OK. Loki is a year old, so take this for what it's worth. Although, we got him in March and we did send him outside then as well.
I've heard housetraining is even easier in the winter because there is less to sniff, although Loki likes to eat the snow. The only drawback is that YOU will get cold. When crate/housetraining at first, you have to spend a while outside standing in the same spot with your dog until they figure out they need to go potty when they go outside. I'm warning you, Loki didn't really get things until he was about 6 months old, then it took him another 2 months to figure out how to *really* let us know (by scratching at the door or whining) and then *wait* for someone to let him out. No fence so a doggie door is not an option for us - he goes out on a flexi leash. IMO all of this is preferable to having pee pads.
Loki shivered a lot when he was little, especially when he drank cold water or was scared. He doesn't do that any more. Get your pup a coat and some sweaters. Heck, you really only need two - in case one gets wet. Buy sweaters/coats with cutouts on the bottom. Don't get one that's straight across. This leaves room on the bottom for bathroom duties. We've never had a problem with Loki peeing on a correctly fitted shirt. If you need help finding the right size let us know. We have pros on the board!
Also, Loki is fine in the snow but HATES wind and rain. Even he will have an accident because he doesn't want to go out in the rain or wind. I try to give him some sort of wind barrier and he does have a raincoat. It's tough. But he's a year old so i don't give him a lot of slack. The doggie bathroom is outside. He does seem to do better if I go out with him and stand there and get wet too, which is fair I suppose! |