Cold weather can be hard on pets, just like it can be hard on people. Sometimes owners forget that their pets are just as accustomed to the warm shelter of the indoors as they are. Some owners will leave their animals outside for extended periods of time, thinking that all animals are adapted to live outdoors. This can put their pets in danger of serious illness. There are things you can do to keep your animal warm and safe.

• Keep your  Puppy inside as much as you can when the mercury drops. If you have to take him out, stay outside with him. When you're cold enough to go inside, he is probably are too.

• If you live near a pond or lake, be very cautious about letting your  puppy off the leash. Animals can easily fall through the ice, and it is very difficult for them to escape on their own.

• If you light a fire or plug in a space heater to keep your home toasty warm, remember that the heat will be as attractive to your Yorkie Puppy as to you. As your dog or cat snuggles up to the warmth, keep an eye out to make sure that no tails or paws come in contact with flames, heating coils, or hot surfaces. Pets can either burn themselves or knock a heat source over and put the entire household in danger.

• It's a good idea to have your furnace checked for carbon monoxide leakage before you turn it on, both for your Yorkie puppy's health and your own. Carbon monoxide is odorless and invisible, but it can cause problems ranging from headaches and fatigue to trouble breathing.

When you're outside with your Yorkshire Terrier during the winter, you can watch him for signs of discomfort with the cold. If he whine, shiver, seem anxious, slow down or stop moving, or start to look for warm places to burrow, he is  saying he needs to get back someplace warm.

You can also keep an eye out for two serious conditions caused by cold weather. The first and less common of the two is frostbite. Frostbite happens when an animal's (or a person's) body gets cold and pulls all the blood from the extremities to the center of the body to stay warm. The animal's ears, paws, or tail can get cold enough that ice crystals can form in the tissue and damage it. The tricky thing about frostbite is that it's not immediately obvious.

Hypothermia, or a body temperature that is below normal, is a condition that occurs when an animal is not able to keep her body temperature from falling below normal. It happens when animals spend too much time in cold temperatures, or when animals with poor health or circulation are exposed to cold. In mild cases, animals will shiver and show signs of depression, lethargy, and weakness.

If you notice these symptoms, you need to get your Yorkie Puppy warm and take him to your veterinarian. You can wrap him in blankets, possibly with a hot water bottle or an electric blanket.