Best dogs for cold climates
Dogs that cope with long, cold winters: thick double coats, bred for snow, ice and wind.
These breeds score highest for cold tolerance. Most come from the far north or from mountains, and carry a dense undercoat that traps warm air. That coat has a price: it sheds hard once or twice a year, and many of these dogs struggle in a hot summer flat. Cold tolerance is not the same as living outside. Every dog needs shelter, a dry bed and company, and short-coated or small dogs on this list can still get cold paws on salted streets. If your winters are dark as well as cold, look at the energy score too: a husky still needs its run when the sun sets at three.
AkitaCold tolerance: 5/5
Alaskan MalamuteCold tolerance: 5/5
Bernese Mountain DogCold tolerance: 5/5
Chow ChowCold tolerance: 5/5
Finnish LapphundCold tolerance: 5/5
Finnish SpitzCold tolerance: 5/5
Karelian Bear DogCold tolerance: 5/5
LeonbergerCold tolerance: 5/5
NewfoundlandCold tolerance: 5/5
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling RetrieverCold tolerance: 5/5
Pyrenean Mountain DogCold tolerance: 5/5
Saint BernardCold tolerance: 5/5
SamoyedCold tolerance: 5/5
Shiba InuCold tolerance: 5/5
Siberian HuskyCold tolerance: 5/5
Alaskan Klee KaiCold tolerance: 5/5
American Eskimo DogCold tolerance: 5/5
Appenzeller SennenhundCold tolerance: 5/5
Bergamasco ShepherdCold tolerance: 5/5
Black Norwegian ElkhoundCold tolerance: 5/5
Black Russian TerrierCold tolerance: 5/5
Bohemian ShepherdCold tolerance: 5/5
Bouvier des FlandresCold tolerance: 5/5
Bucovina Shepherd DogCold tolerance: 5/5Scores 1 to 5 are our own estimate from the breed standards and the sources on each breed page, not a published rating. Open a breed for its costs, health and the rules where you live.