Dear Dr. John,

This recent cold weather has made our small puppy want to stay indoors. Getting her to go outside leads to a small struggle although she is happy to be outside once we are there. She is a seven-month-old Retriever and in great health. How long can we take her outside and at what temperatures? She has long fur, shouldn’t that adequately protect her from the elements?

Are there any special precautions that we should be taking such as getting her a coat or boots to protect her feet from the snow and ice melt on the ground? J.O.

Dear J.O.,

The cold has been tough lately and these kinds of temperatures can negatively affect people and pets alike. Retrievers are bred for outdoors and colder temperatures in general. I have had Goldens and Labs swim even when there is ice on the surface of a lake and still enjoy chasing a ball into the water!

As a rule of thumb, once temperatures get below freezing at 32 F a dog owner needs to pay attention. Temperatures below 20 F is where many limit their dogs to 15 to 30 minutes of outdoor time. Ask your veterinarian what temperatures they think might be safe for your puppy. Larger breed dogs tolerate the cold much better than smaller breeds and those with thicker coats, like Retrievers, can handle colder conditions. Darker hair coats also absorb more heat from sunlight and can thrive more in the cold. Dogs that are more sensitive to extremely cold temperatures might be very young, old, or infirmed. If they are shivering or shaking, hunched up, or lifting their paws they are signaling discomfort and need to be taken indoors.

You can consider getting her a coat although that might not be necessary and boots to protect against the burn of road salts might be a good idea if she will tolerate them being on. Either way, when you get her inside, wipe off her feet and make sure she has enough water and food for hydration and energy. Keep your dog warm and stay warm too!

Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.