狗衣服 – 是裝飾品還是必需品?
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隨著氣溫的下降, 寵物店, 夜市攤販有越來越多的可愛狗衣服. 狗狗需要穿衣服嗎? 那要看是什麼狗. 小型犬如吉娃娃和巴哥, 因為天生短毛, 體型小所以保溫能力沒有中/ 大型犬好. 在寒冷天氣需要衣物協助保溫. 大型犬如黃金獵犬或哈斯奇牠們天生就有雙層衡溫的厚毛, 有足夠能力去對抗台灣的冬天氣溫. 但要特別注意其個別情況, 像年齡比較大的狗, 或是生病中健康情況不好的狗，在寒冷天氣是會需要給牠們保持體溫的.
狗狗第一次穿衣服不要太強迫牠, 太強迫會把牠嚇到或刺激牠咬你. 給狗狗先聞一下衣服, 用讚美和鼓勵之後，再一邊慢慢的把衣服穿上. 衣服尺寸需要合身, 太緊身的衣服會令狗的行動不方便容易受傷. 太大的衣服狗狗行動時容易卡到東西或身體造成危險. |
Doggy sweaters—A fashion statement or a necessity?
As the temperature drops, more and more sweaters and coats are being sold in pet stores and at night markets. But, do dogs really need to wear clothes?
It depends on the breed and size of the dog. For smaller, short coat dogs like Chihuahuas or Pugs that do not have a thick coat of fur, Taiwan’s cold humid winters are hard on them. They will need clothing to keep them warm in low temperatures. For larger breeds like Golden Retrievers or Huskies, they have a natural double layer of thick fur that’s sufficient enough to beat Taiwan’s winters. Older dogs or dogs with illnesses should be clothed in order to maintain a normal body temperature.
Do not be forceful when introducing clothes to your dog. You don’t want to terrify them and make them fearful of the clothing or worse cause them to fear bite. Allow your dog to sniff the clothes and give them a lot of praise and encouragement before and after you dress them.
When choosing clothing, make sure it fits properly. Clothes that are too small can be restrictive and might cause skin or fur problems and even injure your dog. Clothes that are too big could easily become caught on something and could also cause injury.
Please remember that our dogs are like family members, they shouldn’t be treated like toys or fashion accessories. Only dress dogs that really need it to stay warm.
It depends on the breed and size of the dog. For smaller, short coat dogs like Chihuahuas or Pugs that do not have a thick coat of fur, Taiwan’s cold humid winters are hard on them. They will need clothing to keep them warm in low temperatures. For larger breeds like Golden Retrievers or Huskies, they have a natural double layer of thick fur that’s sufficient enough to beat Taiwan’s winters. Older dogs or dogs with illnesses should be clothed in order to maintain a normal body temperature.
Do not be forceful when introducing clothes to your dog. You don’t want to terrify them and make them fearful of the clothing or worse cause them to fear bite. Allow your dog to sniff the clothes and give them a lot of praise and encouragement before and after you dress them.
When choosing clothing, make sure it fits properly. Clothes that are too small can be restrictive and might cause skin or fur problems and even injure your dog. Clothes that are too big could easily become caught on something and could also cause injury.
Please remember that our dogs are like family members, they shouldn’t be treated like toys or fashion accessories. Only dress dogs that really need it to stay warm.