Should dogs wear jumpers? As with all great questions, there is never a simple answer. A different question to ask would be 'is my dog cold?' and if the answer to that question is yes, then putting a jumper or a jacket on them will not cause unnecessary harm, in fact it might make their walk time more enjoyable. In this article we delve into the type of dogs that benefit from extra warmth and the materials that should be avoided to reduce any risk of overheating or discomfort.

Do Dogs Get Cold?

The direct answer to this question is yes, all dogs feel both hot and cold temperatures. However, some dogs are built, from an evolutionary stand point, to withstand much colder temperatures than others. Contrary to popular belief, whether or not a dog gets cold has very little to do with its size and much more to do with its coat (the natural kind). 

Most dog coats will fit into 4 categories: Double coat, silky coat, wire coat and wool coat. The best coat for withstanding cold temperatures is the double coat and unsurprisingly they can also struggle in hot weather. There are some small wire haired dogs that do well in cold temperatures, such as the Boston Terrier.  

As you would expect, dogs that have evolved in warmer climates are more likely to feel the cold, such as a chihuahua that originates from Mexico and an Ibizan Hound, no prizes for guessing where they originate from. To prove my earlier point about size not being a defining factor, the Great Dane does not tolerate the cold very well, even though they originate from Germany - that's right they are not actually Danish. 

When To Put A Coat On A Dog  

You can add a warm layer to your dog at any point they feel cold, that might be at home or it might be out on a dog walk. If you notice any signs of discomfort, such as overt panting or excessive licking, then you should remove layers straight away. Some nervous dogs feel much calmer in a jumper or coat, I guess it feels a bit like a hug and as much as we would love to hug our dogs all the time, we are not always able to. 

One thing that we should address is the unnecessary judgement from your great uncle that has raised many dogs and they all live outside or Sally in the park that only feeds her dog organic raw meals made from scratch. Unfortunately, having dogs is similar to having children and people like to judge you and teach you how to do it properly. You know your dog best and if you think that they are getting cold then you have the permission to put a jumper on them.

Materials To Avoid

If you are concerned about your dog overheating then you should opt for natural materials rather than manmade acrylics and fleeces. Unfortunately, 90% of the products available on the market are made from inexpensive acrylics and fleece materials as they are much cheaper to buy and perceived as easier to manage. In reality, acrylics and fleeces need to be washed more frequently and they are often replaced after only a few wears, ending up in landfill and polluting the planet with microplastics. By far one of the best materials for warmth and airflow is wool, one of the many benefits of wool is that it does not need to be washed frequently due to its antibacterial odour resistance. Another benefit of wool is it is much less likely to knot the fur around the armpits, fleeces are a nightmare for encouraging your dogs coat fibres to rub together and cause matting. 

We have a wide selection of dog clothes all made from natural fibres, head over to our Instagram feed to see