Why dress a dog? What clothes? And is it necessary to do this at all? These are the questions, I’m sure, that many jack-o-lantern owners asked themselves as the fall-winter season approached.
The opinions of dog lovers on this matter are quite contradictory. Some believe that clothing is an absolute excess, while others believe that dressing a dog is necessary, and even vital.
So does a dog need clothing and what is its functional purpose in the lives of our four-legged friends? Let's figure this out.
Do you need to dress your Chihuahua?
You need to walk your Chihuahua at any time of the year, including in winter. To prevent your gentle little pet from catching a cold, it must be dressed. After all, if a dog lives outside at any time of the year, its body is able to maintain normal thermoregulation at any ambient temperature.
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Why does a dog need clothes and shoes?
Why dress a dog? In my opinion, it is necessary to dress your pet. After all, our domesticated animals are no longer the same descendants of wolves. Most domestic four-legged animals spend most of their time at home, warm and dry. And they no longer have that strong immunity like their ancestors - wolves, who were forced, despite all weather conditions, to spend their whole lives outside. And in the conditions of “urban civilization,” clothing has become a banal necessity.
In some cities in winter, to prevent icy conditions, it is customary to sprinkle the streets not with sand, but with salt. After two years of wear on such “salty” roads, winter boots turn into holey “galoshes”, and cars after several years of operation become rusty “troughs”.
What can we say about the tender paws of our smaller brothers? Salt corrodes them to the point of bleeding wounds, and cracks form on the pads. It's good if you have a small dog like our Jack. When we go for a walk in our favorite meadow in winter, I always carry Jack in my arms across the road, sprinkled with salt. What if you have a large dog that you simply physically cannot lift?
This is why protective equipment such as boots were invented. In the summer, dog shoes protect delicate paw pads from burns on hot asphalt, sharp gravel and cuts from broken bottles.
By dressing your dog, you, first of all, protect it not only from the “creations” of human hands, but also from adverse environmental factors: low temperature, wind or precipitation.
Why dress a dog? Yes, here's why:
- In recent years, many exotic dog breeds have appeared that are not adapted to the harsh climate. Such animals freeze and catch a cold at the slightest draft or drop in temperature.
- In addition, some four-legged animals are cut and trimmed, which disrupts the temperature imbalance in the body.
- Clothes for dogs protect the animal’s body from dampness, dirt and deicing agents.
- It is also additional protection from wind and frost for short-haired animals that do not have undercoat. These are such breeds as: smooth-haired Jack Russell terrier, boxer, pinscher and others.
- Clothing protects long-haired pets from dirt in rainy and slushy weather, thereby making it easier for owners to care for their fur.
- Clothing protects hunting breeds from burrs, thorns, insects and various wounds and scratches.
- Finally, it is simply necessary to dress older dogs, since due to age, the natural thermoregulation of their body malfunctions with age.
Continuing the topic, let's talk about how to choose the right clothes for your pet and what models of dog wardrobe are produced by the modern industry. By the way, look at the hat I recently knitted for a dog!
Melange sweater
Dog weight: 12-15kg.
We will need:
- melange yarn, composed of 77% acrylic, 20% wool, 3% polyamide (50g per 70m) – 150g;
- knitting needles No5 and No6.
Patterns:
- cutting: 2l.x2i.;
- persons Ch.: alternate p. persons p. with a row of purl.
Density: face. Ch. 12p. for 19 rub. will be 10cm by 10cm.
Description
Back
Using knitting needles No. 5, cast on 50 stitches. and knit 8p. cutting Let's go to sp. No6 and persons. Ch.
At an altitude of 36 rubles. (19 cm) on both sides we decrease the loops, retreating 2 stitches. from the edge: 2l., 2p. in 1 sheet, faces. to the extreme 4 p., 1 simple broach, 2 l. In 2 rubles repeat the decrease.
On the remaining 46p. let's continue working. Having knitted 58r. (30cm), move on to cutting with knitting needles No. 5. We knit 16 rubles. (this is 8cm) and closed. P.
Tummy
Using knitting needles No. 5, cast on 26 stitches. and do 8 rubles. cutting Let's go to sp. No6 and persons. Ch. From 36r. (19cm) on both sides we decrease by 1 stitch, as described for the back. We repeat the decrease through the row. There are 22 stitches left, on which we knit evenly. From 58r. (30 cm) using knitting needles No. 5, we knit a sweater for a dog using cut knitting. We knit 16 r. (8 cm) and close. P.
Mittens
Sp. No5 dial 26p. and knit 12 rubles in the round. (6cm) cutting. We do not close the loops. We knit the second sleeve in the same way.
Assembly
We sew the upper sections of the cutting. We sew the sleeves with a loop stitch. We make the side seams.
When is it necessary to dress a dog, and in what cases does the animal not need clothing?
If you are the owner of a dog with short hair, then in most cases, your pet will not need clothing. It is necessary to dress a short-haired animal only if it is very dirty or cold outside.
