Keep Your Dog Warm and Toasty Outdoors this Fall

Most dogs love to spend time outdoors as much as possible, but when the weather gets cold, it becomes harder for them to remain outside.  By providing your dog with a heated outdoor space, you can extend the amount of time your dog can stay outdoors.  To create a heated outdoor space, here are some essentials that you will need to have:

  1. First, start off with some durable and sturdy shelter for your dog.  A wooden dog house works great for protecting your dog from the elements.  One of my favorite dog houses is the Premium + Aframe Doghouse that is made of natural wood.  This dog house is designed to safely protect your dog from rain, snow, and other elements.  It also has a clear plastic door that is sold separately for keeping wind, rain, and snow out.  By adding a dog house to your yard, your dog will have a place to go if he gets too cold or the weather is unbearable.
  2. Another piece to creating a warm outdoor space for your dog is a heated pad.   The Lectro-Soft Outdoor Heated Pet Bed is ideal for keeping your dog warm when outdoors.  The pad may be used inside the dog house or in another type of sheltered area.  This pad is great because it offers a soft, warm place for your pet to rest, may be easily cleaned with the wipe of a damp cloth, and has a chew resistant cord.
  3. If you plan on keeping your dog for a longer period of time, it is a good idea to offer your dog a dish of heated water.  The warm water will help to warm your dog inside and make his stay outside more comfortable.  Choose a heated dog dish like the Heated Pet Water Bowl by Farm Innovators.  This dog dish is thermostatically controlled to keep your dog’s water at a constant temperature and holds one and a half gallons of water.

Your dog will be able to stay outdoors longer if you create a warm and cozy outdoor living space for your dogs.  By using a dog house, a heated dog pad, and a heated dog dish, you can easily create a warm place for your dog to enjoy throughout the fall and winter. 

Here is a nice article about the heated cat beds that GregRobert donated this week.

Benefits of Heated Pet Bowls for Pets that Stay Outside

Heated Pet Bowls are a “Must Have” if your pet stays outdoors when it is cold out.

NOTE: Feel free to comment on this post – but remember, I am not the humane society. Whenever I write about leaving dogs outside in the cold, I get a flood of very good people that comment on how inhumane that is. My dog stays inside. Some owners have real reasons to have dogs stay outside. Unfortunately, I cannot respond to debates on whether dogs should be outdoors for any length of time in the winter.

Heated Dog Bowls are excellent for winter. Dogs that spend time outdoors in cold weather need heated pet bowls so their water doesn’t freeze. Hydration is especially important in cold weather (and of course in very warm weather). You can learn more about canine nutrition and how to create a balanced meal at completecaninecompanion.com.

A heated pet dish works using coils and electricity. Plug the dish in and the coils warm the bottom and sides of the dish which keeps the water at a temperature that prevents freezing.

A heated pet water dish normally comes with a thermostat and an electric cord. The thermostat will let you know how much heat the container is generating to keep its contents warm. The dish only works when it is plugged into an electric outlet, unless it comes with an automatic shut-off switch.  Many models have the shut-off switch, now.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Plastic Heated Water Bowl for Pets — Keeps water ice free! This low wattage heated pet bowl has a capacity of …

Heated Pet Bowl with Hutch Mount –This stainless steel Bowl will keep drinking water ice-free even in sub-zero weather .

Heated Pet Bowl 6 Qt. – Blue — This 6-quart heated water bowl allows you to supply your pet with fresh …

Heated Pet Bowl 3 Qt. – Blue — This 3-quart heated water bowl allows you to supply your pet with fresh …

Heated Plastic Pet Bowl 6 qt. — This 6-quart heated water bowl allows you to supply your pet with fresh …

One of our recent customer questions:

I just purchased a heated water bowl for a dog. It says not to use an extension cord with it, but the nearest oulet requires one. Will it really hurt to use an extension cord with this product?

ANSWER: The manufacturers and retailers must say that for liability reasons.. HOWEVER. I would recommend that if you MUST use an extension cord, use a heavy duty outdoor extension cord designed to carry the electrical load used by the water bowl.

ALSO make sure that the cord is not laying in water or wet areas. you can also buy different tapes to cover the plug into the extension cord. Make sure you are using a quality extension cord designed to be used outside.