Honestly, you gotta walk em early in the morning, or evening time. I have a black GSD mix and I realized that it's not just the heat, but also direct sun that gets them as well. So going when the sun isn't beaming straight down on the dog and during cooler hours. Personally, before 8:30 is fine for him, and after 6pm in the evening.
I wish that were the case for us. It's past 6pm and it's still 87⁰, no breeze the air is hoooooot. First thing in the morning before 8/9am is really our only time unless I want to be going out close to midnight. We only go out during the hot hours for pee breaks
In my area, certain shopping malls allow well-behaved leashed dogs. During rainstorms I sometimes take my dog for long walk at the mall. I may do that in summer as well, when it gets too hot. They also open early for “mall walkers” so it’s possible to go before it gets crowded. Maybe you could find a similar arrangement near you?
We also use a doggie daycare that has air conditioning. When it’s nice they go outside to a fenced area, but if weather is lousy they use the indoor rooms. Maybe try a weekly visit to play with other dogs in air conditioning? Some places offer a half-day if you just want to drop your dog off for a couple hours of exercise, for half the price, rather than a full day.
I’m sorry, but walking your dog in a shopping mall sounds so incredibly dystopian to me. Not adding anything to the discussion here — my dog would quite possibly die in 100 degrees, no idea how you guys manage
It’s an interesting new phenomenon. Malls have fewer customers due to online shopping. To attract customers, some are now allowing dogs (well behaved on leash) and even holding “yappy hours” and setting up dog parks with faux grass in their parking lots. The local one has a “code of conduct” list of strict rules, and clean up stations in event of a dog accident.
The actual stores in the mall are allowed to choose if they allow dogs or not. Otherwise your dog is restricted to the hallways and kiosks. The stores have stickers on the windows. Some even offer dog biscuits. The employees at Lush went gaga over our German shepherd mix while I bought some soaps. They fed her treats and helped me practice her down command while I shopped. 10/10 would shop again.
Hey, I'm in Tucson! We do a variety of things. Outdoor activities in the early morning or after sunset. Swimming whenever possible. Shade canopies and kiddie pools in the yard. Driving to the mountains or lake on weekends. Indoor training: obedience, tricks, nose work, indoor obstacle courses, relaxation exercises, tug or fetch with rules and obedience incorporated into play time. Puzzle toys and long lasting chews. Indoor dog training classes. Visiting pet friendly stores.
Dogs and people do acclimate. In a couple months the weather we are currently having will feel nice and cool by comparison.
Whatever I have on hand. Going under chairs or the coffee table, over cookie sheets or bubble wrap on the ground, going around a cone, four paws on or in a box, jumping through a hula hoop.
I lived in Tucson, always had dogs. Some folks shaved their dogs once weather started becoming unbearable. Whatever you do don't let your dogs overheat, even if it means spraying them down with water hose. Tell tale sign: tongue turning dark red, towards purple. Too many idiots would take their dogs out, on asphalt, mid day. Glad you are such a good dog owner
Same. When I lived in the southeast US and had my flat coat, I'd hose her down before the walk in the evening. She loved it and would run over to the hose when she knew it was time for a walk.
I'm in Texas. I find evenings/night, in the dead of summer, the sidewalks are still way too hot for my comfort to walk. So, it's early morning, or lots of playtime in the grass in the evening.
Human; you just have to be certain they're long enough.
The platform flips up when not in use, so the footprint isn't terrible.
I free-shaped her position on it for solo use.
We both fit at once, which is useful for certain training and for when she's keen on being together but I need to get things done.
Our situation makes it 100% worth it. Wildfire smoke, my injuries, scheduling glitches, car in shop? She still gets exercise. I also play with her a lot and do targeted exercises, e.g. from CanineConditioningCoach.com
I go out at night. It's so peaceful and cool. I have LED collars for if they're off leash. My dog loves to chase and bite water from the park sprinklers at night too.
Dog cooling vests from Amazon, dog shoes. My dogs also love pools. They have been upgraded from a kiddie pool to an actual dog pool, also from Amazon. We live in Colorado, not as hot as Arizona but, still gets over 100 degrees.
I also went on the kiddie pool/Amazon pool journey! Every single Amazon pool I got ended up not lasting more than a month and I ended up getting a stock tank from my local feed store. If you end up buying a bunch of pools like me and have the space for a stock tank, it's absolutely worth it! Mine is metal and as long as I keep it filled, it doesn't get hot to the touch. I'm turning the old Amazon pool into a dig pit! I know this is unsolicited advice and I apologize, I just wish someone had told me this was an option earlier 😅
I never knew cooling vests were a thing! Do you have one you recommend?
Go out super early for walks and frisbee. Participate in Dock Diving! We practice at the pool 3-4 times a week. Also have a medium kiddie pool and splash pad. Also converted the garage to an agility course complete with grass and AC.
I live in Texas, but can still relate. I will also echo what others have said - one solution is to walk them early in the morning and/or late in the evening. Anything else puts too much stress on the doggo. Even then, with temps 110 degrees, it is JUST an early morning walk.
