Winter dog coats; what do you need to know?
Winter dog coats - which dogs need them?
If a dog needs help staying warm, they will benefit from a dog coat. Usually, small dogs, lean dogs, and dogs with smooth coats need a coat when the weather turns cold. If your dog is shivering, curled up, or refusing to go outside, they are probably not warm enough.
Which type of dog coat does a dog need?
Not all dog coats are alike. You'll find a wide variety of fabrics, styles, and features available. So how do you know what will best help your dog?
Dog coats keep your dog warm in a few different ways. The first way is to provide insulation, which keeps the body heat in and the cold out. Coats can have different amounts of insulation or more than one layer of fabric to accomplish the goal.
Another way coats can keep your dog warm is to keep them dry. A less known fact is that when a dog is wet, they lose more body heat due to evaporation. Evaporation causes a drop in temperature. Therefore, if a dog is dry, they are better able to stay warm. If you are in a climate with a fair amount of rain or snow, this would be a good quality for a dog coat to have.
A third way of keeping a dog warm is to block wind since it also causes a decrease in body temperature. Just decreasing the amount of wind your dog feels helps your dog maintain a comfortable temperature. If you live in a windy location, this factor will be important.
Other factors to consider
Once you have decided that your dog needs a coat and which qualities your dog's coat needs, it's time to consider features. Dog coats come with hoods, neck covering, belly covering, leg covering, and a variety of attachment options, etc.
You know your dog, their physical traits, their likes and dislikes, etc. It's important to remember that your dog will be more likely to appreciate the coat if they are comfortable in it.
Your dog's health situation could dictate their needs as well. If your dog has arthritis, hip dysplasia, or is elderly, a dog coat can make them more comfortable since cold aggravates the pain involved. Read this post about hip dysplasia for more information.
There is no absolute right answer here, as long as your dog is staying warm and comfortable. If you feel good about the purchase and your dog doesn't mind wearing it, then that's the right coat.
When you go to my website, don't forget to sign up for my insider group here. You'll save 20% on all your orders from Made by De!
Measuring for a dog coat; how to get the best fit.
So, have you decided that your dog needs a coat or pajamas? If so, I'll bet you want to be sure they fit right so your dog will like wearing them. To get a good fit, you need to know how to measure your dog for dog clothing.
Dogs have certain basic features; walking on all fours (unless they’ve lost a limb or something), back, head, tail, or tail stump. So measuring for any coat will have similarities across the board. You can check with the company you’re considering for their specifics, but if you’re able to list the measurements as specified in the diagram below, you should be able to get pretty close.
Steps to measure for a dog coat
Measure according to the diagram above, from the Made by De website. Some makers will use slightly different formulas, but these should be very helpful.
- Length of back from the base of the neck (where the neck and body meet) to the base of the tail (where back and tail meet)
- Around the base of the neck
- Circumference around the rib cage
- Groin or “waist.”
- Underneath length from a notch above the sternum, between legs to end of the belly just below the ribcage
- Circumference of the head in front of ears
- Height of your dog from the top of shoulder to ground
- Neck length from in front of ears to the base of the neck (where neck and body meet)
Tips for measuring correctly for a dog coat
- Use a cloth tape. It’s flexible, so you can measure your dog around the curves and all. Do Not use a ruler or a carpenter’s measuring tape. Your numbers will be inaccurate and probably result in a poorly fitting coat.
- Measure your dog while standing. If they’re sitting or lying down or otherwise not straight, your numbers will also be off.
- Find out where your coat maker marks the length of the back. For example, if you include the neck, your coat could be several inches too long and out of proportion.
- Be sure to let the maker know the age and breed of the dog. A puppy is going to grow. Even a one or two-year-old dog will have measurement changes. And breed affects the amount of growth and proportions. If the coat maker knows these things, they might be able to allow for growth.
- Measure to the 1/4 inch, loosely. Put just a little gap (a couple of fingertips) in. This allows for slack. Dogs don’t like their clothes tight any more than we do.
There you have it. To get the right dog clothing, it's important to measure. But it’s not too difficult and well worth the extra effort. If you have any problems, your maker will probably welcome your questions. You want the coat to fit your dog and for you both to like it. For more about dog coats, read my post Dog coat fit; how should they fit? or this post from AKC.
When you go to my website, don't forget to sign up for my insider group here. You'll save 20% on all your orders from Made by De!
Five tips for giving a present to a dog that isn't yours.
So,
you want to give a dog a gift for Christmas or some other special
occasion. If that dog lives with you, you know what works for them.
Probably pretty well. Since they're handy, you can measure them. You
know what they like to do, their favorite foods, and their favorite
toys. Most likely, you know what bothers them too. These are the
things that help you give a good gift.
But if you want to give a gift to the dog of a friend or family member, it's probably a little more complicated. You may not know them as well. Plus, getting measurements can get tricky, especially if you want to surprise their person too. Since you aren't around them all the time, you can't possibly know all the little details. So what do you do?
Ideas for dog gifts
There are some workarounds so that you can give a gift that will be loved by a dog and their parent. Here are some ideas.
A gift that a dog can open
If you want a dog to open your gift, you could put something in it that smells good to them, maybe a tasty treat. Make it easy enough for them to open because the gift's opening is probably the main point here. After that, it probably won't matter to them as much.
A gift for a favorite activity
If you know that the dog enjoys agility, frisbee, scent work, etc., you could give something that can be used in their sport.
A sentimental gift
Sentimental gifts are more for the dog parent than for the actual dog, but they can be a nice touch. You could pair it with something that smells good so that the dog can open it, sort of a two-for-one thing. Dog oriented Christmas ornaments or stockings or a cherished photograph could work well.
Gift certificate
Although this one isn't personalized, it can allow you to get things that require knowing measurements or other specifics. Most companies offer some kind of certificate so that you can prepurchase and let the receiver of the gift (in this case, the dog parent) get the best item for them. Dog coats are a great example here (ahem!) Go to Made by De for more about my gift certificates.
Subscription service
Companies like Chewy or Bark Box have some really cool subscriptions that the dog parent can customize for their dog.
Giving the perfect gift to a dog
I don't know about you, but my goal is to give a gift that the receiver will really be able to use, which shows some thought and appreciation. I hope these tips can help you figure out what that looks like for the dogs on your gift list so that you can feel good about the situation. The holiday season can be stressful, so checking things off that to-do list can make you feel downright festive!
What are your go-to gift ideas for dogs when you don't know what to give? Tell me in the comments below.
When you go to my website, don't forget to sign up for my insider group here. You'll save 20% on all your orders from Made by De!
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