How long can they stay outside?

Question

My daughter has 2 Golden Retriever puppies (6 months). It is 10 degrees out. How long can they safely stay outside? They LOVE it in their fenced in yard but I don't want any harm to come to them from the cold.

I set a timer for 10 minutes but they SO did not want to come in!!!

10 degrees farenheit

Answer 1

At 6 months old I would not leave out too long. They still dont have their full coats in. Especially if it is windy. I would be concered with wind chill factor too. I would not leave them out for more than 1/2 and hour.
Do you have any place warm from the to go into like a dog house? If not than not more than 1/2 hour. They are too young yet.

Answer 2

Don't be too worried about it. Goldens have nice undercoats for insulation against the cold. Dogs are a lot tougher than most people on this site think they are. Watch their behavior and if you notice any signs that they are getting cold, bring them in. Ten degrees will not harm them unless there is some other issue like dehydration or poor nutrition. In those cases the cold would make a bad thing worse. Make sure they have dog houses to get out of the wind and they will be fine. Golden retreivers were first bred to be hunting dogs, not house pets. They had to be able to endure harsh weather to do their job.

Answer 3

Dependent on wind & precipitation 10 degrees won't bother them at all. Because of your dogs age I wouldn't leave it out longer than about an hour tho'.

The thing to keep in mind is the dogs coat density. If the dog spends 90% of it's time in a 70 degree house it will not develop the coat necessary to deal with 10 degree temperatures for an entire day. The dog that spent 90% of it's time outside wouldn't be bothered at all because it would have developed the coat density to deal with the cold.
It is not unusual at all for a sled dog to spend the night sleeping in the snow when it is -30 degrees out. But,,, this is ONLY because they have the coat density for those temperatures.

I worry about dogs far more in the summer than in the winter. Add some humidity to a hot afternoon and dogs can quickly get into serious trouble.

Answer 4

I'd say since they are still puppies, no longer then half an hr. When it's warmer, they could stay out all day. But since it's like 10 degrees out, half an hour should do it, then bring them in the house were it's warm.

Answer 5

Before people took em in as pets, dogs and cats both lived outside.They can survive quite well outside depending on the the type of dog. Retrievers are smart dogs, they know where to go to get warm(inside) should they get too cold. Let em have their fun but have a way they can let you know they want in, or better yet, install a dog door.

Answer 6

Leaving any dogs out at 35 degrees is abuse in California...and yes it does get that cold here. Those puppies shouldn't be out any longer than necessary to do their business, an run for maybe 15-20 minutes.

Answer 7

10 degrees sounds too cold to me for any animal to be outside for too long. I'd let them out briefly to pee and then inside they'd come!

Answer 8

Long enough to got to the bathroom and then bring them in. Being puppies they have not acclimated to cold weather and hypothermia can set in rapidly.

Answer 9

Guys... You do know that dogs are animals don't you?

They're not babies, they have nice, warm, fur coats that protect them from the elements quite nicely..

If they're enjoying themselves and their teeth aren't chattering then let 'em play.. As long as they have somewhere go if it rains or gets very windy then they'll be fine. (In the wild, they wouldn't be penned in and would find shelter if they needed it)

When you say 10deg, you do mean 10deg C? not 10deg F (-12c)

If you mean F - Then I'd probably let them stay inside

Answer 10

Dogs are part of the family and therefore belong inside with your family. I would let them out just long enough for them to do their business and get them in. Please don't jeopardize their well being.