Yup! Minnesota winters can be brutal. I totally agree with lily that you should keep an eye on how your dog acts. If your dog seems cold or doesn’t want to stay out, definitely put on the winter gear. I’m lucky in that Bobby is ok with the winter gear. He doesn’t jump for joy when the boots come out but once they are on and we are outside it’s all good. I do think boots are a definite necessity for the Minnesota winters, especially if you do pavement or road walking as you are also dealing with salt and ice. If you live out in the country and don’t have to worry about that then boots may not be as important.
While we can all recognize the dangerous way below zero stuff the milder winter temps can leave one guessing a bit and some dogs tolerate cold better than others. We generally put a light coat on our Bobby (who is a Spoo) when it starts dipping in the low 20’s and if it’s windy and cold, in the low 30’s. It also depends on the dog’s coat length as well. Observe your pup and I think you will get the hang of when to wear a sweater or coat. We walk Bobby even when it’s super cold but always recognizing we definitely do not walk as far when it’s way below zero. Now with that being said, when it does get that cold we definitely put on the boots and we have a super heavy duty winter coat and a scarf for him for that kind of weather and the walks are short. He lets us know when the boots need to go on as he will start lifting his paws, generally once it gets in the low teens. Definitely it boils down to reading your dog, reading the weather conditions and trusting your common sense.
