Have you ever had a dog that got cold when walking ? And elderly dog that has slowed down and shivers in the cold ? A dog with allergies to grass or pollen that will if not wearing a covering of some sort scratch it's self until it bleeds when it gets home ?

They do serve a purpose and do mean elderly, thin coated or allergic dogs can get out and about in the fresh air even in cold weather.

Both of mine have coats, they both suffer with back and hip problems, so in the cold wet weather I like to give them some added protection.

Having a double coat or not makes a huge difference. A breed with a waterproof undercoat will not feel cold in the rain because their skin doesn't get wet, the water runs off. A single coated dog will get soaked to the skin so heat will be drawn away from their body. Many years ago, got caught in a downpour with an elderly [14] BC and a young Weimaraner, I thought I should get the old boy a coat, but a rub with a towel had him dry in minutes, whereas the weim took an hour in front of the fire to dry as she was soaked to the skin.

It really does depend on the individual dog.

I think for me coats are not a fashion accessory they are a need for dogs that shiver in the cold, Tom has very little covering on his underside and does actually shake with cold in the bad weather when he just goes into the garden to relieve himself, I wouldnt put a coat on a dog unless it was required to keep them warm , maybe we are confusing the need with dogs who get 'dressed up' cos it looks nice !

all my lot wear coats in cold weather but what does enoy me is when people walk up to my chihuahua and say bet he has a whole wardrobe im like no only winter coats

Mine have coats but only Amy wears one regularly. She does feel the cold and has very little fur or fat to keep her warm. I also put a wet coat on her in extremely hot weather (once in a blue moon).

Luki has lots of fur and doesnt worry about the weather so never really wears his and although Spot is very short coated he doesnt seem to feel the weather too much so again its a rarety that he wears his.

Mine all have waterproof coats- these dont have much lining- mainly for when i am at agility comps i dont want them getting soaked in the rain when they are going to be at a show all day.

They also have thermatex fleeces which keeps them warm when they are laid in a cold car for long periods (at comps) and these also wick away moisture when they are wet so they dry quicker.

The rain macs are also very handy when im doing a late road walk in the rain- saves the collies taking 3 hours to dry off- cant be very comfortable and both my collies struggle to keep weight on.

Marius has a thick coat (and undercoat) so doesn't need any extra protection.

Lola really does feel the cold though and her coat isn't thick like his, she shivers when it's frosty so I put a coat on her then.

The way I see it is if it's cold enough to make her shiver then it's cold enough to wear a coat. After all I do!!

In answer to Dawn, I think it should be pointed out that not all breeds come from temperate or colder climates and so will not have the coat necessary to protect them from the British winters.

Also, I know for my dogs certainly, central heating at this time of year means their moulting cycle is out of sync. Jessie had a big moult at the beginning of winter when we first started putting the heating on which meant she lost her coat when she really needed it.

I dont mind them having a bit of fat at this time of year neither. Flynn lost a couple of kg's so i've been feeding him up a bit. Since he's got very little coat to keep him warm, he needs a bit of body fat.

Unless they are on the lead and therefore cannot run about and keep warm, I would say "yes" if the dog is shivering. However, if they are off lead, then definitely no unless they really are cold. Dogs will often apparently shiver for other reasons apart from cold. My daughter's smooth-haired chihuahua never wears a coat - even in the latest very cold spell where we had temperatures during the day of minus 8 degrees C. Even in the fairly deep snow which was almost covering him, he went out "naked". Dogs, even short haired dogs, are wearing a fur coat and really shouldn't need an artificial one, unless as I say you are standing around for a long time in the cold, or walking them on a lead.