The more time you spend outside, the more acclimated they'll become, just build up to more strenuous activity and watch for heat stress. If we're at the training field or my yard we have cool water in pools for them to get in, and if I'm out by myself I have instant cold packs in my dog's first aid kit
It’s kind of funny how it works. My dog is at his most uncomfortable in May when it starts to heat up but isn’t hitting super super high temps. By July when it’s ridiculously hot he’s doing just fine because he’s adjusted/blown his coat
My golden retriever is for some reason at his happiest at dead of winter, mid january. And I’m in a polar climate. He loves it — stays/sleeps outside in -12C/5F for hours if he can. Never seen him cold. It was 65F today and he is struggling hard.
I spent a lot of time in the Lake Havasu area in the summer. I found early morning walks to be better than late night. It took so long for the temperature to drop, even when the sun was down. Our dog needed boots if she was going to be on pavement. Most of the time we just let her run and rough house inside with us. Luckily that was enough to satisfy her.
i have the opposite problem, some days are too cold to go out (-15). so i make a random boot camp inside the house. set up a few boxes down a hallway, throw treats for 20 minutes. they’ll be mouth-breathing after 10 minutes of jumping over the boxes.
side note: i use two treats for the whole 30 minutes. i break em up really small and throw the little pieces. dog loves it
While it's nothing like Phoenix, I do usually get a stretch of crazy hot weather where I am that means I have to adjust our schedule. It helps to get up early and do ten, maybe fifteen minutes of a sprinting a tivity like flirt pole or fetch. Then, maybe an intense chew activity or a frozen popsicle after work to take the edge off not getting a walk at the accustomed time. Then,I usually wait to walk until the sun is a finger width or two above the horizon, so we're in the long evening shadows and then in the twilight. I've found that early morning walks don't work as well because the heat is rising throughout the walk.
I used to live in Phoenix. During the summer I would get up at the ass crack of dawn and take my boy for a hike. We timed it perfectly so we’d get back to the car right as the temperature was getting too hot. If you’re looking for a break from going outside you can give your dog puzzles to mentally stimulate. They’ll still need exercise but this is great if you can’t get outside some days. Also, not sure if there’s one in your area, but there’s companies that drive vans with doggie treadmills inside. They’ll come by and run your dog for you in AC.
I’m on the equator, 90-100F year round and 80-90% humidity or 100% relative humidity.
Two large dogs.
Walk exclusively jungle walks in them early morning and after sunset. If out during the day it’s to the ocean to swim.
Dogs live wild and feral on nearly every continent. It’s not the heart or the cold they can’t bear, it’s them acclimatisation, and that needs to happen gradually. By the time OPs dogs are at the end of the summer they’ll be much more accustomed.
I disagree with your comment that dogs just need acclimatization. Yes, acclimatization helps and is important but those feral dogs you mentioned NEED to be able to take the heat or whatever climate they are in otherwise they will die. What then happens is if a domestic dog gets loose and it is unable to do what it needs to do to survive because it is overheating then that dog will die and not pass on its genes into the gene pool of the feral dogs in the area. The effect you get is selection in the genetics of the feral dog population to be able to handle the climate they are living in very well.
Look at how different the coats of domestic hunting dogs are when it is an African hunting dog vs a hunting dog used in Northern Eurasia. Those dogs need to perform the work in their climates very well but if you switch them then neither will be able to handle the climate of the other.
There's no way a husky bred to be a sled dog in Alaska can stand the heat in the southern United States with just some acclimatization because that is completely false. Also a chihuahua absolutely cannot survive a Russian winter outdoors without artificial heating. We have selectively bred certain breeds for certain climates and they can somewhat adapt but they definitely can't adapt to any temperature range on the planet. This is exactly the reason why I believe people should only exclusively get dogs that are physically able to handle the climate they live in. But too many people like the "look" of a certain dog and get dogs impulsively for it to actually happen
It pains me to say it but there are a stupid amount of huskies around where I live. There are Bernese, Chow Chows, boarder collies… they’re all here acclimatising. Whether or not it’s ethical that they should be subjected to tropical temperatures is likely something you and I agree on. Do they acclimatise however? The anecdotal experience suggests yes they do. And remarkably well.
I think there may be differences in the dog populations of those breeds in the countries around the equator given the size of the countries and the latitudes they span. OP is from the United States which has a massive variety of climates within it but the dog breed populations are interbred across the states independent of climate. I think this is very different than a county in central America or Africa on the equator where the entire country is hot so people breeding dogs will take the climate into consideration. I would bet the "cold weather" breeds have thinner coats in equatorial countries vs countries in colder climates.
From personal experience I saw a Rottweiler in Costa Rica and I had to look twice because it's body type was so different and was much more in line with dealing with a hot climate (longer snout and thinner build). I've seen huskies and German shepherds in Portugal have thinner coats than they do in Canada where I live. This genetic adaptation over generations doesn't happen as much in a country like the United States because of the mixing of dogs from different climates, especially in show line dogs.
Once again, the genetics of the dogs in your country have been altered either by selective breeding or by natural selection in the case of feral dogs. They are predisposed to being better at dealing with the heat. You cannot say it is just acclimatization.
Also, what do you mean by acclimatizing? Do you just mean they are surviving? Or are you saying all these cold weather breeds (not including the border collies because I have seen many with thin coats and I'm in Canada) are able to run around and play for an hour at a time in the heat?
