winter chill Hi, I am new here and have been reading lots. You are all a great wealth of information and all your babies are beautiful! I am a new Yorkie mom to Teddy Bear 3 1/2 months and about 2 1/2 lbs or so. We live in Alaska which brings me to my question......... It's just the begining of October and already cold and wet most of the time. 43 right and raining right now. Teddy loves to come out with me. He has his car seat booster in tha car and comes into any and all stores, skating rink while I watch my children and anyplace else I can go without being asked to leave. Most times though since we live outside of town when we go we are out for several hours at a time. I always bring potty pads and try to get him to go in the handicap stall in the ladies bathroom but usually he doesn't go. If I don't get him to go before the ride home he might have an accident in the carseat (happened 2 times) Right now I am having go outside just before getting in the car and he usually does go then BUT he shivers and shakes and is just freezing. Poor thing. It's only going to get colder. So my question is how do you all keep your babies warm in the winter. He wears a sweater but it doesn't seem to help outside. I want to know if him getting chilled like that for a few minutes at a time to go potty could make him sick? Our winter is colder than our summer here and can't imagine not taking out with me for that whole time. Kim |
We have another member on here form Alaska and I hope he ees this and responds to you. He could help you out alot. It gets cold here however not a cold as Alaska and my yorkies go out to goto the bathroom also to play in the snow. I also still take my on walks in the cold weater. They make warm coats and boots you can put on your dog. Hre is a link with some warm clothes and coats. http://www.fidofleece.com/ |
Hi and welcome! There are some wonderful jackets out there...winter ones that'll keep your little one warmer than a sweater. Sweaters are good but they just don't cut the wind. Also, boots are a great idea to keep their feet from freezing. Teddy Bear is small so I don't know if you'd want to bring him out when it's too cold....when Topher was small he didn't want much to do with the snow, even though he was bundled up like crazy....but he'd never seen it before and was quite afraid! We have another YT'er here from Alaska...Alaskayorkie...and I'm sure he'd be helpful with this question as well. Again, welcome. Do you have pictures of Teddy Bear? I'd love to see him! |
Hi on the link I gave you the fido fleece coats look like they would be nice to wear as sweaters but the 4 legged coat looks like it would be warm for outside. You can find other warm coats by googling dog parkas on the net. Outward hound makes a nice one too with a hood on it |
2 Attachment(s) Alaska? ... ALASKA!!! I've been on here for a year and a half, and the only people I've met with an Alaska connection have been FORMER Alaskans. And they took their Yorkies with them. It's great to have another Alaskan on here. It's a great site for information, and laughs. Anchorage by any chance??? I'll have to PM you some more advice because I've gotta run now, but yes, Yorkies can handle Alaska. Here are a couple pics of my two boys, 4 pounds and 9 pounds. |
I decided to just post some tips here in case others are interested. I apologize for the length. Potty training * Don't baby him. When it's time to go outside, let him outside and don't make a fuss about it. If he doesn't want to go, calmly carry him to the spot you want him to go. After accidents, carry him to the same spot. * When he goes outside successfully, praise, praise, praise and treat. * When the snow flies, stomp down a path for him. I use some cheap snowshoes I bought at Costco. Walks * Don't be paranoid about the cold. If you can keep him moving, his shivering will stop quickly. Think of all the skinny athletes we have who run and ski for hours in those Spandex tights. They're not cold because they're moving and generating heat. Same thing for skinny Yorkies. Keep them moving, and they won't get cold. * Now is the time to get him used to winter, while it's 40 and not 10! Daily walks are important, no matter how short. * He will likely shiver and pull at his harness to go back in the house when you start. Lure him with treats to take as many steps as you can. Quit after a success. If he only walks 10 steps, fine. Treat and try for 20 steps the next time. * If the snow is thick, wear your snowshoes and let him walk behind you. Clothing * Coats: I like fleece because it stays warm when wet. Get something that doesn't restrict his movement. * Booties (after the snow flies): They can be a pain, but if mushers can get 64 of them on a 16 dog team, Yorkie owners can get four on one obstinate Yorkie. You don't need anything elaborate. Anything to keep their pads off the direct snow. I use a fleece bootie lined in a waterproof nylon, but fleece alone or nylon alone does the trick. One YTer makes them herself out of the tips of gloves and fastens them with Velcro. Brilliant. Don't worry about putting them on for short potty breaks. Too much work. * Secret weapon: I just ordered a fleece carrier from a YTer that I'm real excited about. When it's real cold outside, my 4-pounder can only handle 5-10 minute walks while my 9-pounder can go for 30 minutes plus. So when the 4-pounder starts shivering, I'll put him in the fleece carrier inside my coat until he warms up. After 5-10 minutes there, I'll let him back out. |
alaskayorkie, thank you for taking the time to post all of the tips regarding winter for our yorkies. Although our winters here in IN don't get nearly as cold as yours, I do appreciate the advice. Thanks again! :) |
alaskayorkie, that was very good and informative. I think I will need some of that advice also on our Ohio trip next month. thanks. myteddybear, welcome to YT and, as you can see, you will learn something new and useful almost every day. |
fido fleece is wonderful and on sale 30% off i love fido fleece. it keeps them warm and dry. romeo has one on right now.:) we live in nj and our house is 110 yrs old and no insulation. it's about 50 degrees outside and he is comfy in fido fleece. yorkies are single coated dogs so you need to keep them warm and protect their belly. check the link below for 30% off at sitstay.com. http://www.sitstay.com/store/clothing/coats1.shtml |
Wow! Someone else in Alaska! Hi Alaskayorkie! Yes, we are in Anchorage (or there abouts) actually in Peter's Creek. Just got back from the Diamond mall with all my kids (including my 4 legged ones LOL) We spend alot of time there because my girls do alot of skating. I usually always bring Teddy with and use my son's stroller to hide him in his bag. Still looking for a bag on the internet that doesn't look like a dog bag so I don't have to use the stroller all time. Your tips were great! Thanks so much! Your little one looks as though he actually enjoys the snow. I have a Golden that really loves the snow and the cold. A great big thanks to those of you that posted the terrific links! I love the 4 legged fleece. I'll be ordering one of those! Kim |
does anyone recommend a particular brand of boot? Since we're on the topic of winter, those of you who've used boots on your dogs in the snow, what brand do you prefer??? |
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