Q: Can we keep our Labrador outside for the winter?
We have an 8-month-old lab puppy who we keep outside in the yard but it's getting colder, and I'm worried about her. We live in midwest. I know some other families that keep their dogs (huskies and labs) outside because they are originally from a cold climate and they are built for cold weather. Do you think we can keep her outside for the winter if we buy her a dog house and keep it insulated?
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Answers and Views:
Answer by I
Well, I'm sure the dog will be ok, but there is such a thing as too cold. If you know it's going to freeze, then I would bring the dog in. Your dog will grow winter fur, but it won't protect it from the bitter cold.
Answer by Hafiz
Hii…I have bought a labrador puppy. ..she has been kept outside..weather is fine in my place.
We have a garden, a pool, and a big backyard…we take her for a walk in the morning and evening she plays in the pool….In spite of all these I feel her dull at times frankly speaking..its bcoz they like to be with us all the time…they are very sociable animals…they love to be with the
pack ….but due to some reasons, we can keep her only outside. ..so I have decided to buy her a companion…so that she gets accompanied the whole time..hopefully, it works..
Answer by Russell Noble
I have a flap in my garage wall leading directly into her large pen (inside the garage) with her bed in it where she can get in and out as much as she likes. When we are in the house during the day she can come and go in the house as she likes but sleeps out there every night. its cold but she's fine.
Answer by Alexandra W.
Why own a dog if you’re just going to keep them outside? Unless you own a farm, even then your dog shouldn’t live or sleep outside with that sort of temperature. Just give your dog away to someone who actually will love them.
Answer by P-Dog
The Labradors I have ever owned loved to be outside more than inside. Unless it is extremely cold and there is no shelter for them, I believe they are fine outside. But what is most important is that you are still giving him or her the attention they need. I think sometimes when it is cold outside, humans don’t go outside and then they are left lonely and that is sadder than them being outside. So if you don’t want to go outside to be with your Labrador then bring the dog in to be with you. That is my suggestion!
Answer by I Love Labradors
Please please please everyone do research before making this kind of decision for your dog. What is too cold for you may just be the right temperature for your dog. What is comfortable for you may actually be uncomfortable for your dog. Dogs are not humans and should never be thought of in human terms. You are only going to hurt them if you do!
That being said, I grew up in Minnesota. It gets very cold here. I have had labradors all my life and they can survive very frigid temps. My dogs were never allowed in the house. We had a barn and the dogs had free access to the hay mow to be able to come and go as they pleased. They would sleep in the hay, usually in the early part of the day because they liked to be awake at night. They loved playing in the snow even when the temps were below zero. They would sometimes even sleep outside the barn! They loved it.
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Labradors are from, funnily enough, an area of northern Canada that goes by the same name. They were bred by fishermen to be able to withstand the frigid temps of the Labrador Sea which, essentially, is just an extension of the northern Atlantic Ocean. The dogs actually jumped into the water to retrieve objects and fish for their owners.
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To argue that a Labrador cannot withstand temperatures lower than freezing is ridiculous. They can, and they do, and they enjoy it. If you keep them locked up in your house with the furnace cranked high they won’t be able to develop a proper winter coat. But if you leave them outside with a well-insulated dog house and plenty of food and water they will be perfectly fine.
Answer by K
Why would you do this to your dog?? Yes, it's an animal but dogs nowadays have been living with humans for generations and generations and are not like other animals anymore. They NEED human companionship all the time.
Dogs actually prefer to spend time with humans over other dogs (this is proven through recent research) because we have bred them to be companions. They should never be left outside alone for long periods of time. Please don't do this.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
Shae says
I understand everyone’s comments. However, I am still unclear on a specific item. If my lab is inside most of the time each day due to where I live, what is the temperature, with wind chill, that I need to put a coat and booties on him if we are outside for more than an hour? I ask as my current lab is only a few months old right now. He wears a jacket below 32 degrees F (0 C) if we are going to be out for more than 45 minutes as he simply begins to shake and we are not always close to home. He is growing rapidly, so I wonder if I should buy him the next size jacket and booties. I would honestly rather not use either. But, if that is what it takes to be outside for 2 hours in 20 degree weather, then so be it.
Mark says
20 degrees is still ok for the lab. Lower temperatures are not advisable and he may need a coat and booties.
Maureen Kirby says
As a child my family had purebred Labrador Retrievers which were raised to work at retrieving ducks during duck hunting season and taken to field trials. They were always kennelled outside with straw filled dog houses and secure wired runs on concrete. Sometimes they were brought out to get exercise or to mingle with our family but always put back in the kennel. We lived in Ontario, Canada – hot and cold temperatures. As an adult we adopted a yellow lab and gave him the option of being in a fenced yard with shelter inside the garage and shade outside in Alberta, Canada. In the coldest temperatures he was brought inside and lay inside an enclosed penned area in the kitchen overnight. He was never allowed to run through the house but could lay quietly in the living room for occasional social times and behaved very well. He was exercised in dog run parks and had long leashed walks. He lived to be very elderly and was a wonderful dog, good with cats and children also. We found that a mix of inside/outside for him worked best.
P-Dog says
The comment has been moved into the body of the post.
Mike says
Just had a nosey neighbor call the city on me for having my dog in the back yard for too long when it was 20 degrees. I have a Lab and he just loves to be outside. When he wants to come in he comes to the door and I let him in. Cant believe people don’t have anything better to do than snoop in their neighbors business. My dog is definitely an outside dog and my only guilt comes from not playing with him enough outside. He handles the cold much better than I. I just wish people would mind their own business.
Deegan says
It is only in the last few decades that anyone would consider keeping a Lab inside. Even here in Northern Canada our Dog never comes in. She has a dog house with a heated floor pad and a 40W bulb and she only ever goes in it if it’s under -30C. We often take her into her kennel for a large portion of the day when it’s that cold, but at -20 She’s fine outside all day. People have started to believe their dogs are people and they are not. Nobody takes the Coyotes and wolves in at night. They do find shelter but at -20 they are all out at night
Billie says
I have found that our society puts more emphasis on indulging their dogs as if they were humans than they do on children with cancer. What has happened to our country when we place dogs above human beings. I just shake my head in awe as I read these irate comments about how awful people are if they leave their dogs outside alone, or in the cold weather. Wake up and smell the dog biscuits people! Dogs are dogs–people are people. There’s no comparison whatsoever. Their body temp is much higher than ours, they don’t think like human beings (despite your willingness to believe that they do), and they shouldn’t be on the couch drinking beer and eating potato chips. This is why so many dogs now have cancer, as we’ve conditioned them to live like us–and the irony is so many people think it is acceptable or ‘cute’. And talk about fat, overweight animals! It’s not nice to give the dog treats constantly when they are already 20 pounds overweight. That kind of love cuts their life short! Oh, and I do have my fair share of dogs as well…7. I love them, but I do know the difference between my needs and theirs. When they start picking up my feces–then I’ll consider them a possible distant relative!
Mike says
No, I’m sorry. Dogs are NOT the same as a child. Come on now. I know you love your pet , and I’m glad you do. But it’s a Dog……
Jan says
A dog has the intelligence of a 3 to 5 year old person and can learn 250 words. A small and furry person!
RussianDog says
It’s true.