Best dogs for cold climates
Thick-coated, cold-hardy breeds bred for snow and mountain work — ranked by coat, size and cold tolerance. The same coat that loves winter needs real care in summer heat.
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The ranked shortlist
Hand-picked by our editors using breed trait profiles — scores are out of 5.
1. Siberian Husky
5/5Born to run 100 km a day. Talkative, striking, and gloriously stubborn.
2. Alaskan Malamute
5/5The Arctic freight train — bred to haul, born to howl.
3. Samoyed
5/5The smiling snow cloud — a fluffy, friendly, tirelessly cheerful spitz.
4. Bernese Mountain Dog
4/5A gentle tricolor giant — the affectionate soul of the Swiss Alps.
5. Newfoundland
4/5A lifeguard in a bear suit — the gentlest giant the sea ever made.
Built for cold — and needing care in the heat
Cold-climate breeds share a dense double coat — a woolly insulating undercoat beneath weatherproof guard hairs — often with a sturdy build and small, furred extremities that lose less heat. Many were developed to pull sleds or guard livestock through mountain winters. Two honest caveats: that coat makes them overheat easily in summer, so they need shade, water and cool walks in warm weather, and it needs regular brushing, especially when they blow their coat. Never shave a double coat to 'cool' the dog — it wrecks the coat's insulation and sun protection. Come winter, though, these are the dogs asking to stay out in the snow.