whippet coat

[davidardill]

I am getting an 8 week old whippet puppy in 4 weeks, and I am looking to buy him a coat to guard against the cold and biting winter weather.

However, if I buy him a normal sized one now, it will be too big and if I get a smaller one he will grow out of it very quickly - as it is a necessity, I am in a bit of a quandary. any help?

[woofgang]

I am not an expert on whippets, but until one posts, Isome commonsense thouights...

t will be a while before he needs long walks. It will just be little jaunts to the garden for relief and play...also you won't be able to take him to meet other strange dogs until his vaccs are finished(although our vets does a puppy club). While he is actually froliccing (?spelling) and tearing around, he shouldn't need a coat. I am assuming that he will be an indoor dog and you will keep your home at a normallish temp and that he will travel be car if he has to go anywhere? If this is the case, imho a coat is not an immediate necessity and you can wait until he is grown a bit.

[davidardill]

yeah thats true...he won't be requiring long walks for a while, so i guess a coat will be surplus to requirements til he is bigger, by which time it will probly be getting warmer again! he will be living as a house dog though yes, we intend to crate-train him too, so he will be spending the large part of his early life indoors.

two of the litter he came from have sadly already passed away at the age of 3 and half weeks, so we are mindful of the cold-factor!

[woofgang]

did they die of cold? where were they kept for goodness sake??

[davidardill]

oh no sorry, they were still with their mother, but the mother accidentally dropped them outside the crate they were being weaned in, and didnt lift them back in...by the time the breeder found them they had been out for a couple of hours, as they are unable to regulate their own body temperature at such a young age, they died later as a result. was just using it as an example of whippets' susceptibility to cold, although i guess most puppies would be similar...

[katy040372]

I have an 18 month old whippet. When she was young (not fully grown) we bought a wool kennel coat from the whippet and greyhound shop in London for her. It only cost �7.50 and kept her warm during car journeys/ garden romps and whilst being transferred from car to house. A more expensive waterproof coat can be bought once the whippet is fully grown.
She does sit shivering even in the car on an average autumn day so I would definitely recommend a coat. A chilly whippet is a pitiful sight.