There's more than ten ways to warm a dog. While that may seem like a simple cliché spin-off, today's winter dog is much more sophisticated than ever before. With dangers such as colds, flues and other related ailments on the rise, keeping your dog warm while walking is more than another way to make him or her look cute: it is as essential as dressing yourself. Here are a few of the latest fashion trends.

Doggy Boots: They're shaggy, sometimes made of shearling and, more importantly, they protect your dog's paws from frostbite. There are about as many styles of doggy boots as there are political parties. There's everything from rubber tractioned boots to shearling and leather moccasins and even fancy stitched open toe boots made of leather.

The Overcoat: Ralph Lauren has this crazy dope tartan quilted overcoat with a corduroy collar that I've been checking out lately. The only problem is that I can't wear it: it's for dogs. These days, lavish coats with precise details are the norm, so take advantage of it to dress your pet up to the times. Your options include heavy stitched sweaters, doggy pullovers, cottons hoodies, and yes, shearling jackets. There is no excuse for your dog to shiver.

Dog Hats: Dog hats are simply too adorable to leave off of this list, and if you run a Google search, you'll see why. You especially need dog hats if your breed has large, fleshy ears that are more sensitive to the elements (ever felt that biting feeling on the edge of your ears from a cold breeze? You can bet your dog feels it too). Similar to shoes, the options out there are almost inexhaustible, though we'll mention a few: You've got your trapper hats, beanies, tie-under heavy wool hats, and yes, even elf hats.

Shopping for your dog might seem like a tedious task, but the Internet makes shopping easy as well as fun. Check out sites like Amazon, baxterboo.com, doggiecoutureshop.com, petsmart.com, and your area's Craigslist.com. Then for the next step: buying yourself a new coat so your dog doesn't make you look like a bum.