Keeping warm

[agilebasenji]

I'm looking for ideas on how to keep my almost 13 year old Digital the brindlewonderkid warm this winter indoors, particularly when I'm not home. I have several hard indoor/outdoor heated pet mats and while Jet the try-ing and Zest the Superstar in training, will both enjoy it, Digital will have nothing to do with it. I have snuggle safe discs, but he tends to avoid them too. Everyone is inside, of course, and Diggie is not crated while I'm not home.

Does anyone leave coats/jackets on the dogs when they're not home? Do you worry about them becoming tangled up in it?

Does anyone have experience with heated pet beds? What about the heated inserts that plug in? Is this a fire hazard?

Anyone use a heated blanket for their dog? Again, fire hazard?

I am not worried about Diggie chewing, but he does insist on creating his own "nest" out of any sort of blanket I put out for him. (read, properly wad up blankets) He refuses to sleep under covers of any sort except when really, really freezing. And even then, I'm not sure it would occur to him to go under the covers by himself.

I'd like him be able to get a bit warmer if he needs to without keeping the thermostat set to 80 degrees. I'd also like to not worry about burning the house down while I'm gone. Lately, I have an oil heater plugged in in one room while I'm gone.

[lvoss]

In the winter, I do have some jammies that Rio wears in the house even when I am not home. Her Halloween "sweatshirt" is actually nice around the house clothes and doesn't interfere with her doing normal around the house things.

[tanza]

I have left jackets/sweaters on my elders (Mickii for sure after she had surgery).. they seem to enjoy them… But I can tell you that my OJ even at 17+ didn't want one and was happy in a round suggle bed... seems he could keep pretty warm....

I have some nice lightweight fleese that just attach with velco around the chest and a belly band... so if they did get in trouble with them on, they would "rip" right off

[nobarkus]

I'm not getting out of bed, it's too cold!

I put some towels that Buddy lays on in the dryer before I leave to warm them up. With my last 2 I would just throw a heavy comforter on the couch and they'd crawl under and be perfectly fine all day without the heater even being on.

[AJs Human]

If your dog seems comfortable, then I don't see a problem just leaving him alone. If he doesn't chew things up, give him a blanket to nest in. If he gets cold, he will figure out how to get under it.

Love the pic of Buddy. Picture of comfort.

[Lenora]

You know those fleece cocoon looking things you see on infomercials? I think they're called Snuggies. They make them for dogs now too. I saw some today at CVS.

[nobarkus]

@Lenora:

You know those fleece cocoon looking things you see on infomercials? I think they're called Snuggies. They make them for dogs now too. I saw some today at CVS.

They look pretty good and only $10. I think I'll get one for the Budster.

[Shaye's Mom]

We live in Florida, so my dogs are very used to very hot weather - when it's cold, (and my B's think anything under 65 is cold) I set my thermostat at 70 degrees, and even though they get cold easily, and need their jackets when it's low 60's, they seem warm enough except at bedtime. If Digi is not complaining about the cold, he's probably satisfied with the indoor temp. Leaving blankets around he could burrow into or lay on if he felt cold should be enough.

[wizard]

Nobarkus, you don't turn the dryer on do you: "I put some towels that Buddy lays on in the dryer" :D.

[Kananga]

@AJs:

If he gets cold, he will figure out how to get under it.

I wish I could say that about my B. I think he's trying to be tough. He does not like to be under blankets. Perhaps he feels he won't be able to see what's going on, but he would rather shove his paws under my pillow in the middle of the night to keep warm. He's got his own comforter too… :rolleyes:

I keep the temp at 66F overnight, 68 during the day.

[barklessk9]

Zak (and Zuki used to) wears his Fido Fleece all day when I am at work. We keep our heat dialed down quite low when we are not home (59 deg) and he has always been fine. Zak does have a little bit thicker winter coat than what Zuki had, but she was always fine too. The fleece has never come off, whereas sometimes Zuki would manage to get her sweater off by spinning around too much in her Cozy Cave dog bed.

[agilebasenji]

Thanks guys. Unfortunately, Diggie does NOT like to be under the covers except maybe when the power goes out and it gets really, really cold inside. We have several snuggle beds, but he'd rather the sofa, chairs or "human" bed. He does have a sheepskin and a fleece blanket on the sofa and he'll nest but not burrow. And there are days he seems cold - he's getting older and has a very, very short coat (even compared to other basenjis). I'll try leaving a fleece jacket on him somedays.

[Maya]

When Maya is cold and the radiators are on she gets onto the cats hammock (that attaches to the radiator), she loves it. I have a heated massage bed for my pug that Maya also likes but i would not leave her unsupervised with it incase she chewed through the wires.

I would recommend a microwavable heatpad. We have one that we bought to take to the winter shows to keep her warm in her crate. You stick it in the microwave for about 6 minutes and it stays nice and warm for 10 hours. Just stick it under the bedding and it heats really nicely. Its designed for litters i think, but Maya loves it. It is made of very tough plastic so shouldnt cause too much trouble if chewed, but i wouldnt leave them unattended with it for too long.

[Basenjimamma]

What about a bed that keeps and radiates the heat the dog supplies? Or use his regular dogbed and buy one of those, make any dog bed warm thingys http://www.petstreetmall.com/Deluxe-Pet-Bed-Warmer/531/695/, it would still have wires, but if he doesn't ruin his old bed, maybe he will leave the cord alone as well.
Although, I have to admit, what Maya has sounds like a brilliant idea.

[AJs Human]

Melody, my gramma's B, grows a thick winter coat each winter. She was raised in Michigan and lives in Oregon now.

AJ, however, does not. He's in the truck, which is temperature controlled 24 hrs a day. If I'm parked somewhere, the generator takes over and keeps the temp at a set level.

[agilebasenji]

@Maya:

I would recommend a microwavable heatpad. We have one that we bought to take to the winter shows to keep her warm in her crate. You stick it in the microwave for about 6 minutes and it stays nice and warm for 10 hours. Just stick it under the bedding and it heats really nicely. Its designed for litters i think, but Maya loves it. It is made of very tough plastic so shouldnt cause too much trouble if chewed, but i wouldnt leave them unattended with it for too long.

Yep, that's the snuggle safe. Wonderful thing. I have 3. I figured they'd be great for home but especially for dogshows in cold weather. I put them in the crates. Diggie won't have anything to do with it. I think it's the hard. He seems to pick soft and cold over hard and warm. I put it under the blanket. He tends to shuffle it around so it's away from him. Even when he's cold. Yes, he is spoiled. Yes I do cater to him.

[agilebasenji]

@Basenjimamma:

What about a bed that keeps and radiates the heat the dog supplies? Or use his regular dogbed and buy one of those, make any dog bed warm thingys http://www.petstreetmall.com/Deluxe-Pet-Bed-Warmer/531/695/, it would still have wires, but if he doesn't ruin his old bed, maybe he will leave the cord alone as well.

I just didn't know about using this unsupervised. I really don't want to burn the house down. He doesn't chew up things, so that's not a problem. Those are great prices!

[Basenjimamma]

I understand, burnt down house is not good..

[nobarkus]

@wizard:

Nobarkus, you don't turn the dryer on do you: "I put some towels that Buddy lays on in the dryer" :D.

No, no I don't put the dryer on then leave. I put the towels in there for 3 minutes to warm them up then put them in his dog house which is in the garage before I leave. He stays out during the day. I would never leave the house with the dryer on.

[lvoss]

I have a bed that uses gel packs that you can either freeze for the summer or microwave in the winter. As long as your dogs aren't chewers you may be able to use something like that. Here is a link to their website.

http://coolpet.biz/index.html