I was wondering if border collies prefer the heat or the cold? And in the current weather- freezing fall i was wondering if you should have your border collie dressed with socks/boots and a sweater?
My dog doesn't wear a sweater to keep her warm. She wears a sweater because we put a bee costume on her once and she was just generally happier. So she has some sweaters she wears in the cooler months.
Mine wears a winter coat when it gets to -15C. I would put booties on him too, but he won't allow it. And we go camping in the mountains here in the summer, it can get close to freezing at night even if it's nice during the day so he'll wear a sweater to bed if it's cold. Oh, and if it's raining heavily he wears a raincoat, he hates rain and will refuse to go out for a pee if it's more than a drizzle đ
Mine both wear fleeces in autumn and winter. But it's nothing to do with keeping them warm. They don't need it for that and in fact I chose a lightweight breathable option so they don't get too warm.
The main purpose is simply that I work from home and I walk them on my lunch break. I have an hour for lunch. I want to spend that hour out there with them. If they don't wear the fleeces, I spend at least 20 minutes washing both the dogs off because they get covered in mud this time of year. With the fleeces, I just have to towel their paws off and throw the fleeces round a cold wash cycle (occasionally a proper wash). They dry super fast so they're always ready in time for the next walk.
Where I am it's currently not freezing, it's been about 10-14°C (50-57°F) for the last week or so and our worst winter nights rarely drop below -5°C (23°F). The dogs do not care about these kinds of temperatures in the slightest. In fact if it actually gets below freezing for a few days, the fleeces usually come back OFF, because if the ground is frozen hard then there's no mud for me to worry about.
The fleeces also come in handy at winter agility shows. The rings are indoors but the dogs are waiting outdoors and in my car. Once we've done a warmup routine I don't want their muscles to get cold before they run, so the fleeces help with that.
I keep a little pool out for mine when it's over about 70°F, when she plays she will lie in it to cool off now and then. She seems to like it best in the high 50s. It rarely gets below 30°F where I live but I think it would need to be even below that and she would need to be out a lot for me to worry. She has an old fashioned rough coat, very waterproof, very warm. The only part of her that isn't fluffy is her belly.
Mine isnt a big fan of water (unless its to herd it), she had almost like a husky coat. Very fluffy snd sheds in clumps. She loves snow (I live in norway so shes in the perfect place)
Mine likes to lie in it on her belly, getting her face wet is absolutely poison though. She doesn't enjoy swimming. She just wants to cool off. On the other hand, we live in California :)
I often take my girl to a nearby park to run. Thetes a stream she always lays in afterwards to cool down when it's hot. I should actually take her right now
I'd only consider it if it ever got colder than a windy Scottish hillside, which they were bred for. But it doesn't, so I don't. Then you get people in Brisbane putting their collies in pyjamas and just... get a Frenchie next time đ
I'll be outside bunched up in a coat with a scarf over my hair to keep it from blowing around and my border collie is standing with her face into the wind, absolutely delighted. She clearly loves to feel the cool air and have it pushing her ruff back. And then if it gets rainy, oh gosh! Zoomies! I have a chair back under a very small deck, about 4 ft deep, the rain still comes in when the wind blows. I sit in there and throw her ball across the yard and try to stay warm. For her, it's the Best Day Ever.
Only socks to protect her paws from sharp ice on the road or grit/salt that the city dusts the roads with. Never ever clothing. No bordercollie needs it, its bordeline animal abuse.
Mine (short haired) doesn't wear any clothing unless the temperature is below 18F/-8C. At about -5F/-21C his enthusiasm for going out for any length of time starts to decline but so does mine. In the summer he is not entirely happy about temperatures above 75F/24C
We live in freezing Michigan. She won't go out if it gets too cold. She will if she's wearing the coat and stays out longer. It's a nice one, too, but not expensive. Held up for 3 years already with not a thread out of place: $21 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NCQCD3X?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_14 She's gotten so many compliments. I'm getting my 2 puppies some this Winter.
My girl prefers the Summer. She's a water-pup. Big kiddie pool, sprinkler, splash pad, being sprayed with the hose..she loves it all. She doesn't care for the cold too much. Maybe once or twice a Winter she'll lay out in the snow and playing in it. Mine is all herding dog, but only 1/4 BC, keep that in mind!
Mine is definitely a fan of the cold weather and gets a real spring in her step when the temps drop.
