there are all sorts of little coats and boots you can get to make them more comfy. obviously, being so small with little fur, they can't stay out long but clothing will help and you might even find if they are warm enough, they will love playing outside in short bursts.

We live in Toronto. For many years we had 10 lb. mini, short-haired Dachshunds - think very short legs. We now have a 22 lb. small Standard American Eskimo - any dog under 25 lbs. is considered "small" - and his "fur" is really more like that of a Persian cat. We do not have a deck or a fenced yard. We shovel, put down our 3 types of Salt Alternative to help protect paws. With our Dachshunds they had winter coats - boots were a problem due to leg shape - and out we went - they were always on leash - as is our Eskie. Sometimes the snow was so deep during major storms that we did have to shovel a trail before doing the main shovelling otherwise all you could see was the tip of their tails as they went out the door. Dogs LOVE fresh snow. Our Eskimo loves to eat snow which is bad because what goes in must come out - and at 6 1/2 you would think he would have learned. He has 2 pairs of boots - professionally fitted but won't wear them. He screams in horror - yet stands on one paw when his feet hurt. We also have Invisible Boot - the cream product you put on the pads of their feet to help with the snow/ice - unfortunately he thinks of it as an appetizer - same as Bitter Apple. Our Eskie does have 2 raincoats which really help with the wet rain/snow - and he does have a fleecy. There is a Chi up the street - probably weighs about 7 lbs. and he is taken out for walks daily during the winter on the streets where people shovel (our house is popular). If anything I hate going out into the cold/snow more than the dogs did/do. You should take your pup in and try on some coats for winter - you can get some with hoods or without - or "duos". We buy ours from our groomer - it is nice to see what you are getting plus size is often an issue - with the Dachshunds they had barrel chests - with our Eskie - the size S fits 15 to 25 lbs. which puts him on the cusp of everything - have to consider that double-coat of hair - but the M fits 25 to 40 lbs. which makes it too long for him - wish they did 25 to 35. There are many makes and models out there - you are best to buy a good quality coat - once your dog reaches full size - as they will last for years. The make I buy is Cdn. and is made by Canine Equipment. I also buy their Canine Friendly harness - it looks like a bib and our Eskie can't get out of it. It is cold in Toronto now and I am freezing. It isn't the walks I mind, it is the cold. My Dachshunds loved their sweaters and coats - they weren't "cutsey" and they looked "hot" in them.

ninapearl, I posted on Kitchen Table. Just wondering how your big dogs and little horses are doing??

I was potty training my puppy last year during the snowpocalypse. She is 12 lbs. fully grown, so last winter she weighed between 5-10. She had a coat for the days when it was really cold. I also shoveled her bathroom spot. She was pretty quick, so she didn't get too cold.

It won't be a big deal as long as you shovel "walkways" for your dogs. We have beagles and even with them, we have to shovel little walkways and areas for them to do their business, as we lived in the snowbelt and got in excess of 100" of snow a year.

It's a pain but we had to do it. As far as the shivering and cold, I don't know about that.

The problem with our buddies wasn't really the snow...they loved the snow...it's the cold. When it got real, real cold, our one beagle would just "stop moving" and we'd have to carry him inside!

"stop moving" and we'd have to carry him inside!"

LOLOL That happens to a lot of little scantily furred dogs. We do what you do. If the snow is heavy, we shovel poop paths. My Mama's doggie was snow white and the only way we could tell where she was in the snow was look for her nose. In that situation a bandana helps.

greetings from northern ontario where it was 2C this am and our little Gracie Joy Devine slept in her pink knitted sweater. Gracie is a 7 pound shiz tzu nd has been pampered from the day she came to live with us. she has a pink puppy stroller and is always dressed in clothes. she does not have a puppy cut and her fur is already pretty long for this time of year, but Gracie has always done her thing on the puppy training pads in the winter. it seems that their little feet get all full of those snow balls then you have to try and get them off and it takes her forever to get dried off, and then there is the salt on the roads, to me it was just easier to use the puppy papers instead, we did buy her the little boots but underneath all that fur is just tine feet like your little one and i can't seem to find that tiny of little boots for her.she also knows how to cover herself up in the blanket at night, it's so funny but she knows when she is cold!

I have a 6 yr old long-haired chihuahua who was born in Florida and when I took him out on Saturday; it had snowed outside. He was afraid of the snow; but he did go out; but did not like it. He has winter fur; but will not wear a coat or booties. He has never used puppy pads and does not know what to do with them. I can I encourage him to use the puppy pad?

We are in New England with lots of ice and snow. We shovel a path. Our 5lb Chi does all eliminating outside. She doesn't stay out to long in the winter. If she starts playing in the snow & we see "the slow down to stop" - we grab her and bring her in. We have tried coats and sweaters but haven't found one she likes yet

It is very cold here with windchill in the teens. I walked the two dogs today and they seemed okay. They have coats from Target which seem to work. This is the first cold spell since I got the Dachshund. He's okay in it but when he's inside he lays by the woodstove..even goes under it. Both dogs have very short fur.

It's not just the wee ones that need coats! Any size dog with little fat and very short fur needs a warm coat for walks once it gets below freezing. My tall but skinny girls are all wearing fleece coats with snoods for walks now, and we'll upgrade to the heavier sweaters and coats when it's really winter :)

I do the same as the others-coats and shovelling an area in the snow. The biggest problem I have is with my toy fox terrier's feet and she refuses to wear boots. I think putting some straw on top of the shovelled area would help, if you don't mind cleaning it up in the spring. I keep my long-haired dog's feet trimmed up to her ankles so she doesn't get ice stuck on them.

I have a slightly different problem. I can get the mini schnauzer to wear a fleece jacket (very reluctantly). The little Havanese seems to have enough inner and outer coat that she doesn't seem to mind the cold, although I have two different friends that are madly knitting/putting together a little sweater for her. But my big problem is the salt the city puts down on the roads. I don't have sidewalks and the dogs sometimes walk on the road. The salt burns their feet. I have tried boots, but they don't like wearing them and they don't stay on. I try keeping them up in the neighbors' yards, but that requires me to be walking there too and I feel bad doing that. The schnauzer doesn't like to go potty in my yard, he requires walking. I clean up after them, so it isn't a problem, but the salt really bothers me and them. I wiped their paws with a wet cloth and dried them this morning. But the little pup was holding up her paws outside when walking on the street. I hate it!

hi, well it'a -27 degrees and 4 inches of snow in northern ontario,well you southern ontarians do you live where the big storm hit? you can pick up the puppy pads at any store they are basically like them going on newspaper, i stated putting gracie on them and telling her to go peepee on it. then i praised her like you wouldn't believe! at first i changed them every 2 days so the scent would be there. i agree i see everything from sheppards, greyhounds, poodles etc. wearing clothes, i never saw it here before, i like to think gracie starte this trend in pets fashions, she even wears clothes like sun dresses in the summer, people her are followers (lol). with our other shiz tsu we used new borne baby socks with a little circle of felt put in the inside and then put hair elastics to keep them on he walked so funny, i think with these you had to start when they were young, but they might like it. enjoy the day, gracies bundled up in her feather duvet!