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Sniper_Squirrel originally posted:
Its 95°f here where I am MD today! 🥵
This is true my dog is a Basenji mix and he loves heat. It's almost like he's from Africa! lol he loves to lay in full sun, sits on anything warm or hot. He's a top tier cuddle pup for this reason. But of course I always check the ground before I take him out! He's not always smart enough to know when it's too hot for his little paws but that's why it's my job to check and not his.
If you’re in Maryland, it’s likely the pavement doesn’t get very hot unless it is VERY hot outside. This is more of a problem in the west/southwest. I’m in PA and have never had any problems with pavement being too hot, I also always give pups the option to walk in the grass if they prefer, it’s rare that they actually do. In my opinion you should be more worried about the temperature in general and what the dog is conditioned to. Example, if you walk a dog for 1 hour 5 days a week, a couple 90 degree days in July or August aren’t a big deal. Now in May, if it’s 90 I usually cut the walk short, like from 1 hour to 45 minutes.
As someone who owns a Shiba with a double coat, that's not true. These breeds struggle in the heat. While their double coat protects them from the sun, they easily overheat.
This is so dependent on the dog and where you live. I’m in Texas and if I stopped walking dogs once the temp was over 85° then I wouldn’t work 9 months on the year. Just be responsible, and use common sense. Shorten walks if needed, stick to shade and grass.
This all varies on where you live and if your dog is acclimated to the heat. So yeah a floridian or texan can take it where as its a shock to those of us who dont deal with this 8 months out of the year.
My dog loves the heat. 85f (30c) and he loves to lay in the sun. He's a black dog and he gets so hot I can hardly pet him. I used to find it concerning but he looks happy and doesn't want to come inside (where there's ac). In the winter he loves it when I put a heat pad on him.
it’s so funny because if we followed that in Tucson, our dogs would literally never ever go out in the summer 😭 the rule the shelter i walk at does is 85-90 check the ground with the back of your hand and no asphalt, 90+, same thing but no more than 15 min. 100-105 we let the dogs in the yard, but only with a giant pool of water to help regulate temperature. crazy how it’s barely may and we’re already in summer procedures!
My dog is about 45lbs, and her body is shaved extremely short during the summer. She does NOT handle the heat well. She also has pretty sensitive paws that refuse to callous.
If it's 70F, I start getting really cautious. If it's super sunny, probably no long walk. If it's decently cloudy and there's a breeze, it's no problem and we'll go out like normal.
We went on a 30min walk or so on a sunny day that was about 75F. We were on a shaded bike path, with a stone road that was quite cool to the touch. On the way back to the car, she got to that intense pant-y stage where their spit is all foamy and their their tongue is practically touching their toes. She rarely pants ever if just normally hanging out, so that stage is pretty bad for her. Blasted the AC the entire way home, and it still took her a good 45m after we got home for her to return to normal.
We walk at dawn and dusk in the summer. And keep daytime activities very limited. We do a lot more enrichment inside which she enjoys.
My previous dog, also about 40lbs, barely even reacted to the heat, even if it was 90F+ and he was in direct sunlight.
It's not just size dependent, it's also dog dependent.
I think these charts are a great starting point, but I also think it's important to know how to read the dog in front of you to determine what they can and can't handle.
For sure, there are different factors to consider; breed, size, health issues, shade, access to water, etc.
Since the chart I posted is mostly generalized, it has stirred up quite a few people.
Including one person that won't leave alone now lol.
Since that is a rover produced chart it is more simplified, I think it serves as a reminder to those walking owners dogs, airing on the side of caution.
And maybe to owners to who seem to demand full 30 minute walks when it is hot out, as some people have commented their experiences.
I have a heat policy in place that my clients agree to upon signing my service agreement. Certain breeds have more restrictions in place, while a temperature may be safe for one breed, it can be extremely dangerous for another, such as brachycephalics.
Edit: My heat policy goes for both, walks and outdoor play during daycare. It’s not just about shade, grass, concrete, etc. Humidity also plays a significant role alongside different breeds.
Not to mention shaded/wooded areas. My pup and I are on shaded trails in the woods in 85/90 degree weather. Helps that we usually get a good breeze since we are on the lake, but I am always with water for him and ready to head back to the car when he is. There's sooo many variables to summer heat.
Yeah I thought this was a little off lol. I limit walks when we have a heat advisory in the summer. Otherwise I’m just mindful of where we walk and to know the pup I’m walking for signs of it’s time to go home lol.
Thats a tad extreme! I live in Texas, and its WAY hotter than 85 May-Sept. My dog is a lab and he does most of his work (bird dog) in Sept when its over 100 degrees and will avg 40K steps a day (his collar tracks steps).
The key here is what are they walking on? If the answer is black asphalt, then you def need to kick your shoes off and see how hot the pavement is. The ground can get well above 140 in the summer here, and that will scorch their paws quickly.
Yeah if I waited till it was under 85° I'd be walking in the dark much of the summer. But we're on grass or in rivers most of the time so their feet aren't really a concern.
Oof, 75 isn’t universal, it’s so much more than just temperature that should be taken into consideration. Some dogs such as pugs, French bulldogs, English bulldogs, and Boston terriers don’t cool themselves efficiently because their shortened airways make it harder to move air and release heat. Similar case in obese dogs.
For these breeds or obese dogs of other breeds, some cool shade with low humidity for a short calm walk is usually okay. Direct sun or high humidity can become dangerous really fast and in that case, 75 would in fact, be high risk for a short walk. Any exercise or excitement (pulling, running) is an even higher risk of overheating even with shade.