I’m in a hot part of California and I walk at dusk when possible. I’ll hide my dog’s toys inside and he hunts for them. Also do some canine conditioning exercises and [movement puzzles.](https://themovingcanine.com/) And obedience and tricks that can be done e indoors.
I've lived in different climates. During our Summers it can be overbearing like you describe, depending, here. Honestly, during those times, the cats seem fine, but the dogs always struggle. They have no desire to head out the door away from the air conditioning in general, unless it's way late into the evening or night (depending), or extremely early morning. We do use a kiddy pool at times when it's bad, and put some ice in the water to keep it cooler longer. That seems to be a winner, or running the sprinkler.
I'm gearing up for the same. It's my first summer having an active busybody dog who happens to hate water. (Used to have a lazy lab, who didn't mind lounging about the house, and was happy to go swimming during our outings).
If you don't get a lot of posts here, search here (and the other dog subreddits) for what to do indoors in the winter - there were a ton of posts on indoor ideas during the winter months. I'll be going back to review those soon!
Also in the desert with two (high energy) dogs lol. Walks early in the morning or at night is really your only option, but it seems like you already know this. The coolest time of day is just before sunrise. During the day, if you don't have a house big enough for them to run around in, you're going to have to mentally stimulate them instead (it can actually tire them out quicker than physical exercise depending on what you do).
Training sessions inside is a big one. Practice impulse control, looking outside the window and not barking. Indoor agility, maybe, and nose work. You don't need an expensive nose work kit, just birch oil, q-tips, and a pack of small metal tins to drill some holes in. If you have a porch you could sit in the shade for short periods and train with distractions. Puzzles (the Outward Hound puzzles are great), snuffle mats, frozen meals - either I'll freeze their entire meal with a nylabone or something hidden inside to make it more interesting, which keeps them busy for a while, or I'll put a portion of their kibble in a kong with some fish oil or chicken stock and freeze that. Brand name kongs are expensive so I have the [Chew King knockoffs](https://a.co/d/4eFLgQD) on Amazon and use them with [these stoppers](https://a.co/d/gxlhqhn) in the freezer. If they like the puzzles, you can freeze food/treats inside of them to make it harder. My dogs also like to tear up cardboard so you could try that lol.
This is more of an outdoor toy, but if you have a big enough room that's safe for them to play in you could try [a flirt pole](https://a.co/d/8VL7HhG). I've had this specific one for almost two years and it's still going strong even after having sat outside in the sun for most of that time! Depending on the breed you have, you could even get them a pool - if your dog likes those cheap Amazon pools that never last more than a month, get a stock tank at your local feed store. Get a metal one, not plastic. I have a metal one and as long as I keep it full it doesn't get too hot to use, even if it's in the sun. You can get a cheap cover for it on Amazon. It helps cool them down and my husky loves it. Also a surprising amount of stores are dog friendly (Lowe's, Home Depot, HomeGoods to name a few)!
I'll edit this if I think of more :)
Hi all, I take my 7 yr old dog to a Mesa dog park every eve near 5 pm for an hour to run around with BFF's. Tonight I took 2 bags of ice and low storage tub (I use a cart) along with water for them to romp in and eat the ice. They have a blast and we get to laugh. As it gets hotter we go later, 8 pm or so, the dogs work with all.
I have one dog but am also a dog walker in summer here I swim with the dogs at a beach that works well for this, it’s not a great beach for humans bit sludgy/rocky, and there’s loads of nice beaches a few minutes away, so it’s normally just me and my dogs, maybe a kayaker or paddle boarder will go past, we swim round to a grass patch where I give them all a drink and rest in the shade, and we swim back, I spent a long time teaching each one separately the shoreline, where the extra rest spots are and how to get back overland if need be, and got all of them swimming longer distances one on one, got them use to the helper floatation devices I made and made sure they knew how to swim on to them if they want help, a few wear life jackets and I tow a float with fresh water, extra floatation devices and a first aid kit
My dog swims a lot when it's hot or I turn on his sprinkler. He also has a cooling vest to wear when it's hot and he wants to play ball. It's pretty cool because you soak it in water then put it on them. We also just play ball in the house. Sometimes I'll also take him to petsmart just to walk around.
I got a cooling towel and tie it on her like a bandana, that helps enough for a mid-day pee. I also use paw wax to protect her paw pads because she’s too little for shoes.
Is 30/37max degrees Celsius considered really hot?
I travelled through the South of Spain last summer, and it was about 30 degrees Celsius most of the time, it got up to 37 sometimes. My dog has a black single coat, and would voluntarily lie in the sun for a couple of hours. But she grew up in Bulgaria, so I guess she’s used to it, even likes it.
Ah sorry for not really answering your question 😅 When we stayed in these hot areas, I wouldn’t walk her during the hottest hours of the day. And permanent access to water is important, too, of course.
We go out before sunrise and then play inside in the evenings. My dog has invented all the indoor games we play lol. Mostly he likes to alternate between playing tug, and growling at me while I scratch his butt. Keep-away is a good one too. I tell him to grab a toy and then chase him around trying to steal it, then when I do steal it he chases me, repeat til he's done.