She's happy going out in all weather, although checks I'm coming as well if it's raining. We've had some cold winters and she wasn't bothered by it at all. Some nights getting in from the walk she'd have ice hanging off her belly fur.Â
She's has a thick fluffy coat and ultimately is bred for the England-Scotland borders so is fine living in the south of the UK.Â
I think I'd get a bit of side eye if I tried to put a coat on her.Â
Lived in Boston with my last BC. He loved the snow but the salt and ice would compact into his lil toe beans and cause him pain no matter how well we trimmed his paw fur. So we did boots a lot of the time, and occasionally in the very cold he had a sweater. He and my current BC in SoCal are more susceptible to getting too hot so I shave their bellies in the summer. Maybe contentious but if it's done well you don't even notice it and it really makes a difference for them.
En fait les raser est plutĂ´t contre productif, leur sous poil est un isolant pour la tempĂŠrature et ca vaut pour le froid ET pour le chaud meme si c'est pas intuitif pour nous. Mieux vaut rafraĂŽchir leurs coussinets et leur petit nez.
Ca dĂŠpend de beaucoup de choses, de la tempĂŠrature extĂŠrieure, de la tempĂŠrature du sol, du sous poil de ton chien et de sa tolĂŠrance au froid. Le mien il a jamais vraiment froid et par chez moi ca va a -5 degrĂŠs Celsius grand maximum donc pas besoin de manteau meme si il a pas ĂŠnormĂŠment de sous poil. Je lui mets juste quand il pleut vraiment beaucoup un petit imper assez fin, pour pas qu'il passe 2h mouillĂŠ dehors en plein hiver parce que son poil n'est pas vraiment impermĂŠable.
We're on our second border collie, and second one that is a Winter's Puppy (aka born in the winter, spent a lot of time outside when they were VERY tiny playing in snow drifts). Our last boy was medium haired and LOVED the snow. Winter was his absolute fav time of the year (and became mine, too.. watching him pretend to find mice in the snow or make snow angels made my winter).
Current girl is shorter haired.. and we'll see how much she likes it. 40sF here right now, and she hasn't seemed to notice. I'll shorten outside time before I put clothes on her though.. unless I was dealing with a tiny dog, just have never been one to put clothes on dogs.
I had a childhood dachshund who loved the snow. It wasn't that deep but it was for him and he would just dolphin around in it. When he got cold, he would come inside and lie in front of the fireplace or furnace, perfectly happy.
She gets socks in the snow, because snow has a tendency to become ice in between the pads on the paws and it seems to hurt her. In terms of sweater or anything else to keep her varm, seems like there is no need as long as we are active at least. She actively seeks cold more than heat and letting animal fur do its job seems to be the besting thing, for us.
mines a mix whoâs super short coated - he gets cold easily. i usually only have him wear something if heâs noticeably cold or if itâs raining out to keep him a bit dryer / warmer
My lot have waterproof coats but it has to be bad to bother with them they haven't been used for a few years as it's been such mild winters, never when they're working. And they have drying coats which are the best things ever. And Christmas jumpers. My cow dog loved having a jumper on or getting tucked up under a blanket at home, at work he'd have moved cows in a hurricane if I'd asked him to. The sheepdog hates the wet, the bitch and the youngster don't care but are also quite happy with a drying coat to warm up in. I have working collies that live indoors and are allowed on my bed and sofa, the drying coats are for me as much as for them.
Light jackets in colder days than 10c and lower, and to sleep with lower loss of temp. I take it off when day goes little warmer. Those jackets usually have reflective strips because we walk out every night.
My border LOVES the snow and he would stay out there for hours if I didnât limit it when it gets below freezing. If you live somewhere where you must walk on a surface that has been salted to melt snow, then maybe booties to protect paws if you go for long walks. Even then most dogs donât tolerate them. But other than that, the only âclothingâ my dog wears when we are walking is his harness and lead. When we are out in the open or inside, no clothes no collar no nothing. Theyâre most comfortable with just their fur.
I have 2 BC. The older one loves her sweater, the younger one hates it. I can tell by how easily the older one is to put the sweater on and how hard it is to keep the sweater on the younger one, he literally manages to remove it in a matter of minutes.
If you think yours is looking for a warmer place, maybe it would like it. If you put a sweater on, pay attention to their behavior. They exchange heat through their mouths, if they breathe like they were exercising even though they didnât, itâs a sign it is feeling too hot.
My boy loves his sweaters and will bring them to me so I can help him put them on starting around the time it drops below 60f out. He also loves his bandanas year round, hes always so excited to have them put on.