We usually dress Jack only in heavy mud in late autumn or winter, when the air temperature drops from -15 (and even with the wind). And even then, in the cold we try not to wrap him up at all. Until minus 20-22, Dzhekusik walks around in this vest, which, by the way, we came across very fortunately.
This is the only thing from his numerous wardrobe in which he feels absolutely comfortable. Even in heavy rain, Jack happily runs around “naked” with us.
Whether your dog likes to walk in the rain or not depends entirely on the owner. A dog should not like or dislike rain. She should treat any weather calmly.
You shouldn’t wrap your short-haired animal in a rain suit at the first drops of rain. This can lead to disruption of thermoregulation and deterioration of the coat.
Owners of long-haired dog breeds, on the contrary, should protect the animal’s fur from dampness, since constant washing and drying of fur after going outside is very harmful to both the fur and the health of the pet.
In winter, larger dogs with thick, dense hair do not need clothing. They will be very uncomfortable if you put a jumpsuit or vest on them. They can simply overheat. The fur of such animals is already genetically designed to protect them from cold temperatures. These breeds include Laikas, Malamutes, and St. Bernards.
But the dogs that need to be protected in the cold are Chihuahuas, various terriers and pinschers.
I hope today we answered the question of why to dress a dog. Of course, all dogs have a natural internal thermoregulation system. However, some of them lack thick fur and are not genetically adapted to withstand severe frosts and temperature fluctuations.
We knit ourselves
You don’t have to buy all these things in stores - you can knit clothes for dogs with your own hands. This will require very few items and a little patience and skill.
What you need
What do you need to knit a sweater for a dog? Not as much as it might seem. Tools:
- knitting needles or crochet hook;
- scissors;
- rubber;
- threads;
- centimeter, pen and piece of paper for taking measurements;
- needle.
This is probably all that is needed in addition to the yarn already purchased. But knitting threads are a separate matter. The choice of yarn will be entirely up to you and depend on the purpose for which the sweater is knitted. The main qualities that threads must have are:
- naturalness;
- the ability to ensure good thermoregulation (in cold weather - warm, in warm weather - do not overheat the pet);
- convenience.
Therefore, avoid purchasing synthetic yarn that is scratchy. For a summer version of a blouse, you can buy cotton threads. For the winter, you can knit a sweater made of mohair, wool and acrylic for your pet.
Avoid cheap, low-quality yarn, especially those made in China. It may contain harmful substances that can cause allergies.
Instructions - how to knit a sweater
How to knit a sweater for a dog? The following instructions will help beginners.
- Work should begin by taking measurements. For dogs of the same breed, standard measurements may be suitable, which can be found in the master classes provided on the Internet. But still, in order for the product to fit well, it is best to make the measurements yourself. You need to know the following parameters: leg girth, back and tummy length, chest girth.
- The first step is to determine the knitting density for each specific yarn. To do this, knit a small sample of the selected pattern with knitting needles and count how many loops fit into 1 cm.
- Now count the number of loops based on the dog’s measurements. For example, by multiplying the number of loops per 1 cm circumference of the chest, we find out how many of them there will be in this part of the sweater.
- When knitting a sweater for a dog, you always start with the collar. In this part of the garment, the number of loops should be less than in the chest circumference. Therefore, from the number of loops in the girth, subtract 20 pieces (for small dogs) and 30 for larger ones. Cast on the resulting number of stitches onto the needles.
- Let's start knitting the neckline. Divide the total number of stitches cast on by 5. Knit the first and last part with an elastic band 1*1, and knit the rest with stockinette stitch.
- Where you knitted with satin stitch, you will begin to create rows for the back, and where with an elastic band - for the tummy. In every second row, add loops to expand. At the same time, those that are added from the elastic side are included in its pattern, and those that are knitted are knitted in satin stitch. In this way we knit 10 rows (you get 5 increments of 4 loops each) for the Yorkshire Terrier, for the Jack Russell - 16 rows.
- Don't forget about the holes for the legs - they need to be made approximately 5-7 cm from the starting row. They are easy to knit: on the front row, knit 3-5 elastic loops, close them, then knit 3-5 stitches with satin stitch. Now knit all the satin stitches except the last 3-5 and bind them off. Close the elastic loops, knit the last 3-5 loops according to the pattern.
- Then, on the purl row, cast on air stitches in an amount equal to the closed loops in the previous row. In the next front row, knit the cast-on loops with an elastic band.
- Now knit the sweater to the very end of the tummy. Don’t forget to gradually make decreases so that the blouse narrows and the belly of the finished product does not hang. To do this, in every 8 row, 2 loops (adjacent satin stitch and elastic) are knitted together. Where the tummy ends, transfer the elastic loops to separate knitting needles and now knit only the back stitch.
- We knit the bottom of the blouse with an elastic band - about 6-8 rows.
- The sweater knitted by hand is almost ready, now all that remains is to sew its details along the edge loops.
