then a door from there to the yard. How to accomplish this with an 80 pound Lab and two mini-Doxies I have no idea.

as far as I'm concerned...


It's not the usual rubber door. I'll have to find out tomorrow exactly what the name is, but basically it's two flat pieces of rubber that overlap and the dog squeezes through the middle.

Before these two dogs, I had three other large ones...two German Shepherds and a Black Lab mix. They ranged in weight from about 70 lbs to maybe 90 lbs or so, and also a Miniature Schnauzer, about 35 lbs.

All were able to use the door easily.

When the Mini Schnauzer got older and was having trouble going through the door we made him a little "step" just in front of it that helped him but didn't hinder the bigger dogs.

Will look through my photos tomorrow to see if I have any showing the setup. :)

http://www.ezmaticpetdoors.com/about.html


We've been using their doors for 14 years.


The only problem we ever had with them, and it wasn't the fault of the doors...

When our previous dogs were very young they would run in and out of them at full speed, chasing each other around most of the day. Naturally, the rubber couldn't take that strain, and ended up tearing. We always kept a spare on hand, and sent the broken one to the company for replacement/repair. Once the dogs got older, they stopped being maniacs and the door lasted very well.

As the ad says, they really do sweep bugs (surface bugs, that is...flies or mosquitoes) from the dogs before they come into the house.

Also, when it gets cold, we just cover up the opening overnight with a custom made wooden "lid" attached to the wall at the top by a hook and eye to keep it in place. Only do this when the dogs are inside, though. Don't want them outside and hitting their heads on the "lid" when trying to get in. You could also hang a piece of blanket or quilt over it to keep heat in when the dogs aren't using it.

:)

gets down there. My dog is an outside dog and grows a very thick undercoat for cold weather. She has a nice doghouse located on a covered deck, so she is well protected from the weather as well as being acclimated to it. If it's a particular nasty night (sleet, freezing rain, below zero temps, etc.), I bring her inside. As a general rule, she stays outside because it's usually too warm in the house for her to be comfortable.

The cat has her own door and comes and goes as she pleases. If she wants to go out into the weather, the choice is hers and she can return to the house as soon as she is ready. She doesn't like to use a litterbox, so she will go outside for that regardless what the weather is.

Once we got the go-ahead from the local dog catcher, we kept Lassie the rest of her life. She was some sort of grosse spitz, a Northern European dog with a double fur coat. When she was young, she slept outside all the time on our porch. You'd look out in the morning and see no dog. Then a mound of snow would start shaking and she'd stand up with a gig grin. She was so well insulated that the snow didn't melt on her.

Later, she moved into the house as she aged. Jack would sit outside to watch the stars, then come in to sleep. Guinness will go for walks, but prefers to be inside. Pooka is a mittel spitz, so he loves the snow, but he prefers to be around people, so he stays inside. They will both tear outdoors to the pen to sit outside and bark at the bad deer.

The cats come and go as they like. Mostly they stay inside with forays out to the barn to check for mice. Some will find a dry, sheltered spot and sit in the sun. Our covered porch is the preferred spot with the buffet buy the window the next best.

The chickens wander around a very reduced yard in the winter sun. The snow is too deep for them to go far and there's no forage.

So, it all depends on the particular animal.

So short fast trips outside in very cold or wet weather can be done.


Cats can use litter box in house, we have a covered wooden bench like box we put over it, so it looks
attractive, hides smell, but cats can access it thru a back opening. They happily stay in doors in bad weather, outdoors in nice weather.

And yeah, even down here we can get very cold, freezing weather, like this winter.

In sub-zero weather (Fahrenheit), the dog stays out only as long as necessary to do its thing and get back in. Normally in winter, I take the dog for walks in the snow and let the dog run around in the snow out back until it comes to the door and barks to be let in.

ears or they can freeze in a very short while. So we do potty breaks and right back in the house. Our Border Collie, who loves the cold, often has to be forced in on bitter cold days for his own sake!

anytime other than very nice weather, and even then infrequently.

You need to make sure they have a place to get out of the cold, even a shed will help. Animals don't usually freeze outside. Lots of wild animals live outside in sub-zero weather. Feeding livestock a lot of whole grains is more important than where they stay.

Cats have litter boxes and never go outside, summer or winter. We live next to a highway.

good thing that around here it just gets down to a one dog night...

Real warm and toasty!!

:hide:

Some of the dogs hang out with us in the bitter cold, in the barn while I'm doing chores, the whole time. Others bolt back into the house after their business is done. I have coats for any of them that do decide to stay outside with me. I always have a litterbox in the house for the cats. During the spring, summer, fall it doesn't see much use as the cat likes to go outside. I do have one older barn cat that's spending more time inside my house than ever before even as the "house" cat spends increasingly more time in the barn. That's fine.

