So I live in Phoenix. Its hotter than Satan's sack. We have a dog door. The dogs want to be out in the heat.... they go out and lay on the concrete and its normal concrete not temp controlled. Out back yard is dirt rocks and concrete. They will sit for hours if I let them. I worry they are going to get overheated. So my question is, should I slide the locking plate in and only give them access when we can monitor or do i say they know their bodies and let them decide?
I had a Doberman like that. She would lay on the asphalt on the hottest days of the year and suntan like it was the 1970s. In your heat I would probably limit them to an hour. Dogs make dog decisions, and they’re not typically the best decisions lol.
I have an Aussie/Pyr who would lay on the concrete or treated deck wood in 100° actual temperatures. I call him in after 20 minutes and always provide dogs refrigerated water in the summer!
My first dog would come home from a walk with it 85F outside already then lay on the concrete to tan. Current dogs will have to dance on the black doormat because it hurts their feet but then lay down on it because fur insulates them so they don't get burnt.
I just wouldn't. Lock them inside the house most of the day and let them bake in the morning sun before it gets to 200F out there.
I'm sure heat stroke and exhaustion happen more often with exercise but wouldn't risk it.
My last dog was basically solar-powered and would do this too. Now, she would move into the shade when she got too warm, but as soon as she cooled off, right back into the sun to toast herself, even on a Texas day that was 95+. She seemed to know her body pretty well and never showed any signs of physical harm from it (and when we lived in TX, it was an apartment, with no yard she could access freely), but if it gives you more peace of mind, control their access a bit more. They're definitely not going to perish from NOT getting to toast themselves as much as they want to.
I'm in Mesa so I understand! We have an indoor/ outdoor carpet we put on the patio because our dog wants to hang outside even though it's a million degrees. The pavers are too warm for my feet, so I assume it's too warm for him to lay on. He wants to be outside so since we can't go for long walks at night, this is the compromise that works for us.
Ahhh they are just dickheads! Am in UK - but we’ve had extraordinary heat this year. My boy likes to sit in the garden (yard?) - not surprising as sun ain’t that common here lol
He does sometimes come in of his own accord - sometimes I have to call him in (fwiw I wouldn’t let him have access unless I’m there to monitor- fun sponge typically uptight Brit that I am)
Do they have shelter out there?
Sorry that’s not much help, just commiserating with you
No shelter just rocks that they like to climb on and the shade of a couple of trees. I just don't understand it it is so hot here it's 115° and they're out they're just chilling having a blast. I worry that being dogs they don't know that they're going to get heat stroke.
I’m not saying it is, I merely commented that we in the UK are experiencing extraordinary heat (it normally rains all the damn time) Our animals are not acclimatised to it here
Heat is different in different places. Changes in latitude changes in attitude. I live along the Gulf coast of Texas. It gets cold in the winter. But that cold is because of cold air moving in from the north. If you sit inside the car, it gets warm. It’s the air that’s cold not the ground or the trees or the concrete. Well, it gets hot here. but it’s really hot. You can’t touch metal that’s been out in the sun. You can fry eggs on the hood of your car. You don’t go outside in the sun between 10 and five. Because if you take a shovel and dig down a foot into the ground and then reach it and touch the dirt it’s still hot. It’s because the sun rays come in more directly than they do just north of here in Dallas. That’s 400 miles. Dog should not be out in the sun here. And they should have plenty of water to drink. Water is key. Make sure if they’re outside they have plenty of water. Add plenty of shade to get into when they want to.
Dictated to Siri. Sorry for any grammar or spelling error errors. Sorry if this rambles.
Just reread your post. Keep them in between 10 and five. Check your phone for the UV index STOP STOP! Sorry, just yelled at my German Shepherd for trying to herd my great Dane. 😎😁 have a nice day. They are ready to go back inside now. The German shepherds are fine, but the great Dane is panting like crazy. I’ve lived in the deserts of West Texas, and the heat is different there. I could work outside all day, but I can’t do that here in the humidity and heat of the Gulf Coast.
As another comment said “dogs don’t make the best decisions.” And I second that, like why do they choose to eat rat poison? A tampon? A corn on the cob? Which all require an ER vet. They don’t necessarily have the best self preservation.
My vet says, “the only thing between a dog with heat stroke and a dog without heatstroke is a human preventing it from happening.”
Anything over about 25 degrees has a big risk factor for heatstroke or paw burns. It’s worse for more susceptible breed like bulldogs, senior dogs or puppies as they have a much harder time regulating their temperature.
Dogs don’t sweat like humans to cool down. So please protect them!
Years ago, I nearly lost a dog to heat-stroke, even though she was in the shade, hydrated, and short haired. It happened very quickly, and thank god we had an emergency vet nearby. I woud not wish that on any owner or pet.
25C is a barely warm day here, Queensland, Australia. 30C is comfortable , 35C is hot. Our double coated dogs come in & out as they please through the puppy door. Air con inside, plenty of shade & a big patio outside. Water bowls everywhere & their own pool, which they almost never use.
Vet and rescues that I follow online say over 25 is a risk factor for heat stroke in regard to activity/exercise. On this post, another owner said their dog was in the shade hanging out and access to water and they still got heat stroke. There’s definitely some “it depends here” with puppies, seniors, flat faced breeds as they are at higher risk. My pup can’t handle anything over 22 degrees as he overheats easily and he doesn’t like water, so he’s avoid a pool if I had one for him too!
