Lowest temprature - Page 1

I live in Urmqi China where temprature could fall as low as -43. I was wondering what could be the lowest possible temprature a German Shepherd could be kept into the kennel without any heating. I saw people's dogs over here doing fine around a temprature of -20. Last year I had an indoor kennel and I had no problem. Now the temprature is like -8 and dogs are fine but I am bit concerned. Do I have to bring them in where we maintain a room temprture of like 22. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Provide well insolated wind proof housing and healthy adults should be ok. I wouldn't have a dog welp or keep pups out in that. Most adults will find a way to stay warm if you provide them iwth what they need to stay dry and out of the elements.

Try above +32 for outdoors, you should use insulated dog houses as well as windbreakers for the kennels.

Suhailf, Our dogs are spoiled, some like to be indoors and others actually preffer to be outdoors, We make sure they all have houses large enough to fit 2 or 3 dogs in as they like it better when they have another one to curl up with, we also bed the houses very thickly with layers. like this... First Sawdust 3 to5 inches thick. Second Straw or Grass hay Straw, 7 to 10 inches thick. another thing we do is attatch something to the doorway of the house like mudflap or heavy wool blanket, something like that to give them something to contain the heat they create once inside. So long as your dogs are given sanctuary to dry and warm themselves when needed they should do quite well. One thing alot of times that is overlooked is "Water Intake" water intake is as or more important in the winter months as in the summer months, a dehydrated animal will quickly suffer hypothermia !! I use bucket heaters to keep the water warm, and also add some molases (very small amount) to keep it enticing and encourage a greater water intake. Looking forward to other posts and see how others deal with the cold. Good post !!! We can all learn something from this.

hey Its very informative specially what Edhomeadows said. I have thermal kennels and I have windbreakers and everything yet I am not at ease. As you said, we have spoiled our dogs a lot. I used saw dust last year for my puppies and they were very comfortable. I dont want them to give them too much heat though. Just enough so that they might not contact a problem. Water intake of course plays important role and I always look after this very carefully. Thanks for all the suggestions. However, I have moved my dogs in and as I cant sleep otherwise. Peace of mind is very important and I love my dogs as my kids. Thanks again.

LOL problem solved. I just provide my guys with what they need. It doesn't get that cold here and I often see them standing in the rain rather than in their dry warm house curled up in the shavings. Too each his own. They wont let themselves freeze if they have the choice.

Suhailf, It was -40 here last night and my dogs do alright at those temperatures. You need a small dog house, keep them just big enough for the dog to get in it and turn around. Lots of straw! You will see where they sleep in the straw and they need a very small space so keeping the house very small is the key. I will keep a good straw foundation in the bottom and then will add a little bit of fresh straw on cold nights from time to time. A door flap can do wonders for them. I also up their food intake and really try to put on a few extra pounds for them before the cold hits. I like to give them a hot meal late in the evening when it is starting to get colder. If the cold last for a long time, you will want to feed them twice a day mixing it with a lot of water. Important to make sure they drink enough with that extremely dry air. Just keep a close eye on them in case of any problems. We get down to -60 or more here so they can take colder but I feed a very high quality food and in this cold it is needed to keep the weight on them. Enough food, water, small dog house with door flap if possible and lots of straw. These are what you need to do to keep them healthy in these temperatures. Hope this helps, Robin www.klatolklin.com

I think you're talking in two different measurements here..... Try Celcius and Fahrenheit.... 32+ would be pretty warm.

Celcius Fahrenheit 40 104 30 86 20 68 10 50 0 32 -10 14 -20 -4 -30 -22 -40 -40