Mother Nature helps your dog stay warm when cold weather hits if they’re a dog that stays outside all the time. Their fur gets thicker, but your indoor buddy lives in a comfortable temperature. You go outside w/ a coat on, some warm boots & gloves, but what about your dog? He needs protection from the cold too. Some dogs have long fluffy fur & going out into the cold won’t be that hard on them, but it’s hard on your dog going out into the cold when they have shorter fur or trimmed fur. They need a coat too.

Every dog is different when it comes to what type of coat they like or will tolerate. I’ve had smaller dogs, like a Miniature Schnauzer, that liked to wear sweaters. I would knit some for her. There are many different patterns & yarn you can find on the Internet for knitting or crocheting a coat for your dog. I like the turtle patterns that come up around the neck to keep more of their body warm. Also using 100% wool is best too. It keeps them a lot warmer plus is still warm if it gets wet.

Some dogs don’t like wearing things & are more of a challenge. I have found horse equipment catalogs that also have a section for dogs. They’ll have different types of dog blankets too. Some will even be made out of the same material as their horse blankets. These are warm plus durable.

There’s also the option of making one yourself out of many types of fabric. If you have horses & some old torn blankets, you could use the material from that to make a good dog blanket. You can find patterns for those too.

There are endless options for keeping your dog warm in the cold winter months when he needs to go outside.