How do the dog and the men differ in their understanding of the cold?

The dog is guided by instinct and the man is guided by a sense of arrogance. The man treats the dog as he treats nature: he lacks respect for both. The dog and the elements are in sync with nature’s rhythms; the man is not. The dog knows it is too cold to travel through generations of instinct. London's familiar theme of respect for this setting is hammered home when the man freezes to death alone in the snow.The dog will survive, he knows the cold and what his limits are born through ages of instinct and conditioning.