Does my dog need a jacket?

The short answer

Most dogs, most days, don't need one. A healthy dog with a decent coat is fine on an ordinary winter walk, and plenty of dogs are more comfortable without a jacket than with one.

The useful question isn't whether dogs need jackets. It's which dog, in which conditions, doing what. A whippet standing still at a windy trailhead and a Bernese mountain dog trotting through dry snow are not the same problem, and one of them does not need your help.

Here's how we think about it.

Which dogs actually feel the cold

Coat does most of the work, and breed labels are a poor shortcut. What matters is what the coat is made of and how much dog is underneath it.

Dogs that genuinely benefit from a layer:

• Thin or single coats, with no insulating undercoat. Whippets, vizslas, boxers, most short-haired breeds.
• Lean dogs with very little body fat.
• Small dogs and anything low to the ground, which loses heat fast and collects wet snow on the belly.
• Puppies and older dogs, who regulate temperature less well.
• Dogs recovering from illness or surgery, or with a clipped coat.
• Dogs with arthritis, who stiffen up in cold and damp.

Dogs that usually don't:

• Double-coated northern and mountain breeds in dry cold. Their undercoat traps air and does the job better than anything you can buy.
• Any dog working hard enough to stay warm on its own.

If your dog is in the second group, a jacket on a cold dry day can leave them too warm rather than more comfortable. Overheating under a layer is easy to miss, especially on a climb.

Wet and wind matter more than the thermometer

A dry -5 is easier on a dog than a wet +3. Water flattens the coat and strips out the trapped air that keeps them warm, and wind takes the rest. That is most of a Swiss winter, and most of a Swiss autumn.

The second thing the thermometer misses is whether they're moving. A dog climbing generates plenty of heat. The same dog standing at a viewpoint in wind, or waiting while you fuss with the map, cools fast. Breaks are when dogs get cold, not the walking.

Altitude compounds both. Temperature drops roughly 0.6 degrees per 100 meters, so a summit at 2,600 meters runs three or four degrees colder than the valley station you left, before any wind. If your plan is to stop up there and eat something, plan for a cold dog.

Two jackets, two jobs

This is the bit that trips most people up. "Dog jacket" covers two different products that solve two different problems.

A shell keeps water out. Waterproof, usually unlined or lightly lined, built for rain and wet snow. It works by keeping the coat underneath dry so the coat can keep doing its job.

An insulating layer keeps heat in. Fleece or a padded jacket, often not waterproof at all. It works for dry cold, and for breaks.

Where it goes wrong is using one for the other. A padded jacket in steady rain soaks through, loses its loft, and ends up sitting on your dog as a cold wet blanket, which is worse than wearing nothing at all. If the day is wet, waterproofing beats warmth every time.

For a full day out, two thin pieces beat one thick one. A light fleece that fits under the harness for damp cool stretches, and a shell over the top when it actually starts raining. That combination covers far more weather than any single jacket, and you can shed half of it on the climb.

Sometimes it's about the clean-up

Not every reason has to be about the dog. A coat keeps mud, rain and whatever they found in the ditch off the coat underneath, which means less towelling in the hallway and less of the walk ending up on your sofa. That is a perfectly good reason to put one on, and there's no need to pretend otherwise.

The only thing to watch is heat. If the jacket is going on for your convenience rather than their comfort, make sure it isn't more jacket than the day calls for. This is where a breathable, genuinely waterproof raincoat earns its keep: it sheds the mess without cooking the dog underneath. If we don't have the right one on the shelf, it's usually something we can order in.

How to tell they're actually cold

Dogs tell you before they suffer, as long as you know what you are looking at.

• Shivering, which is the obvious one, and by then you're already a little late
• Tucked tail, hunched back, ears flat
• Lifting paws off the ground, or stopping to hold one up
• Slowing down, lagging behind, or trying to turn back
• Looking for shelter, pressing against your legs, refusing to settle at a break

The quiet signal is a dog who usually loves this and today does not want to. That is worth taking seriously.

Fit is most of it

A jacket that doesn't fit won't get worn, and a jacket that lives in a drawer isn't much use however good the fabric is.

What to check:

• Belly coverage. The chest and belly are where a dog loses heat and picks up wet. A jacket that only covers the back is mostly decorative.
• Harness compatibility. Either the jacket has harness openings, or it goes under the harness. Check that the harness still adjusts wide enough with the layer on. Many do not.
• Armpits and legs. Leg openings that cut in will chafe, and you may not notice until it's too late & you have skin irritation and a disgruntled companion.
• Chest depth, not just length. Deep-chested dogs and barrel-chested dogs take different cuts at the same back length, which is why a size chart alone gets it wrong so often.
• How fast it goes on. If getting it on takes two minutes and a wrestling match, it stays in the bag at exactly the moment you need it. Know your dog and their aversion to wearing (properly fitting!) items - that will help you determine if you can have an over-the-head solution or need something the fastens around them.

Measurements get you close. Trying it on is what settles it, which is why we would rather you came in with your dog than guessed from a chart at home.

What we stock

We keep both jobs covered in store: waterproof shells, light packable layers, and warmer pieces for dry cold, in a few different cuts, because dogs are not one shape.

See what's in stock

What's on the shelf is only part of it. There are a lot of good jackets out there, and plenty of them are things we can order in for you. Come by with your dog, we'll walk through the options and get the sizing right, and a special order usually lands by the following Thursday.

One small thing that makes a fitting much more useful: bring the harness they actually wear.