How cold is too cold for labs to be outside for about 7 hours? I live in Minnesota.?

Answers:
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IMHO: It is extremely unfair to a dog to expect it to work in sub 0 deg temperatures unless it is acclimated to those temperatures. Doesn't make any difference if it is a sled dog in Alaska, or a retriever in Minnesota. The temperature is not what there is a need to worry about (unless it gets insane and drops under -50 or something) but wind even in much milder temperatures will endanger a dog. With a good dog house of the proper size a Lab will have no problem being outside.

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The best way for you to figure out how cold is too cold for any dog is for you to put on a sweatshirt, a hat with your ears exposed, no gloves and a pair of slippers without any socks and go outside and lay down on the ground and see if you can endure being out there for seven straight hours all alone. Start at 55 degrees and gradually work your way down to lesser temperatures until you think it's too much."

That is simply not true, dogs have survived the elements outside for approximately 100,000 years. The wolf, the coyote, the fox, etc,etc continue to do so yet today, even in the arctic.
The dog that DOES have a problem outside in the cold is the dog that sleeps inside a 70 deg house, because they will not "coat up" as they should for winter.

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if you dog shivers

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I'd say maybe 50 degrees and ideally, an hour or so is the limit. 7 hours under 50 degrees for 7 hours is far too long for ANY kind of dog to be outside unless they are bred to stay outside in that kind of weather such as huskies, Saint Bernards, and Newfoundlanders. To name a few, which is quite few.They are the best bred to stay in that kind of temperature for long time. But labs, they can't tolerate cold temps. It's the same if you are thinking about putting a tiny yorker terrier outside.

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The answer to this partly depends on the type of shelter you provide for your dog. Will there be a properly insulated dog house? What direction does the door face? You don't want it facing east typically as wind normally comes from that direction and would blow directly into the dog house. Any thing below freezing, I wouldn't even consider leaving a dog out in the elements and if he must not be in the home, consider the garage and a pet bed as another option.

If this is a "go to work and put the dog out" type of situation, you might consider crate training or finding a properly confined area in your home for him to be. An adult dog can make it for 7 hours in a crate without needing to go potty.

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Labs can take the cold pretty well. However if he or she shivers that is a sign they are not warm at all. I have insulated dog houses for mine. They need to eat healthy and be able to get much needed exercise to stay warm. But if it is shivering bring it inside or insulate it's house. I put blue board inside their houses. That works very well. Keeps them cooler in hot summer heat too.

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I don't know wat it is like in Minnesota but when it is below 40 degrees F I always let my lab sleep inside or in a dog bed

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The best way for you to figure out how cold is too cold for any dog is for you to put on a sweatshirt, a hat with your ears exposed, no gloves and a pair of slippers without any socks and go outside and lay down on the ground and see if you can endure being out there for seven straight hours all alone. Start at 55 degrees and gradually work your way down to lesser temperatures until you think it's too much.
Just because a dog has fur, it doesn't mean that that is enough. They don't wear shoes or boots and so there is only their flesh touching the ground. Their ears are very fragile. It doesn't take much for them to get cold. And their bellies have less hair than they have on their backs.
I could never understand why anyone would get a highly social animal such as a dog and tie it up outside. There are untold dangers it could face being out there alone. People are strange.

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Living in Minnesota I know the weather, my father raised labs when i was a kid, he had huge dog houses filled with straw. if the wind chill got bad or if the temp dropped below zero he brought them into the garage, not the house. Because they would go back out into the kennels, Bringing them in and out of the hot house would make them sick. please. Make sure they have fresh water not big blocks of ice.
As long as they have a place to get out of the wind and cold and it has insulation they should be fine, they get a nice full coat when the weather gets cold..
They far much better than other breeds..like my beagles, they cant tolerate the cold at all.
Hope that helps.