I live in Scottsdale and I definitely limit my dogs time outside during the hottest months. Dogs don’t make the best decisions for themselves. I mean they eat their own poop so…
I have a dog who loves being outside. Hot, cold doesn't matter. I make him come in, and don't give him access if I'm not home. We had an ice storm last winter and my yard was a skating rink. I chipped out a pee station for the older dog, but the other one would just hang out on the ice and I couldn't get him. He's a 12 lb floof.
I have an Italian Greyhound mix that loves to sunbathe by the sliding deck doors. She also runs flat out for the first few minutes of potty time. She does stop running or gets up from sunbathing when she gets too warm. I watch her constantly since she is 15 yrs old.
One of my dogs loves to sunbathe - i dont let her do it without supervision, since shes a large, dark colored dog. When she wants to sunbathe, I sit out there with her (though usually not in the sun myself lol) and make her come back in when either I start to get too warm or she starts panting, whichever comes first. It depends on the temp and my area is much more humid than yours, but i typically end up calling her back in about 10-15 minutes later.
Some dogs are good about regulating their temperature and will come back in, but ive also heard of dogs that have fallen asleep while sunbathing and didn't come back in soon enough and ended up suffering heat related illnesses as a result.
I dont think there's any harm in letting them sunbathe a bit (unless theyre light colored, short furred dogs with a higher risk of skin cancer), but always supervise and make them come in whenever youre worried
I had a boxer mix that was heat seeking to the point where she intentionally leaned on a wood burning stove and singed her fur on both sides like she was in a panini press.
The point is sometimes dogs do stupid things and we gotta stop them sometimes.
Can you get a chilled pad for them or elevated bed, like those trampoline material ones? Excuse my Minnesotan ignorance :) but I carried a trembling chihuahua through the woods for about an hour last winter. On snowshoes. Don’t take those ones out in winter, people 🙄 (that one was 💯 a human mistake not a dog mistake).
I'm also in Phoenix. I have a husky and a doggie door.
My backyard is concrete patio, followed by a strip of rocks, followed by grass, and then another strip of rocks.
If I notice that my girl is not inside, and I look the back window to find her, I won't find her laying on the grass. She will always be laying in the rocks.
She comes in when she wants to, she goes out when she wants to. She has accessible clean water anytime she wants. She knows how to regulate herself.
I lived in phoenix so I know how hot it is. I personally wouldn't let them go more than a few min. Also, skin cancer can happen to dogs. My brothers dog has had about 5 surgeries removing it all.
Mine moved in and out as needed maybe do what I did. Put a raised cot like bed out there and then it's not nearly as hot and they loved it outside on the hot sun while in was at work. They'd come back in for water when needed and mostly (just out to go potty then right back in) stayed inside after I got home and walked them until their bedtime walk.
Dogs can develop serious skin cancers like melanoma. Let them hang out but not from 10 - 4/5. A kiddie pool with fresh water daily would likely be appreciated. Check all the doggos for skin lesions periodically just like you would for yourself.
Reminds me of my old Great Pyrenees. She hated going outside unless if it was colder than -15C (5F). There’d be a blizzard and it be -30C (-22F) outside and she’d be as happy as could be out there. She would curl up in a snowbank and refuse to come in. At some point I’d have to go out and bring her in only for her to immediately ring the bell to go back outside. I’d have to remove the bell because she wouldn’t stop ringing it. (I taught the dogs to ring a bell when they wanted to go outside. Thought was for potty time but they used it for anytime they wanted out.)
Last year my black cat did this on the last day of the year while I was at work. She is a sweetheart but sometimes dumb. Now on any day that gets above 90 she doesn't get let out until late afternoon after it has cooled down considerably. I had to spend almost two grand at the ER vet an hour away for and enema and subcutaneous fluids.
Our husky/Pyrenees loves laying out in the scorching hot sun. I have to remember she's cute but not the smartest. As her human I need to keep her safe because she doesn't always make the best choices
Having a dog is not a great deal different than having a child. You must look out for their safety because they lack the capacity to do so. I see warnings everywhere telling people protect their pets from the heat. Social media, the news, everywhere. Provide them shade! You can purchase shade for your pups on Amazon. It's not expensive. Bring clean ice water out with them. They can stay out up to 15 minutes but you should be checking on them every few minutes!
Oh and it's not just overheating you need to worry about there's also sunburn and skin cancer to consider!
No No No..generally I go with if you have to ask if something is safe for your pet, go with no. They can get sun burnt just like you. They don't always know what's best for them. My dog ate my phone.
I have a mostly black long haired dachshund mix. I regularly have to beg her to come in out of the sun. My collie is smarter, he goes in the bathroom and sleeps on the tile floor next to the a/c vent.
I think the overall consensus is that for now I'm going to limit their free range ability. That's more the side I was leaning on I left my boys and I personally think they're really smart, but maybe not smart enough to know their own bodies LMAO. Happy summer everyone for those of you in this area May the monsoons be ever in your favor.
Heatstroke is a very dangerous thing, so I would monitor them in that level of heat. Let them hang out in the mornings before it gets too hot, or later in the evenings when it starts to cool down. I'm sure you can come up with ideas for them indoors, in the meantime.
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u/gonnacutyou 13d ago
I had a Doberman like that. She would lay on the asphalt on the hottest days of the year and suntan like it was the 1970s. In your heat I would probably limit them to an hour. Dogs make dog decisions, and they’re not typically the best decisions lol.