When the temperature drops outside, the only place for your dog is inside your home. What if, though, even your house is too cold for your dog? Since your dog can’t use words to tell you that they’re cold, it’s important to know the signs to look for that tell you your dog is uncomfortable. To help you protect your dog, here are a few ways to tell if your house is too cold for your dog.
Shivering
Just like a human, a dog’s body will begin to shiver if it’s too cold. These small and rapid movements create considerable body heat that can be trapped by your dog’s fur to help keep your dog warm.
While this is an effective defense mechanism against the cold, ideally, you don’t want your dog to be shivering at all. If you notice your dog shaking, then, and there’s nothing else it’s reacting to, you may need to turn up the heat.
Barking
Just like a child’s cries, a dog’s barks mean different things. In every case, though, your dog is trying to communicate something when it is barking.
If you know your dog isn’t hungry, confused, or frightened, then it may be that your dog is trying to get your attention because it’s too cold. Rather than scolding your dog for barking, do some further investigation to see if this is the case.
Hiding
Though your dog’s fur makes a great trap for heat, sometimes, this isn’t enough. If your dog is hiding under furniture or in small spaces, therefore, it may be because your dog is trying to trap more body heat due to the low temperature of your home.
When you see your dog trying to hide, you may want to check and see if your home is colder than you realize, especially if you’ve never seen this behavior before. If it is cold, you may need a furnace repair contractor to stop by and see if there are any problems with your furnace.
Lifting Paws
Sometimes, it’s not the air in your home that’s cold, but the floor. If you have hard-surface floors on a slab foundation, the cold ground temperature will be easily passed through to the floor.
For your dog, this can be uncomfortable as they try to walk around with their bare feet. Try moving your dog to a carpeted space and see if their behavior changes. If it does, you may want to invest in some type of feet protectors for your dog.
Read the Signs
As mentioned, your dog can’t use words to communicate to you when there’s a problem. Just the same, your dog depends on you to take care of them and protect them.
As a responsible dog owner, therefore, it’s important that you take time to observe your dog and notice if they’re trying to tell you something. Your dog will be forever grateful, and you will be a better person for listening to and protecting your dog.
