How can you tell if your doodle is too hot?

[Frannie & Callie]

I live in Atlanta. It's been RIDICULOUSLY hot and it's just now summer so it's not like cool weather is coming our way any time soon. Callie is not a fan of the heat. That's fine by me - I'm not a big fan of it either. However - she's not behaving normally outside, even by comparison of last summer. Last summer, she was fine on our walks (which we cut back to 15-25 minutes in the summer), and good for about 15 minutes of additional play and then ready to go inside or lay down in shade.  That has not been the case this summer. She's gotten her summer cut, dropped the couple of pounds she put on while I fostered Wilbur but it's still too hot (just for the record I've not dropped the weight I gained while fostering Wilbur!).  Twice in the past week we've been out playing or walking and she's gone under the bushes to lay down, and then lays down several times while we are walking home. Then when we get back home I fill her bowl up with cool water and ice cubes and she seems better, but still wants to lay on me full length (not sure how that's helping her cool down, but I know she's telling me she wants comfort).

 

I'm happy to cut back on the walks to be "business only" but is she getting enough exercise that way? One of my neighbors had a dog who died from heat stroke this past year and I may be too sensitive because she just was telling me about it. We are already only walking in the morning and then past 6pm, (sometimes a quick tinkle at lunch time) so we're not out and about in the dead heat of the day.

 

I'm very open to suggestions and feedback, because I want Callie to feel good and enjoy her life!!

[Leslie and Halas]

It's been really hot here lately, so Halas and I went to play in the hose at my mom's house the other day. I'll have to try the bandanna thing when we're out for longer periods of time. When I tried to take him to the dog park, he just plopped down in the shade and wouldn't really run around. But I really have to watch him on the deck at Mom's house. Her entire house is newly remodeled, including a new, composite deck. The composite decking is really, really hot! Way hotter than the old wood decking. Halas went up to the door to go inside, and before we could get to the door to open it, he was picking up his feet one at a time. I put my hand on the deck, and couldn't leave it there for more than a few seconds because of the heat. I'm sure it could burn his little paw pads if he stood on it too long. We put out a towel for him, and that did the trick. He can sit/lay on that if he wants to. It's funny to me that Halas doesn't seem to like the heat. My husky used to sunbathe, and you'd think a husky would want to be inside in the A/C. He had a doggy door, and he'd go outside on his own and just lay outside in the sun no matter how hot it got. Halas has no interest in that. He'll find even the tiniest sliver of shade and go lay down in it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack likes to sunbathe, too. He will lie on my stone aggregate patio on the hottest days, right in the sun. He doesn't seem to mind the heat at all, but he does get thirstier and gets tired out faster when playing ball.
I think it's because he doesn't have a thick coat, and he's such a light color. Maybe because he spent his puppyhood in AZ, too.

[Adina P]

Not sure if this was mentioned by anyone else, but once (after a 3 mile walk where it got pretty hot and Rosco wouldn't drink out of the hoses along the way...) I wet a towel and tossed it onto his panting body when we got home. He seemed to enjoy it as he lay there trying to cool off.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

FYI...I read somewhere or else it was Cesar Millan who mentioned it. The quickest way to cool down a dog is to wet or apply wet cloths to their chest! Much more effective than wetting their heads. I notice that Gracie who is always hot, will lay down and put her feet in her water bowl. Then she will tip the bowl towards her so all the water runs all over her chest. We don't get snow here so we have to go find it every winter. When we have taken Gracie up into the mountains for a run in the snow she will also go into the creeks and get completely wet and then run and roll in the snow. She doesn't know the word cold!!!

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

I feel your pain. We're here in Columbia, SC and with the heat index it has been getting above 100 most days. Both of mine have their summer cuts too, but are super sensitive to the heat. The come back in panting after going down to go on a short walk to do their business and the other day when we went to the park I thought Fenway was going to stroke out. She started walking around like she was drunk and collapsed. We had only been out there for 10 minutes and she was fully hydrated. I rushed her home gave her more water and wrapped her in a soaked towel. This really helped her cool down. We're to the point that we can't go outside except to potty unless we're going to the lake and they stay soaked the entire time we're there so they're ok. Because dogs don't sweat and they only release heat through their paws and tongue so you have to cool them down in other ways. If you have access to water, even a garden hose, I'd soak her down so she stays cool. Hope y'all get some relief. It really sucks because my guys could really use a good run around, but it's just too dangerous :(

[Frannie & Callie]

Callie's walks yesterday were ALL business and it has and will be the same today. It's just too hot. This morning we walked out on to the patio to go out the back gate and Callie peed right there and walked back to the door. Fine by me!

I was playing tennis last night and sat down on the court to tie my shoe. I just about burned my tush off (ah, if only!) and this was at 8pm last night. I didn't even think about the heat radiating up from the ground at Callie. No wonder she's so miserable. We have on shoes and don't really feel it, but these doods can't get away from it!

That's scary about Fenway showing the heat in a crazy walk. That is such a fear of mine with Callie!!

[Kevin Poole, Penny & Ozzy]

We can't really complain about the heat up here in WA, we're only into our 3rd day of temps in the 80s this year, it's a welcome relief from the deluge of rain we've had theses last few months. I know Penny suffers in the heat, but she does have the AC vents to lay on...which are her best friends again, just like last summer!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Ooooohh Kevin, aren't you hitting your nicest season for weather? I remember Oregon during late June, July and August - what gorgeous days!!!!! Wow.

[Kevin Poole, Penny & Ozzy]

Yes, yes, yes...finally! Just because we're trying to sell our house to get away from the rain...it's rained twice as much as normal this year...Typical! But for the first time this year, the 7 day forecast doesn't have rain in it. WoooooHooooo!

[Kelli, Fenway, & Dustin Pedroia]

I know she scared the fool out of me when she did that. I thought she was about to pass out and/or have a stroke. Luckily we got her cooled down quickly and she was and is ok, but she's our little diva and evidently can't take the heat!

[BG and Gavin]

We got a kiddy pool yesterday and introduced it to Gavin. We put lacrosse balls in the middle (they sink) and he was putting his head right under water to get them. He stood in the pool dunking his head and batting the balls around for nearly an hour and it really cooled him down and exercised his mind. He would get one, take it out of the pool, get the other one and then put them both back in and start over again. We relaxed in our lawn chairs and enjoyed the show.

[Jessica and Jake]

you can feel their nose or their stomach and if it feels warm or hot give them a peice of ice or a couple of ices p.s. my dog loves ice and i mean it