What to do when it is too cold for a puppy to pee outside? When it’s too cold you can choose a temporary solution like putting socks and sweaters on the dog’s paw to go outside to pee. But if you live in a place where the most time of the year is “too cold” then you have to set a permanent solution like building a shelter right in front of the door or arranging a potty spot indoors.
Before we get into the details you must know how cold is too cold for your dog or puppy?
How cold is too cold for a puppy or dog to pee outside?
Well, it depends upon so many factors:
- Breed of the dog: This is the most important factor determining how cold is too cold for a dog.
If you raise a “Cold Environment,” dog-like Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Shiba Inu, Bernese mountain dog, etc. Then they will absolutely thrive in the cold weather. While for other dog breeds, you have to take care of the stuff. - Age of the dog: A young puppy and an old dog (who is now becoming weak) cannot bear a lot of colds. They need to be protected.
- Habits of the dog: If your dog has been a stray or belongs to a puppy mill, he must be fine with any weather because he is used to everything like this. However, a dog who is brought up in a home becomes more sensitive to the environment.
Besides, as a general answer to “How cold is too cold for a puppy?”. When it’s 43-47 Degrees Fahrenheit (6-8 Degrees Centigrade) outside, you can consider it cold for your dog or puppy. Actually, you need to understand the personality traits of your dog. If you see him uncomfortable, shivering, or whining outside, you should be alert and take care of things.
Is it hard to potty train a puppy when it is cold outside?
It is hard to potty train a puppy when it is cold, especially when you plan to train him to go outside. However, if you plan to use puppy pads to potty train him, the weather should not be a problem.
However, cold weather is the most common reason that most people don’t adopt a puppy at this time of the year.
3 ways to get things managed when it’s too cold for a puppy to pee outside:
As we said earlier, you need to understand if you will choose a temporary or permanent solution.
If the situation is that the” too cold” weather is just for a few weeks (and your puppy/dog is already fully potty trained), then you can opt-in for a temporary solution.
You wouldn’t want to start potty training outside because it may scare the puppy about what’s going on.
If you are in an area where most part of the year is cold, and you own a dog breed that is not much into the “cold weather,.” You need a permanent solution.
Here are three ways you can manage things.
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A temporary solution to get your puppy out to pee when it is too cold outside:
1- Pack the dog:
You can buy your dog some booties and sweaters and put them on him to save him from the cold.
This solution is absolutely a lifesaver when your dog is an adult, and he needs one 1-3 potty break in the day.
However, for smaller puppies and for too-old dogs, who need several potty breaks during the day, this might not be an easy option to go for.
Say, your puppy is in between his potty training and needs to go urgently; you are putting on his sweaters and booties and he goes there. A lot of mess to clean up and a lot of mess to the potty training.
In this case, you would require an indoor solution. We are coming to that in a while.
A permanent solution to get the puppy out to pee when its too cold outside:
2- Arrange a dog shelter (potty spot) right before the exit door.
You can set up a shelter right in front of the exit door and fix the potty spot there.
Your dog shouldn’t have a long way to reach out to the potty spot.
You can get this kind of canopy (on Amazon) and cover it with some stuff to reduce the cold inside and take your dog to this canopy every time he needs to go.
You can also set up a dog house, put in a fresh grass patch, and use it as a bathroom.
Hopefully, your dog won’t mind going there.
3- Arrange an indoor potty area:
This one is the easiest solution. However, many trainers don’t recommend it.
We also don’t recommend this, but we understand that sometimes the use of an indoor bathroom becomes inevitable but if you follow the right strategy, that should not be that bad.
- Use puppy pads or fresh grass patches as a bathroom spot for your dog.
Here’s how to train your puppy to use potty pads.
You can subscribe for Porch potty Fresh Grass Patch Delivery HERE. ‘
They will deliver a fresh patch of grass to be used as a dog’s toilet according to your dog’s size and your own chosen time gap of delivery. Cool? - Use a dog house as a bathroom:
This idea is a little bit expensive, but it’s the best so far.
Set up a doggy house in one separate corner of the house and train your dog to use that dog house as a bathroom. Just like you use one corner (room) of your house as a toilet.
A quick tip: If your dog is already using a dog house, then you should get one that is totally different in color and shape so your dog could recognize which one is the “den” and which one is the bathroom.
Put in puppy pads, artificial grass, or fresh grass patch inside to make it easy to clean.
What if my dog becomes used to pottying indoors?
If you have trained your dog to go outside and you want him to keep up with that habit, you can take your dog on a walk once a day and give him a potty break there.
While he is covered in sweaters.
For the rest of the day, you can keep him indoors.
However, if your puppy is still not potty trained, you should not confuse him by changing the potty spot repeatedly.
Just train him to use pads and then transition him to go outside.
Can a puppy pee outside in the cold?
It depends upon the breed, age, and health of the puppy. A very young puppy should not go outside, especially if he is not fully vaccinated. Some dog breeds born to live in the cold should be fine to use the outdoor toilets when it’s cold. A sick puppy should not go outside.
My dog won’t pee outside in the cold. How can I manage this situation?
If you have tried the tips given above to get your dog to pee outside, but he won’t go because of the cold, then it is best to arrange an indoor potty area for him. Lots of people use puppy pads successfully.
You can place the puppy pads in the toilet too. Just make sure to dispose of them timely.
If your dog has been going outside before that, you can arrange real grass potty pads for him too. Companies like Doggielawn offer this service.
do dogs pee more when it’s cold?
It’s normal for dogs to pee more often when it is cold. Low temperature can cause blood flow to increase to maintain body temperature. So kidneys need to filter more blood, which results in urinating more often.
Takeaway:
When it is too cold for a puppy or dog to go outside and pee, you can either pack him with sweaters and botties or set up a potty area that is not cold. For example, using puppy pee pads or fresh grass patches or setting up a shelter right in front of the exit door.
