Do Your Whippts Have House Coats?

[quintessence]

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The only coats mine wear in the house is the one they were born with. The only justification I can see for dogs wearing coats in the house is either old age or sickness. I know I'm a grumpy old woman but why do we put clothes on our dogs for them to go to bed, good quality bedding is surely all they need, I am being really honest now but it's a trend I never ever thought I would see in whippets. How do you think whippets kept warm in the past living in houses without central heating, or in kennels, it was all down, and still is, to good animal husbandry. Rant over, and I know people can do what they like with their own dogs and it's not really any of my business but dressing them up to go to bed is unbelievable.

Jenny

 

[OEH]

The only one of mine that wears a coat indoors is Tess after her swimming in the winter, but that is cos she has very little in the way of coat especially in the winter and really seems to feel it.

 

[mally]

The only coats mine wear in the house is the one they were born with.  The only justification I can see for dogs wearing  coats in the house is either old age or sickness.  I know I'm a grumpy old woman but why do we put clothes on our dogs for them to go to bed, good quality bedding is surely all they need, I am being really honest now but it's a trend I never ever thought I would see in whippets.  How do you think whippets kept warm in the past living in houses without central heating, or in kennels, it was all down, and still is, to good animal husbandry.  Rant over, and I know people can do what they like with their own dogs and it's not really any of my business but dressing them up to go to bed is unbelievable.
Jenny

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totally agree 100% :- " :- " :- "

 

[boothros]

Wouldnt dream of dressing mine up indoors as she finds the hotspots in the house without any problem. Will put a walking coat on if walking out in the cold or wet as I figure a whippet isnt designed to walk anywhere. Have recently ordered a new all weather coat which she can run in, but will have to watch the weather before I use it lest she become soft in the head!

 

[dessie]

I thought this thread was a joke (w00t) . Coats for in the house whatever next. No wonder some people consider whippets to be shivering wrecks when it comes to them being working dogs. They obvously see pampered poochers shivering.
I only use exercise coats when walking my whippets in the rain. If it's dry and cold they go without. IMO if you put a coat on your whippets indoors what chance has it got of developing a decent coat to protect it from the cold?

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The breed standard states the coat should "fine, short, close in texture" . Mine are not working dogs and I don't want them to develop a 'decent coat' just so that they can go out without being rugged up. Also some feel the cold more than others, the same as people. Any medically trained person will tell you shivering is NOT good, the muscles contract and cannot work adequately and you lose bodyheat. There is a difference between quivering with excitement and actually shivering because you are bl**dy cold!!

Why do you think hot blooded performance horses (like racehorses/showjumpers/eventers) are rugged up until properly warmed up? And cold blooded working horses (like Shires/Percherons etc) are not? It is like comparing a Whippet to a Labrador. Different builds of animal have different needs.

 

[~elizabeth~]

The breed standard states the coat should "fine, short, close in texture" .  Mine are not working dogs and I don't want them to develop a 'decent coat' just so that they can go out without being rugged up.  Also some feel the cold more than others, the same as people. ...It is like comparing a Whippet to a Labrador.  Different builds of animal have different needs.

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Totally agree :- " There is a lot of variation between whippet types, the amount of bodyfat they carry, I don't think you can generalise either.

 

[Eleanor Gibbins]

I completely agree with Dessie. I have an 11.5 year old whippet and no central heating, so if it is very cold he wears his Equafleece while I am out at work. He doesn't wear it at night, but he has a nice warm quilt to snuggle under.

He is (touch wood) showing no signs of rheumatism or arthritis and carries a nice degree of condition throughout the year - he consistently wins 'veteran' classes and looks several years younger than his actual age. I am sure that this is at least partly because he is kept warm and dry during the colder months.

Eleanor

 

[05whippet]

I don't think it has anything to do with working whippets either IMO as ours wear jammies in the house (as previous pix show) and coats when out road walking or at shows but yet they ALL work and admirably too!! And they certainly DON'T stand about shivering,they are far too busy catching bunnies!! :thumbsup:

 

[melanie]

i dont have house coats for mine but that is because i have the heating on 24/7, i like my house to be warm at all times.

dessie that was very well put :thumbsup:

 

[Whippets Rule]

My guys are getting old and they have fleece coats on some days during the winter months indoors but we don't have central heating and it's so cold the nets freeze to the windows....in these circumstances i make no apology for putting coats on my boys in the house.

They have thicker coats for outside and if its very very cold they wear a fleece under their outside coats when we go into the woods.The valley we walk down in the woods is very steep and the temperature drop is remarkable as you head for the bottom.One of the boys caught a bad chill last year cos they didn't wear coats....they do now.

 

[rustypolecat]

there are certainly some strong views on this thread.....I'll always put a warm coat on my girls when they are out walking on the lead, as they carry very little fat, and subsequently cannot retain body heat in the same way a fatter more heavily coated animal can, is it not wrong to exercise when your muscles are cold? When my girls are running free they dont wear their coats as I feel they keep themselves pretty toasty with their galloping, but on the way home the coats are put back on (unless I've misjudged the temperature! and thought it to be warmer than it is!) At home the girls always seem to be comfortable just being "commando", they can usually be found by the fire, under the duvet or under a pile of cats! They always seem to know the where best cozy spots are! All being said, I must say how beautiful all the pyjamas looked, I know I'll certainly be payinh the websites a visit.

In the meantime "keep cozy!" and enjoy your canine companions. (w00t)

 

[firesprite]

In this weather mine have vests and pants with a thick woolly jumper over the top. I have bought some lovely thermal socks (2 prs of course) and have managed to find a childs woolly hat to stay on during walks. I am looking for a long enough sock to go all the way down the tail as this is the only bit uncovered at the moment.

 

[sharron]

Zeb has his jammies on in the winter, only at night and only if ist really cold.