Panting and whining on walks

[Nicole and Teddy]

Happy 4th, all! I have a question for y'all regarding Teddy and his behavior on walks. He is a 16 month old 60 lb goldendoodle. For a while now, he hasn't seemed all that interested in walking and will often stop and want to head home. I've taken him to the vet multiple times, he's had a physical and bloodwork, etc and has come back with a clean bill of health. However, it continues to be a struggle to get him going. I have him in an training class and she's given me several tips that seem to have moderate success. I still have concerns though. I had him groomed last week and he's down to about 1 inch hair length. Today I took him to the dogpark and we took a little walk first. He was not really interested and has started doing this whining thing while he's walking. He also seems to start panting fairly quickly into the walk like he's super out of breath. After our short walk, we went into the dog park where there were no dogs present, but he again was pacing, panting hard, and whining. My thoughts immediately go to, 1. maybe he's too hot and needs water (I always carry water with me and he'll drink a little but not a ton)- we live in SC and it's very hot and humid here-, 2. maybe he's uncomfortable in his Easy Walk harness (I've never felt comfortable that I have it on him properly), 3. maybe he has some kind of heart issue and that's what is causing his panting and lack of interest in walking (the vet listened to his heart and didn't have any concerns). Has anyone else experienced these types of issues during walking/play? He'll sometimes do the panting/whining thing in the backyard while we are playing too. Thank you in advance!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

He's hot. It doesn't matter how short you had him cut, dogs can't sweat except through their pads, and they can't cool themselves through their skin. The only way they can cool themselves and regulate their body temperature is by panting. That's why he's panting, lol. Dogs can also get rid of heat through their pads on their feet, but if those pads are against hot pavement, or worse yet asphalt....

Here's a test. Press the back of your hand against the pavement and hold it there for 10 seconds. If it's too hot for you, it's too hot for him. 

Try not to walk or exercise him outdoors at the hottest times of day. Try to avoid asphalt/blacktop, which is what most streets are paved with. Try to keep to outdoor areas that have grass and lots of shade. Maybe there were no dogs at the park because it was too hot. :)

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Exactly my thoughts. He's hot. Of my 2, Oscar, the 70+ lb., suffers the most from the heat, and I get him out during the coolest times of the day, which typically these days is late at night in the backyard. The sidewalks, even after sunset hold onto the heat for hours. Ironically, Oscar doesn't drink much either when he's really hot. Even though we have central air conditioning in the house, he chooses the coolest places to lie, usually over a register vent :-)

[charlotte bednarsh]

Did he do this when the weather was cool?  My labradoodle Paz is noticeably different when it is hot.  We live in NYC and I have to be really careful when walking him during the hot weather.  I try to walk him in the shade, and avoid taking long walks during the hours of 10:00 - 3:00 when it is really hot.  He pants noticeably after a block of walking, and trys to go back to our apartment, which means he's telling me that he is too hot to walk.  If this is happening when it is hot, he's probably telling you he needs to go home and lie down.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I just this week asked my Vet about walking and how much was okay in the Summer.  My husband walks for about an hour and a half in the morning and another hour in the afternoon.  On his morning walk he takes Guinness (our 22 lb mini), and I was worried that was too much for him.  The Vet said that it was fine...BUT never on hot pavement (and as Karen mentions you should always test it) and always stop when they start to pant.  When they are panting that's a signal that they've had enough, especially hard panting and whining.  You need to stop and give them a rest or head home.  I always make sure that they drink before the walks too...and they know themselves to head for the water bowl as soon as they come home.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

At what temps are you talking about Jane?  Our Beau seems to be really affected by temps above 75 if the sun if out!  I would have to carry him home if I kept him out over 30 minutes and that is no joke! I really have to watch for signs of heat stress with him.  I thought he might have a heart issue or something, but my vet says he is very healthy, but just cannot take much heat (just like some people).  When it is 40 - 65 degrees, he can go forever and really enjoy it.  Needless to say, we have had triple digits here for 9 days and there does not seem to be an end in sight for another week or so.  The coolest part of the day is just before sunrise and it is 72!  To my dismay - my DH is playing ball in the house with the doodles at various times of the day and lots of mind games!  We are doing no walking - swimming only!  I think I am ready for fall weather!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I couldn't agree with you more, Linda. I'm in Portland, OR, and am so looking forward to cooler Fall weather! I've had enough of the heat, and our Summers typically don't even start until July 5th. Feels like we've had a season of Summer weather already (starting in early Spring).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

He goes early in the morning so the temps are usually in the high 70s or possibly low 80s.  My Vet said the real key is to watch for the panting....heavy panting means they're overheating and that's when you want the walk to end.  We use Daycare on really hot days and lots of "indoor fetch".

[Stella]

Oh my gosh, the weather this year is crazy. I am in Ontario, Canada and we haven't really even had spring yet!! It is July and should be hot at this time of year - on Friday morning (6am) when I walked the dogs it was 4C!! It is unseasonally cool, after a full six months of snow this winter, I really need a good summer. Here's hoping summer will arrive here soon!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I feel your pain, Stella. Here is Chicago, this weekend finally brought the first summer-like weather we've had. Last week, it was 52 degrees and windy; I had to wear a sweater and a jacket to walk JD. And we broke all existing records for rainfall in June by a wide margin. 

[Nicole and Teddy]

Thanks, all, for your thoughts! I was kind of leaning towards it being too hot, but I see other dogs (with black coats even) outside and they seem to get further on walks than Teddy- all the way around my fairly small neighborhood, at least! I am always conscious of the pavement and how hot it gets and try to keep him on the grass. I guess I was just thinking that even though it's hot, he seems to tire very easily so I was a bit worried. However, after hearing that you would have to carry your doodle home, Linda, I feel better! Do y'all have any feel for whether heat intolerance is a 'doodle-thing' or just a dog thing? Also, any ideas for activities since walking seems to be out? Thanks again!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not a "doodle" thing. Individual dogs have different tolerances for heat, just like people do.