Tag archives: heat stress

In part one of our summer heat post, I wrote about the dangers of leaving dogs in a hot car, recognizing signs of heat stress and how to save a heat-stressed dog. Give it a read if you haven't yet. But heat-related issues are usually completely avoidable with a little foresight, precaution and knowledge on your part.

To keep your pup comfortable, cool and safe from the heat this summer, check out these tips ... is there anything you would add? 

Commonsense Rules

Like most everything, commonsense can keep your dog safe. A few simple steps can keep your dog from overheating in most situations.

• Exercise: Don’t do it in the middle of the day when temperatures are hottest. While early evening provides a cooler time to work, mornings are the coolest, and best, times to exercise. At no other time will the earth’s surface be as cool as at first light. An added benefit of morning is dew – it can help cool your dog by wetting his paws and perhaps his skin.
• Water: Always have fresh cool water on hand for your dog. If you’re training or exercising, stop more frequently than normal and offer her a ...

Summer has officially started, but temperatures that make for great beach-going time for you pose a deadly risk to your dog.

You have to remember: dogs are physically adapted to conserve and recycle heat. They don’t cool by sweating; heat generated by exercise (even just the physiology of body functions) is trapped inside. Their fur coats insulate them further. Brachycephalic (short face) dogs such as the bulldog, pug, boxer and Pekingese have it even harder because they can’t pant as sufficiently as other dogs, which compounds heat-related issues. However, if you trap any dog in a hot area with no way for them to release or escape that heat, their body will become so stressed that it can cause death – and it can happen very quickly, too.

To keep your dog safe and cool this summer, keep these tips in mind.

Cars are Coffins

If it’s been said once, it’s been said a thousand times: don’t leave your dog in a car during the summer. Even with the windows cracked, it can turn deadly in minutes.

I wrote about summer heat and cars last year here on Paw Print Genetics (read it here), and linked to this video that ...

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, said Benjamin Franklin. While the founding father might have been talking about most things in human life, his advice also applies to canines.

During these hot summer days, commonsense prevention can help keep your dog safe. Dogs don’t do well in the heat; even seemingly mild days in the 70s and low 80s can take their toll quickly. Humidity compounds the heat and makes it harder for your dog to cool down. If your dog is out of shape, exercising in heat takes an even greater toll.

If you’re training your dog for competition – whether that’s field trials or hunt tests, obedience, agility or flyball – it’s best to practice early in the morning when the ground and air temps are at the coolest. Other commonsense precautions to take include: ample breaks in the action, plenty of cool water to drink and swim in between drills, as well as resting in the shade.

If you take the time and provide your dog with the chance to cool down, you should be fine. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when watching your dog ...