Mike,

I live in TX also so I know what you mean about our winters here. For the most part, our rains don’t last very long but when we get that Tropical Weather with the heavy-heavy downpours with wind, then your dog would be soaked pretty fast and with the wind factor he could get pretty chilled. I would feel pretty guilty if my dog was out in that and didn’t have at least someplace he could get in should he want to. If it was me, I wouldn’t buy a dog house since these are rare occurrences, but I would go ahead and set up his crate so he had a place to get into. I would much rather he has it and not uses it, then not having it at all.

Hey Carol, Im sure you do have some drastic winters where you live. My out side dog has a a two compartment dog house with a hinged roof for changining out straw in the winter. I guess its similar to what the Canadian Mounties have. I dont have the insulated walls like you do. Ive been considering going all out and building a two compartment, insulated walls, and having a heat source in it style doghouse. It seems me and my wife have different opinions on when its to cold for a dog outside.I just think bringing the dog inside and outside more than is necessary can be hard on the dog when it is climatized to the colder weather and then is burning up in the house and then back out again.
I was wondering at what temp do you no longer rely on the dog houses.

 Quote: David Morris

I just think bringing the dog inside and outside more than is necessary can be hard on the dog when it is climatized to the colder weather and then is burning up in the house and then back out again.
I was wondering at what temp do you no longer rely on the dog houses.

I totally agree with you.
In the summertime, when it is blazing hot, my dogs have plenty of shade and they pretty much just snooze around and they stay outside at night.
I work with each dog everyday, so I do not feel bad about them staying out.

In the wintertime, during the day all dogs are outside. With the insulation and straw in the doghouses, and the fact that they are in a building, they stay pretty warm.

My Bloodhound has a huge outdoor run and his house is up under the deck next to the house and the deck is enclosed on three sides. He will sometimes just sit and look at me when I go to bring him in at night, or turn and go into his house when I open the gate.

When it is really cold and windy, I bring my Mal and Hound inside. The kennels have the slide doors between the inside and outside runs, so when the weather is bad, I close them in at night.

Puppies come inside and are crated.

When I travel or go training, I do leave my vehicle run with the heat or A/C on low settings depending on the weather. Mainly because we all know what happens to dogs in a car in the heat and when it is freezing and they cannot get up and move around they will get cold.

I like my dogs acclimated to the weather since search call-outs for me can happen at anytime and if the dog is not acclimated then they will not work at their potential. I train in all weather (aside from 90 degrees and above for long periods, short work is good during the heat of the day) and all hours as well.

Oh yeah, during Tornado season, if we have a watch or a warning, ALL dogs go with me to the fire station and have crates their. I usually dispatch, watch weather on the computer and report to our watchers, and make sure the shelters are open to the community members. If I go out and watch, one of the other firefighters keeps an eye on them.

I actually am more concerned with the heat in the summer than I am the cold in the winter. Ofcourse your winters are much worse than I have in North Carolina.
But I was wondering at what temperature( or wind chill) does the alarm go off in your head and you bring the dogs in ?

mmmm, -10 and dropping is when I start to buckle things up pretty much.

I just got back from North Carolina a couple days ago and I will agree that the winters there are like spring here.....

Over here it gets down to Minus 10 in the winter, sometimes about 6 or 7 below freezing, This Summer we have not had a lot of sun or heat but the year before it was 40% centigrade at times but that is exceptional normally about 28 to 30
We get a lot of very hard Frosts and the water will be frozen all day, so it has to be changed near on every hout or so,
The winter here is moch like England as is the summers
Our last Four Dogs in our life have always lived outside, in a kennel and Run, then as i said the usual walks etc, plus coming into the house for a treat every day,and they have a play in the Garden every day They live very happy and they keep in very good condition. but Belgium is a mere pin prick on the map regards the USA and the Conditions are much the same throughout the whole country, Perhaps where Mike lives it stays a few degs warmer

Well its not winter here yet. I guess it is winter there now. It does end up cold here though. Below freezing anyway.
Were you here for dog related business ?

I was in West Bend (Winston-Salem area) instructing for a K-9 Boot Camp for two weeks.

My dog is kenneled outside at work during the day, and sleeps inside at night. In my yard at home I have tried various shelters, but the dog chooses not to use them.


I have a winter work kennel similar to what Carol described. It is great, though probably slightly big for my dog (other dogs use it too) It is at the top of the mountain. The door is not insulated, and the roof does not come off. Otherwise similar sounding. Here is a picture.
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t214/farwesttoller/?action=view&current=Picture016.jpg

Our winter daytime temps range from +2 to -35 degrees celcius. (35 to -31 degrees farenheit) Summers can get darned hot too so the poor dog really does have to deal with a lot of swing in temps.

Like Carol, I start to pay attention to my dog's wellbeing at about -20-25 (celcius). I will let him out of his kennel more often and try to sneek him into our patrol shack (it is till cold in there!) for a few minutes at a time throughout the day.

 Quote:

When I travel or go training, I do leave my vehicle run with the heat or A/C on low settings depending on the weather. Mainly because we all know what happens to dogs in a car in the heat and when it is freezing and they cannot get up and move around they will get cold.

I also kennel my dog in my car at work in the winter quite often
when we are doing avi bombing and I dont' have time to bring him up the mountain to his kennel first thing.

I never leave the car or any heat on and do worry more about him being cold in the car than in the kennel. I would love to find an old used down sleeping bag for him to "wolf ball" up in for those very cold times in the car, but have not done so yet. Straw in the car is just not practical

I have felt bad about the changes in temp I expect my dog to be fine with, but not much I can do about it now! I hope it is not too cruel, but he seems to manage okay.

I would consider an outdoor dog only for my next dog and think if they use the shelter as pups they get into it a way adults might not.

After actually READING the WHOLE thread, I see I am kinda off topic here. Sorry.