Walking dogs in this heat?

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poiuytrewq

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I know the ad going round (and common sense) says if you cant stand on concrete for however long its too hot to walk a dog.
Q is my dog is very used to her main walk being mid day/ early afternoon and weather wont change her body clock (unless its pee'ing down in which case i'd need a crane to get her outside!) Is it acceptable to walk her on grass?!! I feel so guilty not taking her as i'm often not here in the evening, other family are but she will only walk with me.
How does everyone else manage dog walking in this weather?
 
I'm walking my two at 6am and I'm leaving our evening walk until after about 7pm. Grass would be better than pavements but it's not just the ground, it's also their whole body temperature. It was really hot here on Monday and I saw 2 dogs with massively hairy coats being walked in the middle of the day (on pavements) and I felt terrible for the poor beasts. Ours have been flaked out for most of the day in the shade or on the cool kitchen tiles.
 
As I said on another thread, I've seen dogs these past few weeks I've never seen before, incidentally almost all overweight and in need of a good brush and consequently blowing like mad. Can't imagine they get out much unless the sun is shining.
On that note it's also important to remember to keep on top of grooming with heavier coats, if they're carrying dead hair they'll be doubly uncomfortable.

As others, I'm going earlier in morning and later in evening. Although it's been scorching at 7.30am some days.
 
I'm not walking properly until 9pm which is when it finally becomes bearable for my boy - he does come on shorter walks to the ponies with me earlier but we go VERY slowly (his choice), he flakes out at the field and he chooses to walk on the grass verges rather than the road. On several days he has been too hot even late evening so we have swum instead - luckily I bought him a swimming pool to do some home hydro with 2 weeks ago and it has seen good use!
 
Another who is only walking early morning and late evening now. My dogs are used to a walk as soon as I get in from work but it is just too warm for them It is worth remembering that some very hyper dogs don't seem to have the sense to slow down when it was hot. There was a tragic story reported this week about 2 dogs who collapsed and died when their owners took them walking in the fells in this heat. :(
 
I'm doing shorter walks, in woodland with a trip to the river for a dunk. Current dog is quite wee and low to the ground and I've noticed that she's affected by the heat way more than the setter was. Saying that, the setter was more sensible when it came to sun bathing as were my collies.

Has anyone else found that shorter-haired dogs don't seem to notice they are getting too warm? I had another short haired dog back in the day who was the same-would have to shut her out of the heat.
 
I live on a bridleway in the middle of the Downs, anyone passing my house is on the long walk circuit involving a punishing hill. I am seeing so many dogs being walked in the middle of the day clearly over-hot - one group of people went past and then a good few minutes later this poor bulldog struggled past - I am now leaving a huge bowl of water outside the gate. Madness.

Motherofchickens - agree about short haired dogs - my friends GSDs are much more heat aware than my Lab x who has to be told to sit in the shade.
 
Mums dog would be in her element in Dubai! She absolutely adores the heat - it's extremely difficult to get her out of it. she never slows down or appears bothered by it.
Mum has a big metal drain lid in her garden, she has often caught Molly flat out asleep on it in the blazing sun after she has snuck out & has to shut her in, not good!

She is definitely a sun worshipper

ETA Molly is a JRT
 
I'm off work now so mine have the run of the house and garden, and have no inclination to do anything! They'll potter down the field with me to check on the horses but that's about it. Longhaired dachshund is now sporting his summer clip, and the saluki seems even more lethargic..you'd think she'd be pretty heat tolerant but definitely not. I think walking on grass is fine if they're up for it.
 
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White dog has been voluntarily cooking himself most days because he is an eejit but their actual walks now are early morning or very late at night. We train in the dark in winter so stomping around at midnight with a torch is pretty normal for us.
 
I am trying to walk mine later (greyhound) and it seems to be working, I gradually change by half an hour as it starts to get warmer, we still go for a very quick tootle after lunch for a wee but its literally wee then back and on grass. He also likes to cook himself in the sun so I sometimes have to banish him to a cool place
 
We're going out earlier and later and she has some tuna ice lollies as well :) She's been "helping" OH in the garden but keeps retreating to the cold kitchen floor.

I saw this earlier on the Fail's top stories, I haven't read the whole thing (It is quite upsetting - warning before you open it :( ) I don't know whether it was because of the heat, elderly, ill but what a horrible way to treat your pet :( :(

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ave-body-shocked-onlookers-challenge-her.html
 
I'm not excusing her but I would think she would have to be mentally ill herself if she couldn't recognise the dog was dead or was prepared to just leave it there. I mean noone in their normal state of mind could, could they? Poor old dog :'(
 
Crackerz said:
Mums dog would be in her element in Dubai! She absolutely adores the heat - it's extremely difficult to get her out of it. she never slows down or appears bothered by it.
Mum has a big metal drain lid in her garden, she has often caught Molly flat out asleep on it in the blazing sun after she has snuck out & has to shut her in, not good!