Typical diseases of this breed
The health of a pet and its physical development greatly depend on the person, his attitude and conditions of detention. But the puppy’s heredity, vaccinations and the reputation of the breeders matter.
Among hereditary diseases there are:
- displacement of the eye lens
- progressive retinal atrophy
- ataxia - loss of coordination and loss of balance
- There are also cases of luxating the kneecap, von Willebrand disease and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.
The right diet
Keeping jacks involves not only hygienic care, but also proper timely nutrition. A healthy diet is the key to strong bones, a strong immune system, energy and good mood.
You can feed Russells with ready-made dry food. It is convenient to store, transport, pour and easily measure the required amount. In addition, the granules contain the necessary complex of vitamins and minerals.
But low-quality dry food leads to gastrointestinal imbalance and serious health problems. Therefore, it is better to opt for super-premium products for small active breeds.
Natural nutrition should consist of raw (thawed or scalded) lean meat and complex carbohydrates. Chicken, turkey, beef, rabbit are suitable. By-products can be used. Not all Russell Terriers love fish, but you can pamper your Jack with seafood.
Allowed cereals:
- oatmeal;
- buckwheat;
- barley porridge.
Vegetables:
- carrot;
- zucchini;
- beet.
If Russell loves fermented milk products, then you can add kefir, cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, and sour cream to the diet.
One of the features of keeping Jack Russell puppies is feeding them 4–5 times a day. Up to 3 months, babies are fed 5-6 times, up to 5 months - 4 times, only by the age of one year are they transferred to two meals a day. The serving size is determined by the formula: 20 g of food per 1 kg of Russell Terrier weight.
Remember. You cannot mix dry food with natural food. It is forbidden to give your pet sugar, butter, pork, bones. Do not feed with fatty and fried foods, flour products, and sausages.
What temperature can a puppy withstand?
Newborn puppies cannot yet regulate their body temperature, and they must be kept at a temperature of 29.5 ° C. In the first days of life, the puppy should not feel cold, this predisposes it to infectious diseases.
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How to choose the right clothes for your dog
There are many varieties of dog clothing: autumn and winter overalls (with “sleeves” and “pants”), vests, blankets, knitted sweaters and denim jackets, elegant skirts and suits, and much, much more.
Stores offer clothes for pets for every taste and color.
In recent years, people have experienced a boom in doggy glamour. They spare no expense to make their pet look cute and funny, according to the latest dog fashion. But does the animal need all this? Of course not.
How many times have I observed such a picture when a dog “packed” in dog clothing brands simply stood up in a stupor and refused to walk because it was uncomfortable for him. What can I say, and our Jack is not too happy when I put a completely closed jumpsuit on him. It's like he's being replaced. His movements become chaotic, he constantly shakes himself off, trying to throw off his overalls, and his gait becomes very funny (on four legs fully straightened, like on stilts).
To prevent your pet from feeling discomfort when moving, it is important to choose the right clothes for him.
What you need to pay attention to when choosing clothes for your pet:
- First of all, clothes should not restrict movement, not put pressure on the paws, neck, but at the same time not “dangle”.
- Choose items that are easy to put on and take off.
- Choose clothes taking into account the anatomical features of your pet. The overalls should not interfere with the fulfillment of natural needs.
- Don't skimp when choosing a jumpsuit for your pet. As a rule, in the manufacture of more expensive models, various “membrane” fabrics are used, which are used in sewing clothes for athletes, fishermen and hunters. Such materials “breathe” and the animal under them does not overheat or get wet.
- Autumn overalls should be made of waterproof material and have a thin, light lining. Winter clothing, as a rule, is made from a synthetic waterproof top and an insulated padding polyester lining. Such clothes are easy to wash, dry quickly, do not fade and weigh little.
- Very often you can find sewn reflective stripes on overalls. This is also important in the dark to control the movements of your tail, or to indicate the presence of a dog next to you when crossing the road.
- Recently, knitted clothing has become popular among dog breeders. Such things look elegant, but there is very little practicality in them. They do not hold their shape well, quickly “stretch out”, get dirty and wet. It is good to walk the dog in such knitted sweaters except in frosty and dry weather, when there is no rain or snow outside.
- And finally, if you are going to buy clothes for your four-legged friend, it is best to take him with you to the store so that you can try the item on right away.
By the way, you can also read how to choose a New Year's costume for a dog and how to make it yourself.
Knitting pattern
A sample (about 10-12 cm) is no small thing. We cast on loops on 2 knitting needles, then transfer them to 1 knitting needle, and use the 2nd knitting needle to knit the selected pattern. It is advisable to wash the sample, perhaps the yarn will shrink, then calculate the number of loops for the pet.
After all, it is this small detail that will help you accurately calculate the required number of loops for any part of the sweater.
Knit stitch - knit one row with only knit stitches, the next with purl stitches, then repeat the rows.
All this is done before the knitting stage.
Advice!
It is advisable to outline a small plan and draw a pattern, recording all the measurements and converting everything into loops.
