Do Dogs Need Winter Coats?

When wintry weather comes to New York City, you can be sure of a few things: Taxis will be hard to hail, subway steps will be slippery, and dogs will be bundled up.

Pit bulls in cashmere cable-knits. Greyhounds in flannel onesies. Terriers in down jackets that look more like flotation devices.



The outfits elicit squeals and praise (who’s a good boy?!) and, occasionally, sadness that the dog’s coat is nicer than our own.

But we’ve always wondered — do pets really need clothes in the cold?

Most dogs do not, according to Dr. Richard Goldstein, chief medical officer at New York City’s Animal Medical Center.

“A dog’s circulatory system is actually quite good in regards to dealing with the cold,” Dr. Goldstein told us, noting that the average dog is much better equipped to deal with winter chill than summer heat.



But not all dogs are created equal when it comes to staying warm.

Miniature dogs (like chihuahuas), poodles and poodle mixes have the hardest time because they have hair, which is “not anywhere near as protective or thick as fur,” Dr. Goldstein said. Wolfish northern breeds with long fur, like huskies and malamutes, do best. Labradors and golden retriever types are somewhere in the middle.

“When we get goose bumps, it doesn’t do much because we’re not as hairy as we once were,” Dr. Goldstein said. “But when a dog gets goose bumps, it makes their hair stand up, increasing the barrier they have between the outside and the skin, and that coat is good at minimizing the loss of heat.”
“It would be hard to imagine a larger dog that would need a jacket,” he added. “You’re doing it more for the owner and the cuteness than for the dog.”

If you do decide to get your pup a winter get-up, the key body parts to keep warm would be the face, mouth and nose, because that’s where their heat evaporates, according to Dr. Goldstein. But because covering a dog’s whole head is not exactly realistic, do your best to cloak their belly or abdomen.
And as for the paws? Dogs don’t lose much heat through their feet, Dr. Goldstein said, but he recommends shoes or “old-fashioned plastic bags” when city sidewalks are covered in salt, which “can be quite toxic and cause a lot of damage to the foot pads.”

Cats, he noted, should not be outside during the winter at all.