i have notice recently that the black color of my gsd's nose is washing out, kinda pinkish, now i have heard this could be the effects of a plastic dish, which she eats out of (red), she does drink out of a ceramic dish though. is this true? cause if so than i guess it is time to switch to a ceramic bowl for food too.
also how cold is too cold for a long haired gsd, just under a year old, to be outside? extremely cold spell up here right now, so i am a little concerned.
also like to add another concern, she has a nice big delux doghouse and she does not care for it at all, no matter the weather. so could it be that it is too big? it is pretty darn big. don't have the exact measurements, but a full grown man can hide in it easy enough.
thanks

I've heard from other breeders that the nose can discolor in the winter due to lack of sunlight/vitamin d. Once they supplement, color usually comes back.

Tammy,

Aside from a trainer I am also trained as a vet tech and work with many vets as part of my ongoing education and research into dogs. Because I talk to so many dog health professionals, I run into a few weird things concerning dogs.

I do remember that Hypothyroidism can cause depigmentation of the nose (I’m sorry I don’t remember why) so you might want to get some blood work done. I have never heard of a plastic bowl coloring the dogs nose but I have knows some bowls that are abrasive in texture scrub the nose. This scrubbing can over time build scar tissue and make the nose appear pinkish

Yes, I have heard of this happening. Not that I agree with the study, but you can find it on line.
Just do a google search under plastic bowl nose demititis. I will look for the link to the study and post it later

To answer the question about the doghouse I must first ask a question of my own.

Does this house it have a door or door flap? If so, take it off for now. You should place a nice treat in the doghouse 2-3 times a day for about 7 days. Show the dog the treat let him/her smell it toss it in and walk away with little comment to the dog. This will at least give opportunity to get use to the house and a chance to associate the difference in comfort levels over the next few days.

If you dog has a bedding blanket, you can place it in the house also. Caution: I have seen dogs drag the bedding outside and sleep on regardless of our intention to keep them warm and comfortable. The fact your dog is long coated should be a slight concern since he is missing the dual insulation of the majority of GSDs. Still if sheltered and well fed he should be fine. I would place a crate with door off in this BIG house with a blanket. (if he does not shred blankets) Small area = warmer

Good Luck <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

well she has had blood work done a few months back, everything was great. i beleive it is the plastic bowl or lack of sun. only getting about 8 hours of light here now adays. i will look into it. as for the doghouse, how exactly can i make it smaller, ideas please she will chew fabric and take it out of the house, no flap on the doghouse, and i have tried to give her treats and such, not interested in doghouse once treat is gone. also everything is frozen solid right now, including doghouee frozen to the ground. and in maine, it is going to be this way for quite some time. i dont' know if there is anyone from maine here, but it is bout as bad as it gets. long cold winter.

You can place bales or ½ bales of straw to make the area “smaller” and the straw will add insulation. I found another thing about the nose

With contact dermatitis the lips are usually show symptoms like swelling and loss pigment. Since you did not mention it and your dog’s blood work was good I am leaning toward winter nose. I have never heard of any successful treatments for this
condition but I am going to meet with a few vets today for lunch and I will ask.

i was thinking about hay, so i will try that out. i also expect, unless it freezing up real good like everything else around here has, she will have some fun with pulling the straw out. thanks for the infor. i'am not seeing anything unusual about her mouth area. i beleive it could be the dish, her nose rubs the dish with every meal, and i know that i read something about that in my book. but it could be the weather as well. thank you for checking dennis, much appreciated.

Tammy, I am from Maine, but on vacation in FL. From what I have heard from friends you need to get the dog either in that dog house or get her into a garage or something at night. Straw is a good insulator and if you can, get some of the styrofoam insulation they use on houses and nail it inside. So that she doesn't scratch that down with her claws you can nail up carpet remnants or indoor outdoor carpet(something you wont care about throwing away when it gets stinky)as was said before the smaller you can make it the warmer it will be. Bank some snow up on the sides as well if it isn't too crispy to shovel. I imagine with temps in the single digits it is pretty crispy.

I do not look forward to coming back to the cold.

OH yeah my dogs are in the house at night, as soon as i get home about 5pm. so they are only out during the daytime. the other gsd is standard double coat. deanna the grass is always greener on the other side, cause i would rather be in FL right about now. this is getting old. cabin fever kicking in high gear.