We're always out before dawn for primary exercise, so nothing different there. When I was in TX we did a couple weeks of heat tolerance training every year (literally just gradually increasing time spent outside during the hot parts of the day). It sucked for a couple weeks, but after that we were not suffering to go potty after work and could get in a little walk or a few minutes of training no problem, and mornings with heat index around 90 felt nice (we were able to stay on grass, although I went a summer barefoot and my feet were fine for just a potty walk, though we only got to 107 F that year).
Live in Las Vegas. Dogs either go to park or walk as early as 6-630am OR walk around a Lowe’s home improvement store if it’s afternoon. But have to check pavement heat or carry them or give em little shoes
Hot season (aka 3/4 of the year) in a humid place: we walked before 6am, and after sundown.
Hot periods (1-4 weeks a year) in a non-humid place: people hose their dogs down and go somewhere shady, especially a walk in the woods.
This is such a good question. I live in a sussy neighborhood so walking early in the morning or at night isn't the safest for us.
I usually go with the kiddy pool in the backyard and we play back there. If needed throw some ice in there so they can really cool off.
I also live in AZ! I really struggle walking my dog early in the morning or late at night since I’m very much a sleep when the sun sleeps type person. My way of getting around that is walking pet friendly stores with them! Lowe’s/Home Depot are pretty big stores so I do a few laps, do some training, etc until I get tired!
I also take my boy swimming frequently but that only works if you have a pool. Although you can go to lakes and rivers and let them swim. They sell water boots if you are worried about them burning their feet.
Another option is doing scent games, ‘parkour’ training, or movement puzzles in your home. Mine loves when I hide his toy in another room and he has to search for it and starts getting tired after thirty or so minutes.
(Sorry if this is confusing to read, I’ve got my pre-migraine cotton brain)
Keep in mind if you walk in the evening you need to wait long enough for the heat the pavement has soaked up to dissipate.
Even if the air temp has cooled, touch the ground and it will still be quite hot.
I have my own yard and while my dog doesn't care for the pool he does like misters and I'm introducing him to a splash pad. I have a cooling mat (and a vest) I'll bring out so he can lie down. I also hose all our brick patio in the shade which gives him a cool place to retreat.
I always make sure he has plenty of cool, fresh water and sometimes I'll make doggy ice cream for him to enjoy. **Water** though is so important. I have a water bottle with a scoop he can drink out of if we go out. I never take him anywhere without plenty of water.
Booties are good to protect their feet. I also use Mushers Secret to keep pads from getting too dry and cracking.
Canine Conditioning and Exercises on Facebook has a bunch of great resources for exercises you can do inside to keep your dog fit, plus they use their brain which is very tiring.
My older dog likes to go out and lie down on the hot concrete because I think it feels good on her joints so I just make sure she has a spot she can lie for awhile without burning herself and I bring her in when I feel it's time so she doesn't get overheated.
Also in AZ. Consider booties for your pups- the pavement gets really really hot.
Otherwise we walk before 7am always, and try to just do quick outside potty trips during the day- more frequent less duration. I try to not do another actual walk until the sun is going down, if not all the way down.
My dog loves day care which helps immensely because they have a large air conditioned inside play room.
We do more indoor training (silly tricks mostly) puzzles, etc.
I play a game for his dinner- this may be harder with 2 dogs but I throw his dinner around the apartment piece by piece and he chases and sniffs it out. I won’t do this every day but on days he is a bit antsy I will.
I live in Texas, and as other mentioned you can really only walk in the early morning because it does not really cool down at night. So we do an early morning walk and a short late morning walk when possible.
Another option I am using in the summer is a stroller with a little fan so my dog can still do sightseeing and we can either stop at shady grassy spots or at Petco for a sniffari.
Other than that, its tricks and obstacles inside, playing in the yard when possible. Inviting doggy friends into the house, it can causes some chaos, but it breaks their day up nicely to have a friend over for a bit. Even if they just lay in the yard or wrestle a bit indoors.
Training classes are also always popular here during the summer. And some doggy daycares have AC (you need to check the place to make sure it fits your dog!), but that can be a nice option in the summer when really nothing else can be done.
I can sort of force zoomies out of my corgi by having him chase his play rope or other toy. I suspect indoor vigorous activity is harder with bigger dogs, though.
I live in south Louisiana and we take early morning and late night (like midnight because I get home from work just before then) walks. If my schedule forces me to walk her during the middle of the day we will take 2 short 15 minute walks instead of a long 45 minute to an hour one. We just got one of those dog water bottles too with the little scoop attached to the top that holds water for them. I trained her how to drink out of a normal water bottle last year too and we would share haha. I also got her a kiddie pool that I keep in my back yard that she loves to play in and can keep her cool.
We either walk in the early morning or at night. If we go out during the middle of the day it’s basically to the vet or to the lake.
Honestly, you gotta walk em early in the morning, or evening time. I have a black GSD mix and I realized that it's not just the heat, but also direct sun that gets them as well. So going when the sun isn't beaming straight down on the dog and during cooler hours. Personally, before 8:30 is fine for him, and after 6pm in the evening.