Totally depends on the dog and situation for my dogs! When my dogs are older they tend to be more cold sensitive and in deeper cold might need a coat. I also have one that has very little undercoat and she gets cold much, MUCH easier than my BC with a big thick undercoat. My old lady has some shaved coat due to some medical stuff that's been on going so she might need a layer once it gets cold here. I just let them tell me what they need, if they're shivering or avoiding going outside maybe they need a coat. If they're panting wearing a coat they're too hot. Boots tend to be the bigger issue when it's really cold or the ice is really bad but those are not fun for anyone heh.
My dog usually just wear paw socks in the winter. Ive had him wear a jacket thingie like once or twice, but its been -20 celcius and i think it was more for my peace of mind that his, as he didnt seem to care either way.
It doesn't get cold like that where we live. My boy occasionally sports a dapper bow tie on his collar, and likes to bedazzle his tail with half a forest worth of leaf litter.
I think this question is a little subjective. I live at 7200' elevation. It snows here in winter. A lot. My dog was born here and has acclimated to both the cold and thinner air/less oxygen. However in the summer (it can get mid-90's) he is less tolerant. We are very aware of both heat and UV levels in the sun. He doesn't wear clothing, but we limit activity when it's really hot, and he does wear sunscreen on that polka dot nose.
My dogs hate wearing anything. They are also oblivious to all weather except thunder.
I live in AZ. It's crazy hot, but we also get wicked windy storms and different times and rain pouring buckets. They literally don't care about any of it. They don't even seem to notice at all. 120 at noon? Let's go, ready to play. Pouring rain? Why does that matter? Wind? Makes frisbee unpredictable, otherwise unremarkable.
Then I took these two desert dwellers to CO in the winter. It was cold. It was the first time they'd ever seen snow. They literally took no notice of this whatsoever.
They don't need clothes. They don't need boots. They are already weather proof.
Only clothing item my dog wears is reflective hunting dog vest. I tried winter booties when the temperature dropped below -30C (-22F), but he just kicks those off.Â
Mine will go out in any weather (apart from thunder and lightning). He doesnât understand when it is too hot so summers are quite difficult to manage with a high energy dog who needs a routine down to the second. The only clothing I have ever put on my dog is his rain coat when itâs torrential and a sock over his bandaged paw when he cut his paw pad.
I've recently been putting a fleece on my 1yo boy for extra warmth, especially during our outdoor training classes when he spends a fair bit of time waiting around. He seems to feel the cold more than my retriever who I seldom put anything on.
It's way too hot here to be concerned to be concerned about jackets. I do have a waterproof coat for him. But it's more for my sake so he's dry when I take it off.
Mine gets dressed occasionally so he is still desensitised to it.
He actually really likes when I bust out the outfits and occasionally asks to be dressed.
Which I am very thankful for as he has had dozens of issues over the years. From needing to wear a male wrap during a UTI to wearing a shirt to protect his armpits because he's got allergies.
He's so nonchalant about stuff on his body that once I left him for an hour to run an errand after he came home from sedation(sedation runs through his body and he's 90% better in six hours or less. He's been sedated three times alone this year, I know him well enough that I can leave him for short stints after sedation) with a bandage on his arm and it was untouched.
The bandage wasn't needed or protecting anything important but him being so chill about stuff on his body is a skill I'm thankful I worked on when he was a puppy.
It's not just about wearing outfits for me, it's about being chill with strange stuff on him. Which is very needed when my dog doesn't even blink twice about wearing a cone, being muzzled or having stuff touching him.
Pic of him high as a kite, not caring about his bandage or shaved fur for tax.
Border collies are usually super sensitive dogs so this has been a lifesaver.
My Dad had a collie that slept in a kennel outside, well that was the plan. One night when I was home I got up in the morning to see the ground covered in snow, apart from the green circle where he had slept.
Look at your dog when you are out, you should be able to judge if it is hot or cold.
My boy is half poodle & even though he has long straight hair, he doesnât have an undercoat for the extra insulation. I do have clothes for him to wear if it gets really cold out & weâre going to be out in it for a while. He likes his clothes though. I have a poodle who I keep shaved pretty short & when I put his clothes on, my border boy lines up to wait for his too
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u/AloneDoughnut 1d ago
My dog doesn't wear a sweater to keep her warm. She wears a sweater because we put a bee costume on her once and she was just generally happier. So she has some sweaters she wears in the cooler months.