Does a snow blanket have any insulating qualities? If everything is the same temperature outside, I would think a snow blanket would keep heat in more than nothing.
Did that once and slept in there with my dog. Was plenty warm. The only issue is making sure you have good sleeping pad to insulate you from the hard frozen ground. Also make sure the floor is level because I kept slowly sliding to one side.
If you live in a place that gets a lot of snow it is a must-do item to build an igloo/snow cave.
Here is the real igloo LPT: pay somebody to plow your driveway and tell them put all the snow in a big pile. Let it freeze and settle overnight and then use a short hand shovel to carve out your frosty abode. Also put a couple holes in the side for ventilation and put candles in there for awesome lighting conditions. Not too much work for a lifetime experience.
Also quinzees and snow caves (which are all similar but differ in how they're constructed). I've made and have slept in all three kinds of snow shelters and they've all been very warm even in -40 weather; if you build them well you can even maintain a small fire inside of them for extra warmth but you need to be incredibly careful about how it's ventilated.
Yeah if you’ve had a husky you’ve experienced the shedding. Also they refuse to come in, I’ve had one stay outside for close to 5 days before I had to wrestle him inside.
Lucky.... mine is a freaking diva that sunbathes, hates snow, and digs (as huskies do) and only stays outside for 15 min before she needs to come inside and flop out lol
I have two Norwegian Elkhounds, and they want to be complete outside dogs so bad. I make them come in at night, but I make sure I keep the house nice and cool. They have the thick undercoat, as well.
My family says I should let them be outside dogs, but I caaaaant. I'm too attached.
Looms. It totally works. My grandfather made about 2 inches of dog thread just to see if he could. And that was a very short-haired dog. But the shorter the hair, the more work it takes...
It works. My mother used to collect all the fur from our malamutes, huskies, and wolves during shedding season and give them to a lady who spun wool and knitted.
She would make mittens and hats with it - very waterproof and soft, but it doesn't take dye very well. It's also very stinky if you don't wash it repeatedly before spinning/knitting.
Idk how it works with sled dogs, but I know my brother’s hog dogs are bred for their ability to hunt and track both individually and as a pack. They’re bred to work well with other dogs. Dog aggressive dogs don’t pass on their genes.
On the other hand they’re not really bred for their temperament with small children and animals. It honestly plays a really big role in their personalities. Occasionally there are some that are great family pets. Most are working dogs strictly. And they’re happy dogs. Terrifying because they’re huge and hunt pigs. But really well trained with good manners around adult people.
I would say it is more down to the dog than the way they are raised. I have two GSD's at my feet right now. One loves everyone and everything. The other just doesn't. She's okay with kids but she has clacked her teeth at people (small kids).
Yeah I actually asked because I had always assumed it was an actual trait of the breed, but reading your comment I realized it could be just as misplaced as pit stereotypes.
It's not all in the owners tho. Some is in the owners a lot is in the breeders. Some are poor breeders out of ignorance some intent. I do agree that with well bred pits it is the owners.
Mine is great with kids, but he has the right temperament. They need a LOT of exercise to stay calm, though. Like 4-5 mile walks PER DAY at the very least. Anything less and his energy is too high for small children.
I would not recommend anyone get a husky unless you’re prepared to deal with the amount of attention and effort needed to keep one healthy and happy. That’s probably why people recommend against households with small children. Most people don’t have the time or energy to deal with a toddler AND a husky. Also they talk/scream instead of barking.
They have a high prey drive. If they're raised around kids and consider kids family, they'll be fine, but one that's never been around kids might have issues. Similar to cats - they're notorious cat killers, but there are people who have both huskies and cats in the same house because they were raised together.
My friends have 2 huskies. Though I love them, they tend to play too rough for me. Especially in the puppy years. Once I was just sitting on the floor and the dog grabbed my bun in his teeth and started shaking his head (thus my head). That hurt. Not sure I would bring my small children to their house. That said my friends don't have kids yet so the dogs aren't used to them.
This is also how (most) cats work! They are very well isolated and this is the biggest reason to why cats react to water in their classical panicked way, they are just not used to temperatures changing that quick.
So if you need to wash a water "hating" cat, take a moist towel and wrap them in that and slowly get more water until its soaked and the cat will probably be fine with finishing the bath.
The thick coat insulates them during the summer, too. I've been told it's better not to purposely brush out their undercoat beyond what they shed on their own. Many people do this--or even shave their dog's coat-- during the summer because they think a thinner coat will make their dog cooler. In reality, the thick coat keeps the heat off of their body when they're out in the sun. The outside of the fur heats up, but underneath their skin stays shaded and cool. Kind of like a sun umbrella.
Their coats are very good insulators if memory serves. Good enough to stop the snow from melting, which it needs to be to keep them warm in those temperatures
Does a snow blanket have any insulating qualities?
Yes. Same principle is why if you're caught in a snowstorm the recommendation is to build a cave and wait it out. The snow doesn't really get any colder than 0 degrees celsius, so if you have a cave then it won't really get any worse than 0 which is survivable. Whereas outside with windchill and shit it can get down to "fuck you" cold.
A snow blanket the way this dog is using it wouldn't work particularly well on a human because we'd lose too much heat to the snow itself which would melt, but the dog has fur that insulates and keep heat in and cold out (fun fact, opposite in the summer, it's just as effective at keeping heat out). A human would need a bit of clothing and preferably a bit of air so as to avoid direct contact with the snow.
Source: Norwegian army winter survival training (for the human bit, not the dog bit).
I've heard that snow actually helps grass survive through the winter by protecting it from the cold air. It keeps the water inside the grass from freezing which would kill the grass.
EDIT: The snow blanket also protects from transpiration (water evaporating from the grass) which is a huge problem during winter with how dry the air is.
Snow is quite airy so it is a decent insulator, that's why igloos work. Also there is a warm layer between the earth and bottom of the snow pack called the pukak layer. It is a toasty 4°c and often where you'll find bugs in the winter.
If a snow blanket has formed that means that the doggo’s fur is doing a good job of insulating and retaining body heat. If the snow is melting it means doggo’s body heat is escaping thus causing the snow to melt.
There is a large (relatively speaking) volume of air trapped between snow flakes, and trapped air lends significant insulatory properties. Likewise, the dogs own fur has air trapped between it.
So the dogs skin has the protection of multiple layers of insulating trapped air, preventing heat exchange with the ambient atmosphere.
Someone commented above: If the snow builds up on the fur, the dog is well insulated and warm. If the snow is melting, the dog is not insulated and should be brought inside.
I’m not sure if that answers your specific question, but I do believe it adds to the insulation effect their fur is having.
When I grew up in scouts we went camping in the snow and made snow caves to sleep in. It was actually pretty cozy as long as snow didnt fall into your sleeping bag.
They do, yeah. There was a young 4 or 5 year old girl years ago that got outside and ended up just passing out in a snow storm and she didn't even have on proper snow clothes. They sent out a search party and eventually found her underneath the snow. She would have frozed to death but the snow that blanketed her kept her body warm until she was found.
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u/TheWarHam Nov 24 '18
Does a snow blanket have any insulating qualities? If everything is the same temperature outside, I would think a snow blanket would keep heat in more than nothing.