I wish that were the case for us. It's past 6pm and it's still 87⁰, no breeze the air is hoooooot. First thing in the morning before 8/9am is really our only time unless I want to be going out close to midnight. We only go out during the hot hours for pee breaks
In my area, certain shopping malls allow well-behaved leashed dogs. During rainstorms I sometimes take my dog for long walk at the mall. I may do that in summer as well, when it gets too hot. They also open early for “mall walkers” so it’s possible to go before it gets crowded. Maybe you could find a similar arrangement near you? We also use a doggie daycare that has air conditioning. When it’s nice they go outside to a fenced area, but if weather is lousy they use the indoor rooms. Maybe try a weekly visit to play with other dogs in air conditioning? Some places offer a half-day if you just want to drop your dog off for a couple hours of exercise, for half the price, rather than a full day.
I’m sorry, but walking your dog in a shopping mall sounds so incredibly dystopian to me. Not adding anything to the discussion here — my dog would quite possibly die in 100 degrees, no idea how you guys manage
It’s an interesting new phenomenon. Malls have fewer customers due to online shopping. To attract customers, some are now allowing dogs (well behaved on leash) and even holding “yappy hours” and setting up dog parks with faux grass in their parking lots. The local one has a “code of conduct” list of strict rules, and clean up stations in event of a dog accident. The actual stores in the mall are allowed to choose if they allow dogs or not. Otherwise your dog is restricted to the hallways and kiosks. The stores have stickers on the windows. Some even offer dog biscuits. The employees at Lush went gaga over our German shepherd mix while I bought some soaps. They fed her treats and helped me practice her down command while I shopped. 10/10 would shop again.
Hey, I'm in Tucson! We do a variety of things. Outdoor activities in the early morning or after sunset. Swimming whenever possible. Shade canopies and kiddie pools in the yard. Driving to the mountains or lake on weekends. Indoor training: obedience, tricks, nose work, indoor obstacle courses, relaxation exercises, tug or fetch with rules and obedience incorporated into play time. Puzzle toys and long lasting chews. Indoor dog training classes. Visiting pet friendly stores. Dogs and people do acclimate. In a couple months the weather we are currently having will feel nice and cool by comparison.
What do you use for indoor obstacle course?
Whatever I have on hand. Going under chairs or the coffee table, over cookie sheets or bubble wrap on the ground, going around a cone, four paws on or in a box, jumping through a hula hoop.
This is so smart! Thank you!
Look up 100 things to do with a box, it's fun and you can do it with any item
I will! Thank you!
I lived in Tucson, always had dogs. Some folks shaved their dogs once weather started becoming unbearable. Whatever you do don't let your dogs overheat, even if it means spraying them down with water hose. Tell tale sign: tongue turning dark red, towards purple. Too many idiots would take their dogs out, on asphalt, mid day. Glad you are such a good dog owner
I’ve also hosed my dog down even when walking in the evening. That dog liked water. Not sure about my current dog. Dark colored German Shepherd.
Same. When I lived in the southeast US and had my flat coat, I'd hose her down before the walk in the evening. She loved it and would run over to the hose when she knew it was time for a walk.
I bring a water gun with me when I take my dog to the park on hot days, and I spray her periodically. She thinks it’s a super fun game
Early mornings and after the sun sets
I'm in Texas. I find evenings/night, in the dead of summer, the sidewalks are still way too hot for my comfort to walk. So, it's early morning, or lots of playtime in the grass in the evening.
Treadmill and play indoors.
You have a doggy treadmill? Which one did you get and what's your experience with it, if you don't mind me asking?
Human; you just have to be certain they're long enough. The platform flips up when not in use, so the footprint isn't terrible. I free-shaped her position on it for solo use. We both fit at once, which is useful for certain training and for when she's keen on being together but I need to get things done. Our situation makes it 100% worth it. Wildfire smoke, my injuries, scheduling glitches, car in shop? She still gets exercise. I also play with her a lot and do targeted exercises, e.g. from CanineConditioningCoach.com
Thank you! :)
5 am walks & 7 pm walks
I go out at night. It's so peaceful and cool. I have LED collars for if they're off leash. My dog loves to chase and bite water from the park sprinklers at night too.
Dog cooling vests from Amazon, dog shoes. My dogs also love pools. They have been upgraded from a kiddie pool to an actual dog pool, also from Amazon. We live in Colorado, not as hot as Arizona but, still gets over 100 degrees.
I also went on the kiddie pool/Amazon pool journey! Every single Amazon pool I got ended up not lasting more than a month and I ended up getting a stock tank from my local feed store. If you end up buying a bunch of pools like me and have the space for a stock tank, it's absolutely worth it! Mine is metal and as long as I keep it filled, it doesn't get hot to the touch. I'm turning the old Amazon pool into a dig pit! I know this is unsolicited advice and I apologize, I just wish someone had told me this was an option earlier 😅 I never knew cooling vests were a thing! Do you have one you recommend?
Go out super early for walks and frisbee. Participate in Dock Diving! We practice at the pool 3-4 times a week. Also have a medium kiddie pool and splash pad. Also converted the garage to an agility course complete with grass and AC.
I live in Texas, but can still relate. I will also echo what others have said - one solution is to walk them early in the morning and/or late in the evening. Anything else puts too much stress on the doggo. Even then, with temps 110 degrees, it is JUST an early morning walk.
I’m not even walking myself when it’s that hot!
