Why some people let dogs wearing clothes?

I have seen a few people letting dogs wearing clothes. In almost all cases, those were very small dogs. Besides some might think it is cute to have some little cute clothes on their little cute doggies, is there any benefits for the dogs to wear those clothes?

I don't get, or like, people dressing their dogs up. Dogs have fur, they don't need clothes. There are a few breeds that could do with a coat in winter due to their thin natural coat but other than that, no, no, no!

Having said that, I do abuse Milo sometimes...

Yes, it's fun to do for photos, but for everyday? I agree; no! There was one case on Dog Whisperer that I remember. Two guys had a tiny chihuahua that they dressed up in cute little outfits and boots and carried in a dog-purse because they thought it was cute and so did everyone they met. The dog was snapping at everyone who wanted to pet it. Ceaser said the dog was frustrated. It wasn't allowed to just be a dog! Get rid of the outfits and the boots, and let the dog walk on the ground where it can snif and explore. Let it BE a dog! They did and everything was fine.

I cant' stand it either way. Imagine being FORCED to wear a winter jacket outside in the summer. You'd be burning up! And dogs naturally have that perfect ratio before you put clothes on them. Its' like trying to sleep with your head under a thick blanket, it's uncomfortable. And what REALLY makes me mad is when people who are so OMFG ANTI ANIMAL ABUSE do it. They dogs DO NOT enjoy it. That's why they often times fight it so much.

I don't get upset over people making their pets wear clothes. It is not my business.
Although I wonder if the dogs would feel cold in the winter when they suddenly exist a house with heat into a world of snow. You know you might still feel cold with lots of clothes on if the temperature around you suddenly dropped from 70F to -30F.

I really don't get it personally. I know there are some breeds that do have the very thin coats, as Alan said. But I think most of the time it is for the owners, because they think it looks cute. I suppose as long as t doesn't stress the animal out, it's all good.

(05-18-2012, 03:32 AM)Fishbone Wrote: I really don't get it personally. I know there are some breeds that do have the very thin coats, as Alan said. But I think most of the time it is for the owners, because they think it looks cute. I suppose as long as t doesn't stress the animal out, it's all good.

It's sometimes hard to tell if it's stressing the animal out, most people aren't that keen. To some people like me or you it's blatantly obvious when an animal is unhappy but I've seen this and owners say "oh they're fine!" and call ME a bad animal person

I don't think it's cruel to dress dogs up on occasion. There are a lot more serious problems in the world than someone putting a sweater on their dog. Of course dogs should be dogs and probably shouldn't be dressed up on a day to day basis. There's something a little weird about that.

On Christmas my mother would sometimes dress our dogs up with miniature dog reindeer antlers and sweaters but right after the photographs she'd take them off. Although our dogs didn't seem to mind wearing clothes at all. Some dogs are visibly distressed when forced to wear clothes. If people put clothes on a dog that’s resisting or obviously distressed that's undoubtedly cruel.

I think it all the depends on the individual dog in question. One of our dogs didn't like wearing the antlers so my mum never put them on her whereas one of our other dogs seemed to prance around showing off ha ha. She probably liked the attention.

My dog is small. She has a couple of dog jackets because when we go for walks in the Winter she gets really cold. She isn't very hearty at all. She shivers and shakes when it's under 60 degrees.

But, those are the only clothes she has. I don't care for dogs who wear clothes. She wouldn't let me do it anyway. She hates her jackets and barely tolerates them.

That depends on what kind of clothing we are talking about. Some do wear coats especially made for dogs during the cold seasons and during winter.

While other dogs are conditioned to wear anything (just like grooming)... especially since this is added attention from their owners and probably more treats. I have a Corgi friend who loves dressing up. And as soon as he sees these new clothes, he would excitedly get up his couch because he knows this is another picture session with his "Mom". And she's not making it up, she videoed herself and the Corgi preparing for a photo shoot. He had his nub of a tail wiggling.

I used to make my dogs sweaters but since it's a summer and the sun is blazing almost everyday, there's no point making them wear it.

I find it quite annoying when people insist on treating their dog as if it were a child. I have no problem with putting clothes on a dog for special occasions as long as the dog doesn't become distressed by it but it's not natural behavior for a dog and it can have negative effects if done too often. A dogs coat alters depending on the temperature and if they are constantly stuffed into silly outfits then their fur doesn't have the chance to adjust. Dogs need to have the means to fulfill their natural instincts and silly clothing can restrict that ... besides I always think other dogs are laughing at them!