She is definitely a sun worshipper

ETA Molly is a JRT
Click to expand...

My little dog was like this :) He'd spend hours on his back with his legs spread in the hottest sun. I have photo's of him happy baking himself the day before he was pts. They are lovely photo's because they are so "him" doing what he loved
 
MotherOfChickens said:
I'm not excusing her but I would think she would have to be mentally ill herself if she couldn't recognise the dog was dead or was prepared to just leave it there. I mean noone in their normal state of mind could, could they? Poor old dog :'(
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Just read this and have to agree. How awful. Poor poor dog :(
 
Heat, what heat ? we have had one fairly warm day here lately, its cooler again today.Is it you lot up in Scotland again hogging the sunshine?
 
We've been at Bramham today watching dressage. The older choc lab and the dog with the grass allergy stayed in the shade we found them, but yellow lab loved the heat and spent all day sun bathing. His owners were just as stupid (I blame the Prosecco) and look like a pair of lobsters!
 
Honey08 said:
We've been at Bramham today watching dressage. The older choc lab and the dog with the grass allergy stayed in the shade we found them, but yellow lab loved the heat and spent all day sun bathing. His owners were just as stupid (I blame the Prosecco) and look like a pair of lobsters!
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We used to get burnt every year at Bramham, I don't remember bad weather at all..... High 20's every year we were there..

Fiona
 
Honey08 said:
We've been at Bramham today watching dressage. The older choc lab and the dog with the grass allergy stayed in the shade we found them, but yellow lab loved the heat and spent all day sun bathing. His owners were just as stupid (I blame the Prosecco) and look like a pair of lobsters!
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We were there today. It was HOT but the Rotter's were very comfortable in their Cool Coats. Loads of people asked about the coats and I have to say that I would recommend them, even though they are not cheap! In fact one of the girls was on local TV eating an ice cream to keep cool, as well!
 
Snuffles said:
Heat, what heat ? we have had one fairly warm day here lately, its cooler again today.Is it you lot up in Scotland again hogging the sunshine?
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Where are you? I'm Gloucestershire and it's been lovely every day this week here. - typical as I had last week off work 😔
 
Pearlsasinger said:
We were there today. It was HOT but the Rotter's were very comfortable in their Cool Coats. Loads of people asked about the coats and I have to say that I would recommend them, even though they are not cheap! In fact one of the girls was on local TV eating an ice cream to keep cool, as well!
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Have you got more information on the cool coats? Sounds like two of mine would love them.
 
They are made by Easidri (think that's the spelling). You soak them in water and drain put them on the dog and let the water evaporate slowly. We kept pouring water over them as well yesterday but also went back tot he stall wher we bought them last year to ask the vendor to dunk them again. We were at Bramham from 11.30 to 4.00 and the coats were beginning to go a bit hard as they dried out. You can feel the difference if you touch the uncovered fur and then put your hand under the coat. n It was quite suprising yesterday how many people did just that without intorducing themselves to the dog, who fortunately took it all in her stride. But seriously, who marches up to a fully grown Rottweiler and sticks their hand up her coat, ruffling the hair the wrong way, without so much as a by your leave?
 
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Do you know, I think I walked past you and YorksG yesterday, but you were in discussion in a shop, so I thought I'd carry on to pick up something we'd bought earlier and catch you on the way back, but I didn't see you.

Very interesting to hear from someone that has bought one of those dog coats. We've come so close every year, as our chocolate lab suffers in the heat, but we usually take th down the valley from the water jump and dunk the dogs in the river. She's a bit old and unsound now, so it's too much walking for her to do that now. It's been a challenging trip this time. We've got her not able to walk as much, and the new dog's grass allergy has massively flared up here, much more than at home, so our usual "Bramham routine" has had to change!
 
Do you know, I think I walked past you and YorksG yesterday, but you were in discussion in a shop, so I thought I'd carry on to pick up something we'd bought earlier and catch you on the way back, but I didn't see you.

Very interesting to hear from someone that has bought one of those dog coats. We've come so close every year, as our chocolate lab suffers in the heat, but we usually take th down the valley from the water jump and dunk the dogs in the river. She's a bit old and unsound now, so it's too much walking for her to do that now. It's been a challenging trip this time. We've got her not able to walk as much, and the new dog's grass allergy has massively flared up here, much more than at home, so our usual "Bramham routine" has had to change!
 
I'm glad to hear the weather was better than forecast today. It was foggy here until it lifted to just become overcast!:D We went to Honley

I thought I had seen you in the distance, while we were watching the dressage. I did intend to PM you before the event but I'm afraid that life and work got in the way! I'm sorry to hear about your choc lab, it is sad to realise that they are aging and can't do as much as they used to. We will be asking to take up your kind invitation to view your hard standing/road planings before too long but there is so much to fit in and so little time to fit it into!

The coats are excellent!
 
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