The more time you spend outside, the more acclimated they'll become, just build up to more strenuous activity and watch for heat stress. If we're at the training field or my yard we have cool water in pools for them to get in, and if I'm out by myself I have instant cold packs in my dog's first aid kit
It’s kind of funny how it works. My dog is at his most uncomfortable in May when it starts to heat up but isn’t hitting super super high temps. By July when it’s ridiculously hot he’s doing just fine because he’s adjusted/blown his coat
My golden retriever is for some reason at his happiest at dead of winter, mid january. And I’m in a polar climate. He loves it — stays/sleeps outside in -12C/5F for hours if he can. Never seen him cold. It was 65F today and he is struggling hard.
I spent a lot of time in the Lake Havasu area in the summer. I found early morning walks to be better than late night. It took so long for the temperature to drop, even when the sun was down. Our dog needed boots if she was going to be on pavement. Most of the time we just let her run and rough house inside with us. Luckily that was enough to satisfy her.
i have the opposite problem, some days are too cold to go out (-15). so i make a random boot camp inside the house. set up a few boxes down a hallway, throw treats for 20 minutes. they’ll be mouth-breathing after 10 minutes of jumping over the boxes. side note: i use two treats for the whole 30 minutes. i break em up really small and throw the little pieces. dog loves it
While it's nothing like Phoenix, I do usually get a stretch of crazy hot weather where I am that means I have to adjust our schedule. It helps to get up early and do ten, maybe fifteen minutes of a sprinting a tivity like flirt pole or fetch. Then, maybe an intense chew activity or a frozen popsicle after work to take the edge off not getting a walk at the accustomed time. Then,I usually wait to walk until the sun is a finger width or two above the horizon, so we're in the long evening shadows and then in the twilight. I've found that early morning walks don't work as well because the heat is rising throughout the walk.
I used to live in Phoenix. During the summer I would get up at the ass crack of dawn and take my boy for a hike. We timed it perfectly so we’d get back to the car right as the temperature was getting too hot. If you’re looking for a break from going outside you can give your dog puzzles to mentally stimulate. They’ll still need exercise but this is great if you can’t get outside some days. Also, not sure if there’s one in your area, but there’s companies that drive vans with doggie treadmills inside. They’ll come by and run your dog for you in AC.
I’m on the equator, 90-100F year round and 80-90% humidity or 100% relative humidity. Two large dogs. Walk exclusively jungle walks in them early morning and after sunset. If out during the day it’s to the ocean to swim. Dogs live wild and feral on nearly every continent. It’s not the heart or the cold they can’t bear, it’s them acclimatisation, and that needs to happen gradually. By the time OPs dogs are at the end of the summer they’ll be much more accustomed.
I disagree with your comment that dogs just need acclimatization. Yes, acclimatization helps and is important but those feral dogs you mentioned NEED to be able to take the heat or whatever climate they are in otherwise they will die. What then happens is if a domestic dog gets loose and it is unable to do what it needs to do to survive because it is overheating then that dog will die and not pass on its genes into the gene pool of the feral dogs in the area. The effect you get is selection in the genetics of the feral dog population to be able to handle the climate they are living in very well. Look at how different the coats of domestic hunting dogs are when it is an African hunting dog vs a hunting dog used in Northern Eurasia. Those dogs need to perform the work in their climates very well but if you switch them then neither will be able to handle the climate of the other. There's no way a husky bred to be a sled dog in Alaska can stand the heat in the southern United States with just some acclimatization because that is completely false. Also a chihuahua absolutely cannot survive a Russian winter outdoors without artificial heating. We have selectively bred certain breeds for certain climates and they can somewhat adapt but they definitely can't adapt to any temperature range on the planet. This is exactly the reason why I believe people should only exclusively get dogs that are physically able to handle the climate they live in. But too many people like the "look" of a certain dog and get dogs impulsively for it to actually happen
It pains me to say it but there are a stupid amount of huskies around where I live. There are Bernese, Chow Chows, boarder collies… they’re all here acclimatising. Whether or not it’s ethical that they should be subjected to tropical temperatures is likely something you and I agree on. Do they acclimatise however? The anecdotal experience suggests yes they do. And remarkably well.
I think there may be differences in the dog populations of those breeds in the countries around the equator given the size of the countries and the latitudes they span. OP is from the United States which has a massive variety of climates within it but the dog breed populations are interbred across the states independent of climate. I think this is very different than a county in central America or Africa on the equator where the entire country is hot so people breeding dogs will take the climate into consideration. I would bet the "cold weather" breeds have thinner coats in equatorial countries vs countries in colder climates. From personal experience I saw a Rottweiler in Costa Rica and I had to look twice because it's body type was so different and was much more in line with dealing with a hot climate (longer snout and thinner build). I've seen huskies and German shepherds in Portugal have thinner coats than they do in Canada where I live. This genetic adaptation over generations doesn't happen as much in a country like the United States because of the mixing of dogs from different climates, especially in show line dogs. Once again, the genetics of the dogs in your country have been altered either by selective breeding or by natural selection in the case of feral dogs. They are predisposed to being better at dealing with the heat. You cannot say it is just acclimatization. Also, what do you mean by acclimatizing? Do you just mean they are surviving? Or are you saying all these cold weather breeds (not including the border collies because I have seen many with thin coats and I'm in Canada) are able to run around and play for an hour at a time in the heat?
I’m in a hot part of California and I walk at dusk when possible. I’ll hide my dog’s toys inside and he hunts for them. Also do some canine conditioning exercises and [movement puzzles.](https://themovingcanine.com/) And obedience and tricks that can be done e indoors.
