Shelties and Temperature

We dont get the cold winters you have (no snow) but mine prefer to sit outside on winter evenings than sit inside with the heater on.

As for summer, if its over 35C they only get a 15min walk or we just sit in the shade at the oval. They really do feel the heat after a certain point. If the air is still they feel the heat more, and if there isn't much shade. I do find they will overheat themselves before they realise how hot they are. So I need to keep an eye on how much energy they expend on hot days and stop them running around.
 
My dogs love the cold. Our kennel building is cold. All the crates are stacked togeter, and they have thick rolled fleece beds. They find the house too warm. They are inside with us all evening, and around 9:00, they start staring at me to let them out. In the summer, I switch to wire crates for ventilation and an occilating fan.
 
Shelties were built for harsh cold temps! The only time my dog started shivering was when we took her sledding and the snow was very deep - up to her neck. We were out for over an hour and she had snow crusted everywhere on her. She still had a great time though, rolling around and chasing snowballs. The kids and I did the sledding, she did all the chasing!

I worry more about her overheating in the summer than getting cold in the winter.
 
This is our first Winter with a Sheltie, as we adopted Casper this past November, so I was wondering about this very same thing about a month ago. But, it seems like he has no problem at all for the most part. We live in a rental duplex, so there's no fenced yard, so we take him on three walks a day. One evening last week, it was -23 F when I took him on his night walk! It was a short one! He seems to do fine, for the most part (better than me at that temp!). The only problems arise when he gets snow stuck in his paws (ouch!) or when we have to walk for extended periods of time on sidewalk that has been heavily salted.

For the most part, I think you've just got to use common sense. If the dog is shivering and seems unhappy, then they are cold. Dogs have an amazing capacity to communicate if you really pay attention, so just listen to your friend!
 
All my shelties loved to lay in and eat snow!!! Including Abby @ 7 months. They all prefer the house to be no warmer than 68 degrees, otherwise they would pant, pant & pant. If we have company and have to turn the heat up I have to leave the door open so they can lay against the storm door - nice and cool.
 
Both my Cooper, who passed away in 2005, and Randy thrive in colder weather. Around 40 degrees outside is perfect for them. Randy was out with me for several hours Saturday and the temp was about 17-20 degrees. He's bigger than the normal sheltie, but I've never heard of any temperature recommendations for shelties.
 
Nike outlasts my Alaskan Klee Kai outside. When they start clamoring to come in, he's still out there, tossing snow around with his nose and bouncing around!
 
They love the cold! It's the heat they can't stand!

The only sign to watch for is if they start lifting their feet off the snow - and that normally happens at about -15C. Or if the windchill is particularly strong. Otherwise, they are perfectly happy to spend hours outside.

The only difficulty is that they keep asking ME to come outside with them and play! Brrr! I'm a cold wimp! So they go in and out, in and out, all day! Hoping that Mom might brave the temperature at least once!
 
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