The horses are okay as long as they have shelter from the wind and access to water primarily, forage secondarily, grain too of course. I have most of the horses in individual stalls, the broodmares are in a large run-in shed shelter with stalls built into the back for feeding.

As for turnout in the winter, we're careful about it since our horses compete. They are all clipped and blanketed since their training doesn't stop in the winter but everyone gets out for as long as they want. Some of them will stay outside frolicking for quite a long while, others are standing at the gate almost immediately to come in. Their shoes are put on with snow pads that prevent balling up of snow in the concavity of the shoe. If it's icy, nobody goes out. I can't afford for them to slip or worse, do the splits while slipping on the ice in their metal shoes. Even barefoot horses struggle with the ice in the winter. It's dangerous and that's pretty much the only time they don't go outside. Then we begin the arduous process of turning everyone out in small groups in the indoor arena.

However, our dog stays inside from October until April, save for potty breaks, walks, and playtime whenever we get a big snowfall. He's a Golden Retriever with a thick, dense, water-resistant coat, so the snow and cold don't bother him very much. We actually have to be careful to keep the thermostat down at a reasonable level so that he doesn't OVERheat in the winter.

During the hot months he spends the mornings and evenings out on our covered porch with his toys and his big outdoor water dish, and he's inside for the hottest part of the day (between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm, roughly). At night, he picks where he wants to sleep--either out on the porch, or in the house where the air conditioning is. We sometimes clip his coat if we know that we're going to have some REALLY hot weather. Sure it takes a while to grow back in, and we do it ourselves so it's not as "pretty" a cut as a groomer would do, but his comfort is the primary concern.

He also loves to follow me around while I'm watering my raised veggie/flower beds and container garden, because he likes to run through the stream from the watering can and get wet. :)

She goes in and out as she pleases but is in a lot more then out in the winter. I live in Connecticut so we do get some snow here in the winter but it is never really below freezing here.

but my cat decided about 4 or 5 years ago that bitter cold days were just not worth it. She's 18 now and her threshold definition for 'bitter cold' began with 10 or 15 below and has since moved to anything below freezing. So needless to say she doesn't step 'paw' outside from about late November till mid-March. It makes her cranky and kind of stir-crazy.

My dog on the other hand, seems oblivious to the cold, so on very bitter days I have to make him come in. He loves all winter activities like ice fishing and snowmobiling too. :-)

at Orrex's house.

She doesn't mind venturing out on a single digit morning to do her business, but is pretty well curled up under somebody's feet the rest of the time.

(Chesapeake Bay Retriever)

..... lays in the sun and in the snow.

It will spend weeks on end below freezing and the coldest nights of February will drop to -20 or colder. We've had horses, cattle, goats (no sheep) and hogs at one time or another - oh and all manner of poultry including the two Gunnies that run around there that nothing on earth seems to be able to kill. No cats at the moment but we've got 5 dogs who would way rather lay in front of the fire than be outdoors when its cold - unless there is playing to be done, then they just love the snow. Labs are like that.

in the coldest weather, the other dog is an American Eskimo so winter is his playground. His coat is so thick the snow just falls right off. In the summer he goes out but comes right in to the central ac. He hates the rain and does his thing and comes right back.

:hi:

pretty simple.

My 6 indoor cats are indoor cats all year round. They have no interest in going outside, and have plenty of inside room to wander in.
My one outdoor cat, a feral who lets me pet her when I feed her, has a heated cat house during the winter months. (We're in Philly.) She's probably just as cozy sleeping under the porch, but it makes me feel better.
Our two Great Pyrenees could live outside in the winter, , but then I wouldn't have those warm cuddly rug impersonators underfoot. And I love my warm cuddly rug impersonators.
They are happy to stay inside in the air-conditioned kitchen in the summer, too.

My family had dogs in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They went outside to relieve themselves, and if it was just "normal" cold (say, above 10 degrees), they sometimes liked to stay outside and roll around in the snow.

If it was below zero, they still went outside, but they did their business as fast as possible, and we stood in the doorway to let them in.

Despite being short-haired dogs, they suffered no ill effects.

enough shelter together.

My dogs aren't bothered by sub-zero weather -- within reason, of course. We take the same walk on a -10 day that we do on a 50-degree day. If it's REALLY cold, they know to just go out for their pee break and come right back in. I try to buy them more chewie toys and play more mental games with them to wear them out and get rid of some of their energy, but they're big lazies anyway so it's not a big deal.

When we boarded horses, they were fine in the pasture year-round, and came into the barn when they wanted, which was almost never. They were shaggy beasts -- Percherons.

i just have to make sure and keep a path shoveled for them leading out to a shovled little park area, they get used to just running out and going potty real fast.
mostly they lay in the windows yapping all day.. major cabin fever. i have to drink and medicate a LOT or id go nuts too.

Clean her litterbox regularly, watch her sleep in patches of sun on the rug (in different places according to the season, but she can always find them), let her claw me to shreds in the evening Crazy Time...