How to Keep Your Dog Comfortable and Healthy as the Weather Warms Up
As the weather gets nicer we want to jump into doing fun outdoor activities with our dogs. However, many times our dogs are not physically prepared for big adventures in hot weather after adapting to the winter climate. This time of year it is easy to push our dogs too far resulting in heat stroke or injury. Here is how to keep your dog safe, healthy, and having a good time as the weather warms up.
How Dogs Regulate Their Body Temperature
Dogs do not sweat like humans. They regulate their body temperature in three ways:
Panting. If a dog has a shorter snout it is harder for them to regulate their temperature this way.
Pads on the bottom of their feet. If they are on a hot surface like pavement it will be really hard to keep them cool.
Their coat. If you have a double coated breed like a husky, golden, aussie, corgi, etc, don’t shave them! The coat is helping regulate their body temperature. If you have a single coated breed like a doodle they should be cut short because their coat is not designed to regulate their body temperature.
Signs of Heat Stroke
Heat stroke can happen rapidly and is life threatening. Here are some signs to watch out for.
rapid loud panting
wobbly, unsteady gait
Agitated pacing or unable to move
thick or foamy saliva
Bright red gums
Body temp over 104 degrees
Warming Up and Cooling Down
Jumping into a high intensity work out like fetch, hiking, or with other dogs can lead to injury. Dogs should warm up and cool down just like we do when we hit the gym. Here are some simple movements you can do with your dogs to warm up or cool down.
Sit, down, stand transitions
Backing up a few steps and/or onto a platform
Figure eight through your legs
Stretching your dogs nose to their hip while they are standing
A brief, easy walk on a flat low incline surface
How to Hydrate Your Dog Safely
Chugging water rapidly can cause bloat, water intoxication, and shift sodium levels negatively impacting the dogs ability to hydrate. Even if your dog wants to chug water, it is your responsibility to hydrate them in a safe way.
Give your dog small amounts of water at a time. Give them a few minutes in between drinking water to digest and regulate.
Give your dog room temperature water. Cold water will make blood vessels constrict, reducing blood flow. Room temperature water will enable better blood flow and as a result your dog will hydrate more effectively.
How to Help Your Dog Stay Cool
Hydrating your dog isn’t the only way to help them cool down.
Cooling vest or collar, Ruffwear makes some great options.
Get a kiddy pool, we use rubbermaid livestock tanks because they are heavy duty and last longer than plastic kiddy pools.
Give your dog access to a raised bed so they can get a breeze underneath them when they lay down.
Make sure your dog has access to shady areas.
Exercise them early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the hottest temperatures of the day
How to Build Your Dog’s Heat Tolerance
You can build your dog’s heat tolerance by slowly acclimating them to the following:
Warmer temperatures
More intense exercise in warm weather
Longer periods of time in warm weather
Work on these elements separately before you combine them. If it is a hotter day do less exercise/minimal exercise and have many short outings. If it’s cooler, have longer outings or more exercise in shorter outings. Your dog should be hot, panting, but not uncomfortable. As their tolerance increases you can combine the elements within reason.
After exposure to these elements do not abruptly transition into an indoor space with a dramatically different temperature. Slowly ease them into cooler temperatures by using shady areas with lots of air flow or a car with the AC on. If it is very hot out, help them cool down with a cooling vest, wet towel, kiddie pool, etc. When transitioning them inside, try to keep the shift between the outside temp and the AC as small as possible within reason. Going from hot weather to freezing cold is not good for their bodies (or yours!)
Additional Note on Body Weight
Building your dog’s heat tolerance works best on healthy, physically fit dogs. Dogs that regularly do cardio are going to be better at this process than dogs who are overweight or under muscled.
If your dog is overweight they are going to overheat more easily and they have an increased chance of injury. If you want to do fun stuff with your dog this summer, but they need to shed a few pounds, FIRST work on shedding that weight through low impact activities like walks, fitness training, and dieting before getting to the fun stuff!