DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My little Sheltie, “Gabriel,” loves going for walks outside, but he starts shivering after about five to 10 minutes and we have to turn around and go home. He’s really active, so I don’t understand why he can’t stay warm. Can you help? -- Joseph in Grand Rapids, Michigan DEAR JOSEPH: Little dogs are bundles of energy, but that’s often not enough to defeat Mother Nature and stay warm outside when the cold winds of winter are blowing.
Dogs regulate their temperature through their skin, and they tend to lose a lot of heat this way. That’s great in the summer when they need to cool off, but a handicap for many breeds in the winter. Huskies and other large dogs with double-thick coats and lots of energy can stand bitter cold better than smaller dogs with single coats. And, as PetMD puts it, small dogs have a lower surface area to volume ratio than big dogs. Internally, they don’t hold onto heat as well. So they get cold much faster.
A cold injury can be quite serious for dogs of any size, so prevention is essential. Once the temperature drops below 60 degrees, your dog should be wearing a sweater on outside walks. If it’s windy or rainy, a water-resistant shell is best. Booties will protect a small dog’s paws from cold sidewalks, and later, as winter closes in, from ice, salt crystals and snow.