Hot & Panting & its not even Summer!

[Pam & Trixie]

Took Trixie for a walk today. Not very long. Shorter then alot of our walks. We were Joined by my DD & her 2 dogs- Which is more exciting (we have done this many times) And it finally was a little warmer here- Probably 63. A Nice strong wind, Not a lot of sun.

 

Anyway Trixie got so hot & panty. Way worse then my Black dogs did here in the summer. What will she do when it really is hot & she has more fur?

I have read posts on this forum where others say their Doodles pant so much.

 

Is this just a Doodle trait?

[Taylor & Huff]

Huff pants almost all the time. I don't worry too much about it. I don't think panting has ever hurt a dog but she could get over heated. My favorite thing to do was bring a spray bottle for him on our walks. We would spray his face with it and he could drink the spray. You could even get her one of those misting fans if you want. If you have used the spray bottle as a punishment before (and she fears the spray bottle) you probably shouldn't use that but you can still get her one of those little hand held fans. Maybe you can put it around her collar (make sure her hair doesn't get stuck in it).

[Bonne Bouche]

BB is a black dood, and he pants like crazy. We actually started to feel so guilty for keeping the house in the upper sixties, that I bit the bullet and shaved him. He is adorable, and while he still pants, I do think its helped a lot. He's not that short (my clippers died half way through, so we did most if it in chunks with scissors). In summer we'll go much shorter. 

 

I searched for the answer to your question, and didn't find a definitive answer as to why he pants so much (not the coat color, as it is often while he's just lying on our floor inside, or in his crate at night). May be a dood trait, or just a personal preference. Curious as to thoughts here. ;-]

[Mara, Sadie & Zoe]

Sadie pants a lot too. I noticed as the weather gets closer to 70 she pants a lot, lays around more and doesn't linger outside much. I keep her hair shorter in warmer weather.

[Stephanie and Jellybean]

Jellybean pants also, she will lay down by the open slider on the cold tile floor and pretty much just plotz. Thinking of taking her coat down also as the weather is starting to change here too. I have to say though, we have also noticed her panting when it is much cooler......

[Pam & Trixie]

Yes, Trixie seems to pant when its not hot (well not really pant Like I think of panting- But Breath heavy-where I can hear her but her mouth is closed)

 

Since she is still young (3 months)  & has her puppy coat...I wouldnt want to shave her or trim it shorter.

[Jaime and Barley Barker]

Wow, it's interesting that you've brought this up. Barley pants a lot harder than any of our other dogs and he sweats a lot through his foot pads. I had gotten concerned and asked my vet about it. He said it's probably because Barley plays harder than any of our other dogs. I wonder if it is a doodle trait. Barley can get overheated, and I experienced this last summer at an outdoor event for dogs (the Loreal "Your Dog Is Worth It, Too" in NJ). It got so bad that Barley crawled under a table while our St. Bernard seemed fine. I make sure he always has access to water, and I don't walk him if it's hot. I'm now keeping him cut very short for the spring and summer and he seems to prefer that doodle doo.

[Jessica & Lucie]

I have the most "heat sensitive" dog of anyone I have ever met! In no way do I actually believe she is hotter than the other dogs when we are at the park, yet she feels the need to lie down after every "fetch"...its a little embarrassing.

 

We have learned to cope as best we can though with her sensitivity - and I am positive it is exactly that because I keep her fur veryy short in the summer, shorter than most dogs! I bring a huge water bottle with me and give her drinks all the time, it keeps her going a little longer. I also try to accomadate by primarily going places where there are hoses, fountains, rivers and other water features for her to cool off in. I have also actually gotten her wet in the bathtub before we went for a evening jog on a somewhat warm evening, so that I had a chance of her keeping up with me for the whole sloww 2 miles.... Her solution is to only stay in the shade when possible, when out in the yard with her she will go all the way to the other side by herself if there is any kind of shade. Also laying in any kind of mud or grass apparently is helpful. And as soon as we come inside, she sprints to the bathtub and hops in for a cool shower (hard to believe right!).

 

In my case I think its more of a personality issue than anything else, but I do everything I can to keep her cool, and have accepted that it will take a lot of effort on my part for her to get her energy out outside when its warm.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

There is a vest you can buy that cools them off. You wet it and put it on them and it keeps them cool.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&sugexp=gsqvh&x...

http://www.thedogoutdoors.com/dog-cooling-vest-ruff-wear-swamp-cool...

 

I actually got these for Fudge and Vern and use them when we are in very hot weather. I hope one of these links works.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Bandit is already suffering, they said at daycare he just laid in the shade the whole time outside.  He needs a cut which will probably happen next week.  But Laurie do these vests really work because he may need one.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Suzann, It did help my dogs. We have not used it since last year when we had record heat, but I used it when we still went to the dog park. You wet it and put it on them. There have been tons of discussions on this vest and I think you can get a cooling collar too. If you search by Cooling Vest, you will see these come up...that is where I found out about these vests. Poor Bandit. Mine hate the heat, but so far it has not been too terribly hot here, although I have already turned the A/C on a couple of times. Hope this helps!

[Pam & Trixie]

So we had our 1st really hot day yesterday. heat index of 95. (was 65 the day before)  Trixie did not like the heat- No surprise.  LOL

When we were eatign last night upstairs...She went downstairs to lay in the tile (smart) But a Puppy that doesnt want to be with us already because its cooler downstairs?

 

She also could not sleep last night.  She kept me up.

 

We did tie a Coolie collar on her for our short walk early in the day.  I dont think it kept her cool- as it was warm within minutes of putting on her.  She did not want to finish the walk.

We made the collar years ago...They sound similar to what the vest does- only just a small collar.

 

The vest sounds like a neat item.

[Nicole L]

I noticed the same thing with our doodle.  It started getting warm here, and he lays on top of our A/C vents in the house all day.  It is only going to get warmer, and he is only 6 months old so I was hoping not to have to shave him, but should I?  Would he be more comfortable, and should I just say goodbye now to the puppy coat?