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A humans body temperature averages at around 98.6°F
A dog's body temperature averages at around 101.5°F

  • If the temperature outside is 45°F who would feel colder?

The dog's temperature is higher than the human. So you would assume since its temperature is higher it would feel warmer than the human.

However, the temperature difference between the body and the external temperature is the following:

Difference in humans internal and ambient temperate: 52.6°F
Difference in dog's internal and ambient temperate: 56.5°F

I'd like to know as I keep telling my mom that the dogs feel hot when she puts on doggy sweaters for them when its slightly cold for us humans.

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    $\begingroup$ Things other than the temperature that could affect whether or not the coat is necessary: Is it raining? a wet dog will get cold quicker. How long/thick is the fur? thin coats of fur will be less efficient at keeping the dog warm than thick. Is it windy? Wind blows warm air out of the fur. How big is the dog? Size & body fat will affect the rate of heat loss. How active is the dog? A dog doing lots of fetching will keep warmer than a dog ambling along the pavement $\endgroup$
    – rg255
    Dec 27, 2012 at 11:54
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    $\begingroup$ Clues as to whether the coats are necessary: Is the dog shivering? if yes, give it a coat. Is the dog panting? yes, take the coat off before you bake the thing! $\endgroup$
    – rg255
    Dec 27, 2012 at 11:56
  • $\begingroup$ @rg255 would you like to post your comments as an answer? $\endgroup$
    – kittycat
    Jan 26, 2013 at 3:24
  • $\begingroup$ done (and here's some extra characters to let me post this comment) $\endgroup$
    – rg255
    Jan 28, 2013 at 16:38

1 Answer 1

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Things other than the temperature that could affect whether or not the coat is necessary: Is it raining? a wet dog will get cold quicker. How long/thick is the fur? thin coats of fur will be less efficient at keeping the dog warm than thick. Is it windy? Wind blows warm air out of the fur. How big is the dog? Size & body fat will affect the rate of heat loss. How active is the dog? A dog doing lots of fetching will keep warmer than a dog ambling along the pavement.

Clues as to whether the coats are necessary: Is the dog shivering? if yes, give it a coat. Is the dog panting? yes, take the coat off before you bake the thing!

this probably does not fully answer the question "If the temperature outside is 45°F who would feel colder?" but as requested by the OP I have posted my comments as an answer. I would expect a dog without a "doggy sweater" to be better able to cope with the cold than a human not wearing a "people sweater" or any clothes, just like the dog, if you want to make it a fair test!

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