Are yorkies tougher than humans?

[capt_noonie]

Bf and I got into a discussion. Uni does not mind the cold, like at all. Meanwhile on walks, I'm wearing fleece lined leggings under my jeans, a long sleeved thermal under a t shirt, which is under a hoodie, which is under my snowboarding jacket! Plus a beanie on my head and gloves on my hands. I'm still cold, and Uni is just sniffing around and not a care in the world. Toto on the other hand walks slow in the cold. I think he might have arthritis, but he also doesn't "know how" to walk with a jacket on. Mind you, it can get cold here, low 30s, sometimes 20s but not every day in the winter.

Anyway, I wondered out loud how the dogs don't get frostbite and bf says animals are tougher than humans. Their paw pads are stronger than the locals in the Caribbean (who don't wear shoes, ever, and have tough callouses on the bottom of their feet). Plus their fur coat. I argued that Toto is shaved except his head and tail, and that Uni's sparse coat wouldn't do any good, much like my hair doesn't keep my head warm. My toes go numb in shoes and two pairs of socks. I say with them being only about 5 lbs, I think they'd get colder quicker. Bf says no, bc most animals are superior to humans in every way except the opposable thumb thing. What do you think?

[capt_noonie]

Oh, I'd like to point out that the dogs do go out with outerwear. Uni has a t shirt under her hoodie, and Toto wears two layers of t shirts. He doesn't like coats for some reason. I only put on their boots if they go on the snow bc it's just too much trouble. But Uni does go out with nothing on occasion if just for a quick pee, which sometimes ends up a few houses away.

[Wylie's Mom]

I do think they somehow do better w/ temps than we do. I walk the dogs at shelter where I volunteer 2x a week - and I get there about 6am or 7am -- and it can be upper 30s / lower 40s at that time....I have layers on but am often still freezing until the sun pokes out. But most of the doggies do fine. I will say though that the smaller ones seem to shiver more when it's really cold than the larger dogs...

[Britster]

Jackson always amazes me. I've seen him get cold but it's only after being wet from playing in snow. Otherwise, nothing really seems to bother him much. I will put him in sweaters etc if it's under 30 degrees F but the cold doesn't bother him very much.

[Maximo]

I think that dogs' slightly higher body temperatures must make a big difference. Max always looks at me like, "Coats are for wimps. Let's go." Like you Priscilla, I'm always bundled up like I'm hiking in the arctic.

Teddy isn't as hardy as Max and will shiver in the cold. He is happy to wear protective gear, even boots.

[Jkpal]

We go for short walks when temp is low 20's and below. Piper wears a plush-lined harness for these jaunts and though my booted-feet and gloved-hands are freezing as we beat a hasty retreat home, Pipe would rather keep on keeping on! Now, when we go shopping in cold temps, Piper is always wearing a sweater because car takes forever to warm up. It sure seems to me that Piper and the other little ones we see out and about are pretty dang tough!!

[gemy]

Hands down dogs are definitely tougher than humans my Yorkie too outlasts me. And I laugh at what you gals consider cold - cold here is at least maybe 6 or 10 degrees above zero and in deep freeze winter can go below -10F or so.

Razzman only starts to wear coats at about 15 degrees or so and booties when snow falls as the gosh darn city puts the salt down and that can really abrade the paws.

My Blackies never wear anything no matter how cold out it is. In fact they luxuriate in the cold and snow. Only once n awhile do I put on booties (see the aforementioned) salt.

[capt_noonie]

Hey, I think I'm doing fairly well for being a So Cal girl! I grew up where there's hardly any seasons and in the winter it gets to a "chilly" 50 degrees! LOL

[Shicks]

Aww come on wimps! I walk my Ruger in the 20's with a wind chill of 15 or so. Yeah, I get cold but hang in there for a good walk & sniff. Ruger Only wares a t shirt. He doesn't seem to mind the cold unless we stop for a few minutes. He will shiver a little and then off we go. 🌬

[capt_noonie]

Yikes, that's pretty dang cold! We have got some winds here too. The coldest it got was right around Christmas in the low 20s.

[Britster]

I actually don't mind cold temps so much - it's that damn wind that gets me!! Jax and I will gladly go for romps and adventures still even if it's in the 20's and sunny etc but when it's super dreary, blustery wind and the windchill makes it 10 degrees then I opt to skip out lmao

[capt_noonie]

Jax is a tough boy though! But yeah the wind makes it really hard. Even when it's not THAT cold, the wind makes it so much colder!

[LunarBerry]

lol my Kimchi must be the wimpiest of the bunch in that manner lol. She'll do her thing outside quickly and rush back in if the weather is below 40-45, especially if it's damp/wet. She's actually cried to me while I was trying to get the bath water warm for her after getting her to swim in her little pool (with a life jacket and assistance, of course) and she was shivering from being cold. Mind you this was during the summer. >_<
She's cried to me another time before (and for many other minor reasons) when she was still a baby and she was on my bed and I had my little fan on, granted the room was kind of chilly (I'm a tad hot natured), but she started to shiver then look at me and cried, so I bundled her in my blankets and laid by her to warm her up, then she mellowed out. She's actually gotten better about crying over every little thing she doesn't like, but she's still a drama queen >_>; ...meh, I'm practically her slave ;-; but of course, she does show me she loves me There's times that she just loves to give tons of kisses and she brings me her toys and just wants to be around me.

[capt_noonie]

I think we are all their slaves aren't we?! Heh heh

Uni is weird bc in the summer she loves to sun tan, even with her clothes on. If she starts getting hot she pants but doesn't move out of the sun. So you'd think she only likes warm, but she doesn't mind being in the cold either!

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

Hey, I think I'm doing fairly well for being a So Cal girl! I grew up where there's hardly any seasons and in the winter it gets to a "chilly" 50 degrees! LOL

LOL it's been so cold here...it gets chillier than LA. I love it though...pups do ok but I do bundle them up in layers, a tee over a hoodie.