New pup

[Arrangrl62]

Hi
Would you guys get a coat for a pup when housetraining ? I get my mini mid January- right in middle of winter. I wonder if its counter productive , as the time its takes to put coat on, he might have emptied his bladder?

Thanks x

[zeta1454]

If your puppy is going to be outside for some time in very cold weather then I would definitely get some kind of jacket, fleece or jumper to keep them warm. However, you are right that if you are going to try and get the puppy outside quickly before they pee then it may take too long to put a jacket on them and may be easier to let them go outside, pee and come straight back in. It is difficult to tell whether or not a puppy will be fine about going outside in severe cold / wet conditions and, if they are reluctant then it may be better to try and organise a compromise e.g a pet toilet / artificial grass in the house but as close as possible to the outside door.

It is a problem with getting a puppy in the coldest months as it can be much easier house-training in the summer. We got our very first mini schnauzer in January I997 and had to put newspaper down by the conservatory door to outside for a few weeks in case it was too cold to,let her outside for long and she at least had somewhere to go as near as possible to the garden if she couldn’t get outside. I wouldn’t use newspaper now as there are much better temporary indoor toilet options for dogs, but, in any event, our puppy was excellent at going where she should and very soon went outside regularly to pee and poo whatever the weather.

A pull on fleece kept in the house near the outside door so it could be put on fairly quickly might be an option as a puppy at 8 weeks plus will have the ability to hold on for a little while unless they are really desperate to pee

[Arrangrl62]

Hello
Thanks for your reply . He will be 11 weeks when he comes to me , so should be able to hold a bit longer !

[Dawnspell]

If its really cold pup is only going to be going out for toilet. You might get away with picking pup up inside and putting inside your coat to carry out and back in. Both of mine have been dry in the house by that age and would have had time to put a coat on for a wee break.

[Arrangrl62]

Thanks Dawnspell- will try this first

Jane

[Schnauzerluv]

I would also keep the pup in my coat and I'd take pup out very often but for very short periods. I don't usually do longer than 5 mins per outing at first in good weather and if pup doesn't go potty I bring pup back in but not taking my eyes off pup. If there's any indication of having to go potty (scratching the floor, wandering off, after every meal, nap and during/ after play we go out. I don't know how cold it gets in your location for January, but it's the coldest month here and I'd rather go out too often for little potty breaks then spend too much time outside in the cold.

You could always bring a dog vest/jacket with you if you're gonna be out for longer. I honestly get the cheap vest like this when they are babies. Easy to zip on, water resistant and warm (especially with a sweater underneath)



The vest was under 7$ CAD