Looking at your dog, cold, his tail tucked up, while you are inside a cozy feather-down jacket is very sad and that is exactly why you are reading this right now.
Dogs can resist cold more than us, so you shouldn’t worry that much but if the temperature is below 50 degrees F that might be a problem and you have to give some attention to it.
Depending on your dog, I mean some dogs have higher cold resistance some have lower so depending on that you might need things from a paw protected to jackets and many more.
There are many choices to consider, choose what is suitable for the situation and mainly comfortable for your dog. *I will be calling your dog he?
Table of Contents
Heated dog beds
This is probably the most effective way to keep your dog warm while you are in your tent. Heated beds works by changing electrical energy to heat energy.
You are most likely thinking where could I get power, that is a question that needs full research and preparation but to mention some ways the most common ones are solar power, mini generators, and some campsites have power source all you need is a hookup cable.
Most heated dog beds don’t need that much power but it depends on the size, the smaller ones don’t need that much power.
So only if you have power and you can only use it inside your tent I mean when you are out with your dog you might need some other thing obviously, we will come to that.
If you ask my personal favorite heated bed check this on amazon, I have used it for a couple of months now and I loved it,
Tirm the hair around paws and lower leg
This can make a lot of difference especially if your dog is hairy and you are camping in a snowy or wet place. The hair around pets’ feet will collect snow and it will suck the heat out from their body and the same if it gets wet too.
So the best thing you want is to make the hair shorter or remove it completely. The best way to do it is to make your dog sleep on the ground feet up and most dogs have hair between the paws too, make it short as much as possible, use scissors and be super careful because you can cut his paws.
Dress him well
This is another effective and budget-friendly way to keep your pet dog warm and cozy on your camping trip. Most people know but if you don’t there are jackets, sweaters and shoes for dogs, you are missing a lot if you don’t have at least one of them.
- Jacket– Dog jackets are becoming a trend, and they are effective to keep heat from escaping from your dog’s body.
- Sweaters- If you don’t like the jacket or you think you won’t find a good fit, then you can also try sweaters. They are like adding another layer of fur on your dog’s skin.
- DIY dog hat– If you have a sweater that you don’t use you can DIY a hat which can be tied and it looks cute too?
Your dog might not find it comfortable at first to wear something which he hasn’t gotten used to wearing but don’t worry he will soon like it, but make sure you get the right size it will be more comfortable and it will trap body heat more effectively.
Hot water bottles
The classic hot water bottles, there isn’t much to explain here a good quality hot water bottle and obviously a hot water. For this you might will need something to boil the water so it is water stove or a campfire.
The other thing you have to know is you don’t need a lot of water, most water bottles are around 2 liters and when it cools down you can warm the water up and use it again.
Safety first! never use boiling water make sure you cool it down to safe temperature second don’t make direct contact with your pet it might damage his fur or skin, what I would suggest is to put it under your pets bed or the place he sleeps.
The bad side of this is it can only sit in one place most likely in the tent and in some specific place which is bad because your dog won’t sit in one place, so this only works when he is on his bed or at night while sleeping.
Get a dog sleeping bag or a blanket
If you have a double sleeping bag and your dog is tiny he can sleep with but if not you should get him a sleeping bag that can keep him warm and cozy in those cold nights.
Dog sleeping bags are just like ours but smaller in size and a bit different in shape. The little difference is most don’t have a temperature rating. There is synthetic and down fill, down ones are warmer and durable but they are more expensive if you are camping in a very cold place I recommend down but if not the synthetic can do.
I have used one dog sleeping bag and it is Hurtta Outback Dreamer, I bought it from amazon a couple of years ago and I am a big fan. It has 3 sizes to choose from small, medium, and large you can take a look if you are interested.
If you are on a tight budget you can use a blanket just make sure it is thick and cotton is preferable because it retains body heat from escaping.
Protect his paws
This is big, dog booties are the best when it comes to snowy places, not only for camping but you can also use them in the house or any other place.
They protect your dog’s paw from many things, for instance, snow is not comfortable for most dogs if they have their boots on they won’t even feel it.
Most dog boots are made with cotton and covered with waterproof polyester which makes them waterproof and comfortable.
At first your dog might not find this comfortable and as I have said make sure you get the right size. If you ask me to suggest a product these dog botties on amazon are nice I haven’t tried them but I have seen some credible sources which said they are great.
Insulated dog bed
When your dog sleeps directly on the ground he will lose a great amount of heat which might lead to hypothermia and other bad things so you have to watch out.
Just like sleeping pads, there are insulated beds for dogs that are designed for camping, very lightweight and suitable to carry. most insulated dog beds don’t have r value just like the sleeping pads we use.
An insulated dog bed differs from normal dog beds by the fact that they are not good heat transmitters, which means there won’t be a large amount of heat loss from your dog.
Exercise
It is a well-known fact that when you exercise your body heats up when you change your stored energy to mechanical energy there will be heat energy that will be released at the same time, and also there will be increased blood flow which results in increased heat.
The same applies to your dog, so take him for a walk or go hiking but don’t forget his dog booties? especially if it is snowy.
Feed them well
After exercise obviously comes eating, eating a meal with a good amount of carbohydrate would give some extra energy and heat to anyone, in this case, your dog.
When you buy food for your pup make sure it is nutrient-rich and with high energy, which would give them more calories to burn which means more heat.
Second is giving them more food than usual, more food equals more calories to burn which also results with extra heat.
Watch out for hypothermia
This is a real threat! if you don’t know what hypothermia is, it is when the body loses a large amount of heat and it becomes hard to replace it. It is the same for your dog and you have to watch out.
What are the signs of hypothermia?
- Shivering
- Lethargy
- Dogs might get unconscious in some cases
What to do if it happens?
- Wrapping them in blankets
- Giving them hot drinks if they are conscious
- and finally taking them to their veterinarian would be the best option