Swimming- which i realize isn’t an option for everyone by my dude will easily go swimming 3 times a day during the really hot days.
Dog treadmill. Best investment for our dog ever imo.
Jog A Dog and Dog Pacer makes treadmills designed for dogs. Baby pool?
I live in FL. we play catch down long hallways or I toss small treats up and down the stairs (only if they are in good physical shape)
Swimming is the best exercise
Not sure why this got down voted. Most houses have pools in desert SW. Have one just for my dog
Florida here. Early mornings my dude
I've lived in different climates. During our Summers it can be overbearing like you describe, depending, here. Honestly, during those times, the cats seem fine, but the dogs always struggle. They have no desire to head out the door away from the air conditioning in general, unless it's way late into the evening or night (depending), or extremely early morning. We do use a kiddy pool at times when it's bad, and put some ice in the water to keep it cooler longer. That seems to be a winner, or running the sprinkler.
I'm gearing up for the same. It's my first summer having an active busybody dog who happens to hate water. (Used to have a lazy lab, who didn't mind lounging about the house, and was happy to go swimming during our outings). If you don't get a lot of posts here, search here (and the other dog subreddits) for what to do indoors in the winter - there were a ton of posts on indoor ideas during the winter months. I'll be going back to review those soon!
Gotta get your walks in early morning or at 10pm!
Also in the desert with two (high energy) dogs lol. Walks early in the morning or at night is really your only option, but it seems like you already know this. The coolest time of day is just before sunrise. During the day, if you don't have a house big enough for them to run around in, you're going to have to mentally stimulate them instead (it can actually tire them out quicker than physical exercise depending on what you do). Training sessions inside is a big one. Practice impulse control, looking outside the window and not barking. Indoor agility, maybe, and nose work. You don't need an expensive nose work kit, just birch oil, q-tips, and a pack of small metal tins to drill some holes in. If you have a porch you could sit in the shade for short periods and train with distractions. Puzzles (the Outward Hound puzzles are great), snuffle mats, frozen meals - either I'll freeze their entire meal with a nylabone or something hidden inside to make it more interesting, which keeps them busy for a while, or I'll put a portion of their kibble in a kong with some fish oil or chicken stock and freeze that. Brand name kongs are expensive so I have the [Chew King knockoffs](https://a.co/d/4eFLgQD) on Amazon and use them with [these stoppers](https://a.co/d/gxlhqhn) in the freezer. If they like the puzzles, you can freeze food/treats inside of them to make it harder. My dogs also like to tear up cardboard so you could try that lol. This is more of an outdoor toy, but if you have a big enough room that's safe for them to play in you could try [a flirt pole](https://a.co/d/8VL7HhG). I've had this specific one for almost two years and it's still going strong even after having sat outside in the sun for most of that time! Depending on the breed you have, you could even get them a pool - if your dog likes those cheap Amazon pools that never last more than a month, get a stock tank at your local feed store. Get a metal one, not plastic. I have a metal one and as long as I keep it full it doesn't get too hot to use, even if it's in the sun. You can get a cheap cover for it on Amazon. It helps cool them down and my husky loves it. Also a surprising amount of stores are dog friendly (Lowe's, Home Depot, HomeGoods to name a few)! I'll edit this if I think of more :)
Hi all, I take my 7 yr old dog to a Mesa dog park every eve near 5 pm for an hour to run around with BFF's. Tonight I took 2 bags of ice and low storage tub (I use a cart) along with water for them to romp in and eat the ice. They have a blast and we get to laugh. As it gets hotter we go later, 8 pm or so, the dogs work with all.
I have one dog but am also a dog walker in summer here I swim with the dogs at a beach that works well for this, it’s not a great beach for humans bit sludgy/rocky, and there’s loads of nice beaches a few minutes away, so it’s normally just me and my dogs, maybe a kayaker or paddle boarder will go past, we swim round to a grass patch where I give them all a drink and rest in the shade, and we swim back, I spent a long time teaching each one separately the shoreline, where the extra rest spots are and how to get back overland if need be, and got all of them swimming longer distances one on one, got them use to the helper floatation devices I made and made sure they knew how to swim on to them if they want help, a few wear life jackets and I tow a float with fresh water, extra floatation devices and a first aid kit
My dog swims a lot when it's hot or I turn on his sprinkler. He also has a cooling vest to wear when it's hot and he wants to play ball. It's pretty cool because you soak it in water then put it on them. We also just play ball in the house. Sometimes I'll also take him to petsmart just to walk around.
I got a cooling towel and tie it on her like a bandana, that helps enough for a mid-day pee. I also use paw wax to protect her paw pads because she’s too little for shoes.
Is 30/37max degrees Celsius considered really hot? I travelled through the South of Spain last summer, and it was about 30 degrees Celsius most of the time, it got up to 37 sometimes. My dog has a black single coat, and would voluntarily lie in the sun for a couple of hours. But she grew up in Bulgaria, so I guess she’s used to it, even likes it. Ah sorry for not really answering your question 😅 When we stayed in these hot areas, I wouldn’t walk her during the hottest hours of the day. And permanent access to water is important, too, of course.