Having said that I have a whippet cross and he owns a coat for wearing outdoors when the weather is cold. The reason I bought it isn't so much that he shivers but that he looses a lot of weight when the weather turns bad. He only wears it in the middle of winter or when we are camping out but it's just for his health and not to look pretty or cute!

It can have a few health benefits depending on the situation. Smaller dogs or dogs with thinner coats may need a little bit extra in order to keep warm in the winter months if they live in a colder area. Some dogs have skin conditions and wear special clothes for external protection. Also, do shoes count as clothes? Lots of dogs wear shoes if they regularly walk on rough terrain or if they have sensitive feet.
Apart from health benefits, some dogs wear vests and such to identify themselves as a service dog.

To each their own but I personally think it is silly dressing a pet up in frilly clothes. I understand if the vet recommends a sweater for the winter or something (if vets would even recommend such a thing, I don't know) but for looks I feel it is quite silly. I don't think it is cruel unless the dog shows signs of distress or overheating. I see all these cute little girly clothes at the store in the pet section and it just makes me laugh because if dogs could talk I bet they would have a lot to say about it.

Some people do indeed dress up their dogs because they think it's cute, I'm sure. I've seen the dog halloween costumes and all that and I find it to be quite ridiculous personally. However, there is a real reason to put a sweater on them sometimes. I own a chihuahua and her fur isn't as thick as some dogs might be, I assume because they're meant to live it mostly hot climates (Mexico). For example, her tummy basically has no fur on it at all. I've read in a chihuahua care book that as a general rule if its around 40 degrees or colder and you're taking them outside, it's best to have a sweater on them. I don't get too carried away with it, for me it's purely functional. She hates wearing clothes at all, even just as much as a collar, so I generally let her be free of them whenever possible. So anyway, my point is, don't assume all of us with a dog in a sweater are pathetic weirdos trying to pretend our dogs are our kids, some dogs just get cold!

I have this case in my house, but I do still agree with you. Both my mother and my sisters love to dress the poor yorkshire with t-shirts, and sometimes even skirts. He's a god damn male dog... Still, he apparently likes the t-shirts as whenever they pick them, he comes to them and makes it easy for them to dress him. Of-course I tell them to underess him before I walk it outside as the clothes are not even made for dogs. I am thinking about buying him a winter coat though, because I'm afraid he'll be freezing in the snow time. Even though they have fur, it might not be enough, and the snow is very cold. It's also cute to see of-course. He looks like an anime dog dressed with a small t-shirt.

Hi everyone!
I was a brand new dog owner 2 years ago. He was a small dog with a very thin and wiry hair like fur.
For the most part, I agree that dogs do not need clothes and its just mean to dress them since they do have their own year round fur coat. However, in the case of my little dog and the thinness of his coat, I did put a thin hoodie on him in the fall and a fleece suit on him during the winter. I only did it because literally 10 seconds out the door, he would start shivering uncontrollably and would want to head back in most of the time without even having done his business.
Adding at least a thin layer of warmth for him was a good thing because it enabled him to last longer outside and to make it comfortable enough for him to play and burn doggie energy! :-)

I will admit when she was still in that small puppy stage we put her in cute little outfits, but a lot of that was in the winter to keep her warm. She had the prettiest little Christmas dress one year too.

Now we just have her trusty winter coat, and she needs that. She shivers when she doesn't wear it, and she adores her coat. She gets all excited when she sees it!

Her first year we tried the Halloween costume idea, and it blew up in our face. She was supposed to be a bumble bee for this doggy scavenger hunt, but that meant putting something on her head, and we learned pretty quickly her head and paws will never have anything on them for long.

some decades ago, none of them wear those kinds of clothes. they had a well life also i think.

I have never understood why people put coats on dogs either. I have seen some little dogs wearing booties in the winter - that almost makes sense - but the coats don't really...

I feel like people should not have outfits that their dogs wear daily but I do have a a sweater for my dog for the cold weather because her fur is cut short and she shivers without it but that is all. When you make your dogs wear clothes everyday it is just annoying and the dogs always seem annoyed (maybe it is because of the clothes).