# What's your temperature limit?



## redrover

I'm curious as to what everyone else's temperature limits are for taking their dogs out for exercise. I'm thinking mainly cold, here. It's been frigid in Minnesota lately, with the wind chill dipping down to about -25F, so Jasper and I haven't been out. It'll be a little warmer tomorrow morning at our normal exercise time, then get colder as the day goes on, though the wind chills still bring us south of 0F. I'm currently debating whether it will be too cold for us tomorrow. I'm mostly worried about his paws, since the park we frequent is completely covered in snow and ice at this point. I do use Musher's Secret, and we have boots, but we've had minimal success keeping them on his paws--might try the sport wrap, boot, duct tape combo I saw here: http://fusionvizslas.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/protecting-our-vizslas-during-harsher-winter-conditions/. I don't want to take him if we're both more concerned about the cold, but I also know these indoor games are only doing so much for him. Looking at the forecast, we'd have to wait until the weekend for better temps (or Thursday, depending on which forecast you use!). I think we might err on the side of caution and not go, just because it's no fun for either of us when he's unhappy.

That said, I just wondered what everyone's lower limits were for their dogs. Obviously every dog is different, but it's still interesting to hear from other folks. If I'm remembering one of our last excursions in the cold, which was New Year's Day?, I think my car thermometer said it was -9F out, and I remember cutting the visit short because Jasper was shivering a lot and his feet kept getting too cold. Sometimes I think I need to keep a weather journal to remember these things! But we were only out there for about 15 minutes before we had to go back in. I think Jasper's limit might be anything subzero (Fahrenheit), especially if walking on snow or ice, rather than dirt/grass.

Anyhow, long story for a simple question: What temperature is your lower limit?


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## GarysApollo

We go out in all temps, but when its real cold for shorter amounts of time. If they are moving they seem to be fine. Its me that can only take so much cold. 

The coolest day we had here this year has been 25ºf and in the lower teens at night. I used to be fine in the cold but we moved from Maryland to south west Florida and now we live back in Maryland, two years later im still trying to get used to the cold again.


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## datacan

-10C/14F without protection and only if active... -18C/0F with protection and active... 
he will lift his legs if paws are freezing, like today... 

Wind chill is tricky to factor, depends on actual wind conditions and I find that they tend to over estimate the cold... we just go by feel and actual temperature. 
For me, wind chill as reported, is just like watching the evening news... you would think the world is about to fall apart. 

Anyhow, I wanted to put on his booties but I never thought about his ears .... lucky we just came back inside after only 20 minutes :-[ put him on the treadmill for another 20 min, played some games, slept for most of the time.


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## Ozkar

I feel for you guys. Sure, we get some extreme heat, but we don't get the depths of cold you guys do. I honestly cannot fathom it. All my overseas travel has been done during the summer of whichever destination I was heading. Except once I spent Xmas in the U.S. However, it was California.........  Never got a day below 19c.............  

Our coldest mornings and evenings in winter only get to the early minuses in celcius. I think the worst I have been in was maybe minus 5 or 6c. So nothing dire. But, we do get lots of summer days here where the temps do not get below 34c and hover above 40c for days on end. The lows of 34c are overnight lows. So it doesn't matter if you wake them up at 3am for a walk, it's still hot.


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## datacan

Wuss... only -5? ;D... we wear short sleeves here


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## harrigab

we got out in all weathers, we're a temperate climate so we don't get extreme variations through the day, probably -5deg C to +30deg C. We're usually quite active so no coat, booties needed for Ruby usually. It was about -4 last week on the shoot so I put a coat on Ruby whilst we were on the peg but took it off when it was our turn to "beat" drives for the other team that were shooting.


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## Rufus Tiberius

While living in Alaska in the 80's, work took me from Anchorage to Fairbanks in the dead of winter. Had to take my V with me. Was staying in a motel one night there and the temp dropped to -20F. Bundled her up in a warm coat and booties and took her out for a walk to relieve herself before bed. She did her business and we were back inside within 20 minutes. That is the coldest I ever had her outside.


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## Suliko

It was 7F this morning....brrrrr My two darlings had a brisk 30 min walk. Yesterday we did a 30 min walk too, and then Sophie's paws started to get cold. No coats, no booties.


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## Mileysmom

I was +1C today in Ireland with a bit of snow and rain.
Miley doesn't own a coat but she is always keep herself busy outside.

The minimum temp about -3-5C


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