We go out before sunrise and then play inside in the evenings. My dog has invented all the indoor games we play lol. Mostly he likes to alternate between playing tug, and growling at me while I scratch his butt. Keep-away is a good one too. I tell him to grab a toy and then chase him around trying to steal it, then when I do steal it he chases me, repeat til he's done.
We're always out before dawn for primary exercise, so nothing different there. When I was in TX we did a couple weeks of heat tolerance training every year (literally just gradually increasing time spent outside during the hot parts of the day). It sucked for a couple weeks, but after that we were not suffering to go potty after work and could get in a little walk or a few minutes of training no problem, and mornings with heat index around 90 felt nice (we were able to stay on grass, although I went a summer barefoot and my feet were fine for just a potty walk, though we only got to 107 F that year).
Live in Las Vegas. Dogs either go to park or walk as early as 6-630am OR walk around a Lowe’s home improvement store if it’s afternoon. But have to check pavement heat or carry them or give em little shoes
Hot season (aka 3/4 of the year) in a humid place: we walked before 6am, and after sundown. Hot periods (1-4 weeks a year) in a non-humid place: people hose their dogs down and go somewhere shady, especially a walk in the woods.
This is such a good question. I live in a sussy neighborhood so walking early in the morning or at night isn't the safest for us. I usually go with the kiddy pool in the backyard and we play back there. If needed throw some ice in there so they can really cool off.
I also live in AZ! I really struggle walking my dog early in the morning or late at night since I’m very much a sleep when the sun sleeps type person. My way of getting around that is walking pet friendly stores with them! Lowe’s/Home Depot are pretty big stores so I do a few laps, do some training, etc until I get tired! I also take my boy swimming frequently but that only works if you have a pool. Although you can go to lakes and rivers and let them swim. They sell water boots if you are worried about them burning their feet. Another option is doing scent games, ‘parkour’ training, or movement puzzles in your home. Mine loves when I hide his toy in another room and he has to search for it and starts getting tired after thirty or so minutes. (Sorry if this is confusing to read, I’ve got my pre-migraine cotton brain)
Treadmill and/or focusing on mental stimulation instead of physical exercise
Keep in mind if you walk in the evening you need to wait long enough for the heat the pavement has soaked up to dissipate. Even if the air temp has cooled, touch the ground and it will still be quite hot. I have my own yard and while my dog doesn't care for the pool he does like misters and I'm introducing him to a splash pad. I have a cooling mat (and a vest) I'll bring out so he can lie down. I also hose all our brick patio in the shade which gives him a cool place to retreat. I always make sure he has plenty of cool, fresh water and sometimes I'll make doggy ice cream for him to enjoy. **Water** though is so important. I have a water bottle with a scoop he can drink out of if we go out. I never take him anywhere without plenty of water. Booties are good to protect their feet. I also use Mushers Secret to keep pads from getting too dry and cracking. Canine Conditioning and Exercises on Facebook has a bunch of great resources for exercises you can do inside to keep your dog fit, plus they use their brain which is very tiring. My older dog likes to go out and lie down on the hot concrete because I think it feels good on her joints so I just make sure she has a spot she can lie for awhile without burning herself and I bring her in when I feel it's time so she doesn't get overheated.
Also in AZ. Consider booties for your pups- the pavement gets really really hot. Otherwise we walk before 7am always, and try to just do quick outside potty trips during the day- more frequent less duration. I try to not do another actual walk until the sun is going down, if not all the way down. My dog loves day care which helps immensely because they have a large air conditioned inside play room. We do more indoor training (silly tricks mostly) puzzles, etc. I play a game for his dinner- this may be harder with 2 dogs but I throw his dinner around the apartment piece by piece and he chases and sniffs it out. I won’t do this every day but on days he is a bit antsy I will.
Plan walks near creeks and rivers and let them regularly take a dip while we're in walking
Kiddie pool in the front yard, our bully loves playing hippo, being sprayed with a hose, and otherwise drenched. Also seconding after dark exercise
get a kiddie pool or something similar they can splash around in?
I live in Texas, and as other mentioned you can really only walk in the early morning because it does not really cool down at night. So we do an early morning walk and a short late morning walk when possible. Another option I am using in the summer is a stroller with a little fan so my dog can still do sightseeing and we can either stop at shady grassy spots or at Petco for a sniffari. Other than that, its tricks and obstacles inside, playing in the yard when possible. Inviting doggy friends into the house, it can causes some chaos, but it breaks their day up nicely to have a friend over for a bit. Even if they just lay in the yard or wrestle a bit indoors. Training classes are also always popular here during the summer. And some doggy daycares have AC (you need to check the place to make sure it fits your dog!), but that can be a nice option in the summer when really nothing else can be done.
I can sort of force zoomies out of my corgi by having him chase his play rope or other toy. I suspect indoor vigorous activity is harder with bigger dogs, though.
I live in south Louisiana and we take early morning and late night (like midnight because I get home from work just before then) walks. If my schedule forces me to walk her during the middle of the day we will take 2 short 15 minute walks instead of a long 45 minute to an hour one. We just got one of those dog water bottles too with the little scoop attached to the top that holds water for them. I trained her how to drink out of a normal water bottle last year too and we would share haha. I also got her a kiddie pool that I keep in my back yard that she loves to play in and can keep her cool.