Dogs in the heat

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GSD Woman

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How do you all train and exercise your dogs in horrible heat? Right now it is 91 degrees F. which apparently is 33 degrees C. I try and get up early on my days off to run them and let them swim before it gets too hot but work gets in the way the rest of the week.
 
Mine have the main walk at 6.30 am which is cool as we walk in the woods and by lakes. Evening walk happens once it's become cooler.
 
We don't get those sorts of temperatures very often, here but we walk in the cooler part of the day, keep them inside during the hottest part and we have 'cool coats' and cool mats for travelling in an a/c car or going out and about during the day.
 
Last summer when it was very hot here, we walked ours at about 6am, and then just a walk before bed instead of the 5/6pm walk they usually had.

Our house is usually quite cool, so they were comfortable indoors during the heat of the day, but had access to the garden if they wanted it.
 
Today is supposed to be the coolest day of the week. It's my day off and I've been taking them outside in short little bursts and try and keep them in the shade. I hate this weather and later in the week it will be more humid.
 
Morning and evening walks but I do try and proof my dogs to heat as well, as they sometimes have to compete in warmer climates and one in particular can flag a bit in the heat. Ironically not the black hairy one, who powers on through :p
I use hydration supplements and the car is covered in foil sheeting, keep sessions short etc.
 
During the summer, late spring, early fall I only compete in air conditioned venues. I've had to lose some entries when the heat was more than it should have been for that time of the year. My boy would run but I worry about heat stroke.
 
If it's stupid hot, which luckily I've never had to deal with, the organisers usually switch times to morning and evening.
I see in Austalia they track in the dark under lights at competitions so I'm assuming they do it late night/very early morning.
 
The JRT is 15yo and flags in the heat these days. I’ve recently bought him a cool coat, and it’s been brilliant for him. He’s revitalised when he wears it and for a few hours afterwards. We don’t walk him when it’s hot, as he’s happy enough pottering around at home, but I do think that we could walk him if he wore his cool coat. The cooling effect lasts for a few hours, then I re dunk it in cold water and it’s good to go again.

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Our 12 year old black Labrador loves to lie in front of a desk fan, we put it on the floor in front of his bed and he is positively chilly. He's laid fast asleep in front of it now, while I'm sat downstairs too warm to sleep!
We also wet him down with the hose pipe before he goes for a walk and this really helps him cope with the heat. We always take fresh water with us on a walk too, even if they'll have access to the river.
He has his own frozen veg drawer in the freezer with a bag of frozen peas, mixed veg and frozen sweetcorn, we wrap these in a tea towel and pop them on him when he's laid down, we move them to another part of his body, shoulders, hips, neck, etc every 15 minutes or so, he never moves away from them and often sighs when we put them on so he obvs likes the feeling. Having multiple bags means there's always something chilled to use on him, when defrosted they go back into the freezer to be used again (definitely not for human consumption!).
The 2 year old yellow Labrador copes much better with the heat but she is far more active so she too gets hosed off before a walk, she's not a fan of the fan 🤔 Or the frozen veg trick but she loves to lie, like a frog, on the cool stone floor in the kitchen. 🐾❤️
 
When visiting my daughter in Georgia, where mid 30s seems to be the norm, I've noticed that most people walk early morning and evenings. I think most houses have air con so dogs will be comfortable at home, also restaurants and bars seem to be generally dog friendly so folk take their dogs out with them in the evening.
 
Early Morning and late evening walks in the summer months here in Oz. Dogs tend to just laze about during the day unless you have aircon. In general people here rise very early and sleep early versus the uk and Ireland. plenty of people about from 4.30 or 5 in summer. Always keep plenty of shade and water about and most gardens have both in suburbia. You respect the burning power of the sun and avoid exposure here so walks don't happen unless it's early. Kids baths of water or ice are popular on the bad days,same with frozen bottles etc for the dogs to lick lie on. You just don't go out in the midday sun here or if you do stick to shade unless it's the beach and even then shades a bring with you situ. Grounds to hot for a dog to walk in the payment during the day anyway. Lots of homes have aircon and everywhere else have fans that get used by all creature in the home. Shows from what I've see-everyone has gazebos for shade and run fans on the dogs (ryobi do great type on battery) and if it's in the late 30's or 40 plus most venues will cancel rather then run...or start very early to be finishing up by 10 in the morning.
You get used to it pretty quickly and the dogs adapt. But mostly it's avoidance. Running a dog midday is a good way to have a dead or badly injured dog. From heatstroke to burns on the pads...most often issues are seen when the dogs been running like a loon around the pool or beach but not actually getting into the water to cool off. it doesn't always end well. Most people have the sense not to over do it exercise here but it happens occasionally.
 
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My dog is quite happy to not have as much exercise as she’s used to. She gets her walk in the evening when it’s cooled down and tends to sleep the rest of the day. She’s at the field with me today but instead of her usual looking for mice, she’s asleep in the shade with a cool breeze.
 
At 7 pm it is 35 degrees C outside. Earlier I check in Celsius. It was 39. I have a wading pool in the back yard (garden is I think what y'all call it) and the dogs kept jumping in and digging in it while I was doing outside chores. My youngest still got very warm. She doesn't have heat sense yet and wanted to play tug and ran around barking. The rest of this week is supposed to be just as bad, if not worse.
 
