CharlesT wrote:Always thought most dogs come well-equipped with a nice fur coat which appeared to be quite weatherproof in the breeds I owned - Springers, Cockers, Cairn and Norfolk Terriers. All slept in outdoor kennels and had great winter coats. One of my daughters has Scotties with coats like doormats, one of which insists on sleeping outdoors in all weathers.
Are dog coats really necessary?
Are dog coats really necessary? - It depends I guess. If a working dog is used to sleeping in outdoor kennels or unheated outbuildings, as mine was, then the dog should never need any other protection. However, if a dog is a house dog and used to constant warmth, then it will never grow its winter coat as it should and will probably feel the cold as much we would.
Friends and work colleagues used to accuse me of cruelty for having my dog sleep in a kennel in an outbuilding, but he grew a luxuriant thick coat every winter and still lived to a good old age.