# keeping warm at night



## jess_hawk (Sep 28, 2007)

I'm considering a couple of breeds of dog who are nearly or completely hairless, leaving them prone to getting cold. Not normally a problem, I can buy or make sweaters to keep the dog warm, but I like to keep the room on the cool side when I sleep. So I have to wonder how a hairless dog would handle these condition, and what I could do to help. I can provide an infinite number of blankets, but I'm worried that such a small body mass (Italian greyhounds, for example) may not be sufficient to keep warm. 

What do all of you do?
Thanks!


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

My Chihuahua, who is almost hairless on the belly, sleeps under the cover. It keeps her, and us, very warm. On top of her comfort, it is great against cramps, insomnia and stomach ache to have a warm little body to snuggle against (my SO moves a lot in his sleep, so I prefer to snuggle with the dog ).


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## Whippetterror (Nov 16, 2009)

I'm also interested in this. I like to keep my apartment cool in general but my dog (a whippet mix) seems to be chilly. I'm also interested in coat and cold weather outdoor advice.

Does anyone use dog pajamas? I've been considering it do they work and do they need and extra layer for quick potty trips outside?


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## jess_hawk (Sep 28, 2007)

Meshkenet said:


> My Chihuahua, who is almost hairless on the belly, sleeps under the cover. It keeps her, and us, very warm. On top of her comfort, it is great against cramps, insomnia and stomach ache to have a warm little body to snuggle against (my SO moves a lot in his sleep, so I prefer to snuggle with the dog ).


I roll over a lot in my sleep, and I would be worried about accidentally hurting the dog! Is this an issue?


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## Whippetterror (Nov 16, 2009)

I toss and turn a lot he just moves and readjusts positions


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## Gingergal (May 5, 2009)

My puppy is in a crate downstairs which gets very chilly.

So I just put 2 thick blankets covering most of the crate. Dogs feel safe when they are enclosed and I guess more cozy with a double layer of blankets!


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## NeoBodhi (Sep 23, 2009)

jess_hawk said:


> I roll over a lot in my sleep, and I would be worried about accidentally hurting the dog! Is this an issue?


I was worried about that with my pup as well, the only issue we have now is HIS rolling over and stretching (not to mention his farting!).


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## Meshkenet (Oct 2, 2009)

jess_hawk said:


> I roll over a lot in my sleep, and I would be worried about accidentally hurting the dog! Is this an issue?


My SO moves a lot in his sleep, and Coco simply slides over to my side or re-adjusts. It never seems to bother her. I was afraid of crushing her at first, but she is fine eery morning


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

There's a product called the snugglesafe. It looks kind of like a filled frisbee, you heat it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and it'll be warm for 8-12 hours. Just put it under your dog's blankets and it'll keep the dog warm for the entire night. 

I have 2 of them and use one for myself if it's really cold LOL! It acts like a very long lasting hot water bottle.


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## mrslloyd09 (Jul 12, 2009)

I think they've started making heated dog beds as well. I would guess they act like an electric blanket, so not sure if they have a switch to turn it off and on or if you can adjust the temperature but something to check out.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

You can buy heated dog mats. The small ones draw about 60 watts and come on when the dogs lies on them. I don't know what temperature they go up to but they never get too hot for the dogs to lie on. If you had one of them in a crate, I would make sure the crate was big enough that if they did feel to warm, they could get off them.


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## fmjnax (Nov 30, 2007)

We keep our home about 70-73 degrees during the winter and have 3 relatively-short-haired dogs. We just brought home a 6 week old Basset Hound puppy and she sleeps with me. I'm a mover in my sleep, and a decent sized guy, but I haven't rolled over her yet. As mentioned above, she adjusts on her own. My adult Basset Hound sleeps on either a fleece blanket in the living room (he likes it because it is hidden behind the furniture, I guess) or on the couch with a blanket. Our Dachshund also sleeps with us, but doesn't take a liking to sleeping with me in particular. LOL. Ultimately, I'd say a fleece blanket, one of the aforementioned heating pads, or in the covers with you.


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## fsmart (Dec 19, 2009)

Sounds like a heated dog bed or underpad is the way to go. But then it's just a case of whether your dog will actually lay on it. Our dogs are kinda fickle about laying on their beds sometimes and would actually rather lay on the cold hardwood floors.


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## Syrina (Jul 9, 2009)

I have a short haired dog too and I may look into these heated pads. I just looked over at him and he's sleeping on the towel inside his crate. So I think he would use it.

We also keep his crate covered with a fleece throw to block the drafts. He also has two sweaters that he wears most of the time.


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