Thistle said:
I have just seen an idiot woman jogging/running fairly fast, along a pavement at lunchtime, temp 25degrees. Dog was a cockapoo.
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Soon to be a cooked-a-poo :(

Currently doing 5am walks, some electrolytes in the evening, paddling pool, cool mat, chilled towels, and a short rinse for the mostly whippet before I leave for work,

Its received with a staggering level of ingratitude bordering on looks that indicate this is RSPCA worthy abuse, apart from the early walk. Typical :rolleyes:
 
paisley said:
Soon to be a cooked-a-poo :(

Currently doing 5am walks, some electrolytes in the evening, paddling pool, cool mat, chilled towels, and a short rinse for the mostly whippet before I leave for work,

Its received with a staggering level of ingratitude bordering on looks that indicate this is RSPCA worthy abuse, apart from the early walk. Typical :rolleyes:
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Brilliant description 😄 it must be a sighthound thing.... “a paddling pool? You want us to get WET? Are you trying to kill us???!!!” 🙄
 
Levrier said:
Brilliant description 😄 it must be a sighthound thing.... “a paddling pool? You want us to get WET? Are you trying to kill us???!!!” 🙄
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Its a miracle how he gets throgh the day :D
The sighthound approval scale is very very short- from total horror to absolute joy. As the two photos attached illustrate. Camping compared to mucking about on the beach (clearly gratuitous photo time!)
Alf camping.jpgAlf beach.jpg
 
Horrifyingly I went to get the bins in this afternoon and took T with me, we walked past a neighbour who was in a large paddling pool with his new and shiny lady friend (both lovely people, both large, and both almost nekkid) and kersplosh they had a labrador in the pool with them. Drinks knocked over and drowning pig noises (that's T, she gets over excited in water). So embarassed, she would not get out for ages and we are now at home recovering from the mortification.
 
Clodagh said:
Horrifyingly I went to get the bins in this afternoon and took T with me, we walked past a neighbour who was in a large paddling pool with his new and shiny lady friend (both lovely people, both large, and both almost nekkid) and kersplosh they had a labrador in the pool with them. Drinks knocked over and drowning pig noises (that's T, she gets over excited in water). So embarassed, she would not get out for ages and we are now at home recovering from the mortification.
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That has absolutely made my day - fabulous 😂😂😂😂😂
 
River walks, they basically live to retrieve, so swim to get a thrown dummy/ball. They walk 200 yards from the car to the spot we use then get driven home where they choose where to lie. That's if the OH is around. I can't walk/run fast enough to keep Zak other dogs safe on my own.

Today, they did 3 retrieves in the park early then were asked to stay in the shade for a mooch. They get water in the car, aircon on full blast, windows all down, wasteful but worth it, then home which is literally minutes away.
 
Our 3 get an 8am walk/swim, takes 1 minute to drive them there, the car park is on the edge of a circular walk which takes an hour to walk around or you can do a bit and retrace steps, the path is around the rivers edge so lots of places to swim. They then spend the rest of the day chilling, I work mornings, OH works afternoons so the doors are always open to the garden. Currently the jrt is asleep on the garden lounger under the umbrella, 1 spaniel is asleep on the tiles in the hall and the other spaniel is asleep on the sofa with a wet towel draped over her back. They wont get a second walk, the spaniels are older now and the jack doesnt care one way or the other, they can play in the garden if they want to but currently, noone wants to :)
 
Clodagh said:
WEll it didn't make mine! o_O:D:p:cool:
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Sorry, I am absolutely howling with laughter having just read about your day! Just so that you don't feel you are on your own -We had a yellow Lab bitch who once gate-crashed a rather sedate family (not ours) party, the kind where every-one stands around chatting with finger food and balancing drinks..

It has been too hot all day to walk ours, in fact they haven't been for a walk all week because it has been too hot for the one recovering from the treatment for a facial abscess (bloody Rottweiler teeth). They have spend all the time lounging around, sleeping. They are currently sitting on a 'cool mat' by a fan. they have certainly appreciated the ice-cubes in their water bowl.
 
Clodagh said:
Horrifyingly I went to get the bins in this afternoon and took T with me, we walked past a neighbour who was in a large paddling pool with his new and shiny lady friend (both lovely people, both large, and both almost nekkid) and kersplosh they had a labrador in the pool with them. Drinks knocked over and drowning pig noises (that's T, she gets over excited in water). So embarassed, she would not get out for ages and we are now at home recovering from the mortification.
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Amazing 😂😂😂
 
Clodagh said:
Horrifyingly I went to get the bins in this afternoon and took T with me, we walked past a neighbour who was in a large paddling pool with his new and shiny lady friend (both lovely people, both large, and both almost nekkid) and kersplosh they had a labrador in the pool with them. Drinks knocked over and drowning pig noises (that's T, she gets over excited in water). So embarassed, she would not get out for ages and we are now at home recovering from the mortification.
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Oh heavens! We stayed at a log cabin in Argyll a few years ago, we were getting changed ready to jump in the hot tub but Jake and Spot beat us to it and we found them bobbing around with the jets on. We heard a splash and rushed out to find that Jake was sat in the deepest bit right in the middle up to his head with his ears just floating on the surface and Spot was circling him doing the doggy paddle. It was February and snowing and it took us about 15 minutes to coax them out and another 30 minutes to fish out all of the dog hair. Not before we got a few photos though! 🐾❤️ I think until you've owned a Labrador you can't really comprehend their love of water.
 
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