cold

Question
Hey Marcus,

i live in ireland and its starting to get a little cold out, some nights it gets down to about -3 and the dog sleeps outside in dog house, hes only 6 months old. is this ok?

Answer
Well, I assume that since you are in Ireland, you are talking about -3C and not -3F.  Although to be honest, it probably wouldn't really matter.  At six months you MIGHT have to be a little concerned based on the how the dog's coat has developed, although in probably 90% of the cases, 6 months is plenty old enough to have developed the thick undercoat that allows the Siberian to survive in cold weather.  You should see the dog curl up into a nice little ball with the bushy tail covering his nose and his paws curled into his body.  This is the method that Siberians use to retain heat and stay warm in the cold.  An easy check to see that the dog is doing well with this method is to feel the chest of the dog.  If the chest still feels warm, then the dog is retaining heat well enough to keep the core of his body warm, and that is the essential thing.  Generally, you will notice the dog wanting to come in and/or shivering if it really is too cold.

A single Siberian (healthy adult) should be able to live and be just fine in weather as low as -40 F/C (interestingly enough, -40 happens to be the same in Celsius or Fahrenheit scales . . . weird math trick, but feel free to check it out!).  A pack of Siberians can usually survive quite well another 20-30 degrees cooler (as they can huddle next to each other and generate more heat).  If the dog has adequate protection from the elements (wind and rain mainly), he should be ok.  Additionally, you may want to give him some fresh hay in his dog house, or something else that he can use as a bed that will provide some extra warmth.  However, don't be surprised to see your dog laying out in the cold weather, sprawled out and enjoying the cool air on his body.

Hope that helps and feel free to write back if you have other questions or problems.