At what age in weeks can pup stand about 30F? - Page 1

At what age in weeks can GSD pups stand outside temp of 30F if inside an ordinary K-mart doghouse, say Ighoo, assuming dryness and shelter from wind gusts?

Thanks

     I'll ASSUME you are only meaning for a SHORT stay out there, maybe while you run to the store or something! If not, I say you ought to be thinking how many MONTHS old they can stay out.

     I know lots of people successfully raise their pups outside. I Don't , yeah, in the summer they come and go as they please, I have a huge backyard fenced with chainlink. Sometimes they want to stay out, I pull them back in

     I really DO NOT like the idea of pups being PUT OUT in the cold, to make it easier on the breeder. Sorry if that isn't what you were looking to hear. Pups are alot of work, like it or not. They deserve to be warm.

HighDesertGSD,

30f is not that cold but what's important is what is the puppy used to?   A six month old puppy is pretty hardy but if it hasn't been outside since birth it's not going to be used to the temp's.   Animal's need to get used to the cold over time, gradually.

Dog house's need bedding in cold weather, straw is good.   I leave my adult's out until it get's into single digit's but pup's usually spend their first winter indoor's for the most part, at least until six months old.   Just depends on how cold and how the pup was raised, inside or outside.  

It's a hard question to answer, so many factor's to consider.      You can tell by looking if an animal is comfortable or having trouble.    Error on the side of comfort with a puppy unless you have no choice, then if you do have to leave one out make sure it has shelter from wind and bedding that will keep it warm.

Try going out without a coat, see if it's too cold for you, then figure out what you wanna do with the puppy.

It's a judgement call for each of us,  just remember the puppy depends on your judgement.

Brent.

If they have nice bedding in the doghouse (straw is nice as it creates it's own heat when wet) or pine shavings/wood chips it shoud not be a problem for any breed with a decent coat over 8 weeks; defiantely by 16 weeks. It is important that the doghouse is not too big. if it is to big, they will not be able to create enough heat to warm it.

These are working dogs for heaven's sake. If it was a super short coated dog I could see waiting a little longer.

I agree with Get a Real Dog

All my Dogs have lived outside since they were 8 to nine weeks old, they were Bull Terrier + Lab

Jack Russels,

Border Collies

German Shepherds

all in a span of about 60 years, all lived to be an old Age,

Never any skin or health problems until they got to about 13 to 14 years old

The Pens were and still are open all four sides, with an over hang roof on them

Shutters at the top two feet to defect the driving rain

Concrete Floors but damp proofed underneath with a membrane so there is no rising damp

A wood Kennel with  another thin Plywood skin on the outside and the Floor

Inside nothing, for the older dogs, they will pull everything outside in the pen as soon as you put it in the kennel

Baby Heidi will come here in less than a month at 8 weeks old

She will have a Plastic Baskwt with a Rug inside it and that is it,

 In with her will be an old Clock wrapped up in a piece of the Blanket i will get from from the breeder with the mothers and brothers scent on it.

The Clock will be wrapped in this with the TICK TOCK going, this will be a subtitute for her mothers heart beat

When she brings the clock outside to the pen area and the rug all will be removed and she too will have just the wooden Kennel to go in, the same as the other dogs over the years and at the present time

That is my way of looking after Dogs,  Result

Never an ill Dog, Never any health issues keeping them in this manner , not once in all those years of  keepnig dogs

They have, and grow thick glossy coats

If i thought i could improve on it i would

The weather here now is Snow and  -3 below Cent, so that is probably the way it will be when she comes here, at times a lot colder, but she will go insde if she feels the cold outside, Dogs are no fools and know better than we do what is good for them

Steve

It is funny that this thread was posted today.

My husband is complaining about the dogs being inside quote " they need to be dogs"

I guess I am getting soft in my years as I was like Steve and GARD before.

two adult dogs, four starter pups,  four 9 wk old puppies, 2 cats and 5 humans make a warm doggie house LOL.

EK

Where I live has mild winters. Might get to be 25F in Jan, but generally about right at freezing would be a cold night.

I forget to mention, the one pup that I pick will be with mom. So if daughter and mom both stay in the same large doghouse, things will be different, I come to realize. 

When all the pups are less than 8  weeks old, a heated place will be provided, but I plan to disassemble the heating arrangement when there is only one pup with mom.

Thanks again

I don't leave my pups out in the cold for more than an hour or so till they get their first adult coat in at 4-5 mos., and even then I bring all dogs in at night in winter. It gets COLD here in PA at the foot of the Poconos. When the chill factor dips below about 20F the dogs are only out for awhile a couple times a day for excercise, not long enough to freeze their ears. The kennel building is heated, stays at 44+F. The ex run features a dog house with straw in it. I keep an eye out the window. If I see they are spending a lot of time in the dog house or curled up in a ball to keep warm I put them up. I don't leave pups with their mothers after 9-10 weeks, but I will leave them out with my male, T, (Carol) who will let them snuggle up to him to keep warm.

I know, I spoil my dogs.

SS

This is my outside  Run and Kennels, Open all four sides, The  new  8 week old Pup will live in the side you can see the White board on the bottom, This is only put there to stop her getting out of the pen until she grws to big to squeeze through the bars, then the white board will be taken off, Young Goran is in the pen next door

Steve