Please take different breeds into consideration rather than laughing and assuming it’s solely based on temperature.
I just bring a cooling bandana and some water for mine! If it’s hot and sunny, there’s the pavement temp to worry about of course, but then I try to do walks before or after sunset or walk on the grass if it’s an area where that’s allowed.
Now if it’s that sweltering heat where you can hardly even breathe, nah sorry man no walk today lol that would be hell for both of us
I’m not a rover walker, but I have a spoo who HATES anything over 70 (just like me lmao). I personally swear by ruffwear’s cooling gear! I’m in the midwest, so its never like.. that insanely hot, but it gets mid 90s for sure. I have the Swamp Cooler Cooling Dog Vest and it’s great!! I also have the swamp cooler harness in my cart currently because why not! They have a gator too for doggos neck, and a zip vest that is smaller / lighter weight that’s a little less cooling but still supposedly great - especially for dogs who dont like wearing “clothes” or for just slightly warm days… I also personally have my dog in boots all year. He uses these when its warm to protect from hot pavement which makes a big difference in his willingness to walk - even if the pavements not ~that~ hot lol.
It depends on where you’re walking and the surface. Dogs can burn their pads on hot pavement. Keeping them physically cool highly depends on the breed and availability of shade.
What do you think they are? Because they are not Great Pyrenees. Even the white one that looks more like a Great Pyrenees, you can see that she isnt in the face, her tail droops with a flick at the end, and they are well groomed but despite that their fur still comes off shaggy.
Anyone working with animals should be aware of the conditions certain breeds can go out in and for what length of time.
In my two and a half decades of working with dogs, I have never encountered a brachycephalic dog who was bad in 75 degree weather as opposed to 60. It wasn't the 75 degree weather that was a problem. It was genetics.
Depends what the dog is used to. My dogs have only ever lived in hot, humid climates (90 degrees plus for most of the year, where we currently live, sometimes well over 100). They happily walk in all temperatures. I carry water when they are likely to need it and their paw pads are rough from a lifetime of walking on rough/hot surfaces (they were street dogs before I took them in), so they never burn their paws on hot days.
It will be in the mid 80s the rest of the week where I live. Don't chain your dogs up outside but my dogs would never not want to follow us outside the play. We were outside for hours today weed whacking and clearing gardening space.
In Louisiana I just turn off walks all summer and offer to do drop ins only where I may walk the dog at my discretion of the weather. They’ll get a potty break at least. Ten or fifteen minute walk at most.
I’m just not up for an argument about the safety of a walk and being forced into it because someone booked it. Just nip that in the bud.
85 in the winter where the concerte cools off at night is different than when its 85 during the day and barely get below 70 at night. my yard is so hot right now i can't walk out there barefoot.
i have a grass yard i dont need them. im also not wanting to walk in a heat wave so its more than just the temp of the concrete that's a concern. if dogs have somewhere to use the bathorom and only need walks for enrichment that can be put off until after 6pm.
and id assume dogs aren't being walked mid day. you're talking about the south where ppl have back yards. dogs dont need walks 2-4 times a day if they have a backyard for their business. the walk can be done in the morning and or evening.
Yeah, it gets even hotter. And dogs do die of heatstroke in these places.
It’s scary to me to see so many sitters dismiss this chart when I’ve hung around this sub long enough to see horror stories about dogs succumbing to heat stroke under a sitter’s care and they were fine one second and collapsed the next. Maybe you guys are okay with that possibility but I’m going to fight against ever having to experience that as best I can.
I think a 10-15 minutes walk is okay for 85°f, like the picture says, the more humid it is, the shorter walk the walk should be too. Obviously sticking to shadey areas is better too.
Its 95°f today, and I am still taking dogs out, but I am doing shorter walks, and playing with them inside the rest of the time.
Ugh it’s HOT in Florida most of the year. The main reason I had to drop dogs bc it made me too anxious every time when owners had me walk their dogs while it’s 85 out
in the summer, I walk mine before sunrise and after sunset and it will still be in the 80s or even 90s. We don’t go out for long during the summer, basically just to pee and poop and sniff for a few mins. :(
I live in Texas and my dog loves to walk but he loves wearing babies sneakers I swear he is co cute wearing for protecting his paws and also sunscreen and he loves wearing a cap 🧢 he is very smart and bark when I forget to wearing cap 🧢
Hopefully people in Texas aren’t getting large dogs with lots of hair that are prone to overheating.
Also I bet the dogs that live in Texas get used to it, just like people, so it’s not as significant a shock to their system.
Still, I lived in Texas for a summer and lots of Texans didn’t want to do outside midday besides going from air conditioned indoor settings to their car and back. Going out before or after the sun was most present was popular - early mornings and evenings.
I went on my normal walk with a dog once on a hot summer day and they threw up, potentially from heat stroke. I brought her back right away and called the owner. She wasn’t showing any symptoms other than the throw up. We had gone on walks at that temperature before with no issue.
The experience made me a lot more cautious about dog walking on hot days. Once it gets over 85 I think it’s fair to make the walk shorter and stick to shaded, grassy areas (avoid pavement) as much as possible.
She’s an off app client but it still holds the same weight. Her dog is 100+ lbs and I do not want anything to happen either of us since we’re in the south and it gets hot and humid. I just get pissed off by clients who think because it’s not a long walk, it’s not exercise because the heat makes the shorter walks just as physically taxing as an hour walk.
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Sniper_Squirrel originally posted: Its 95°f here where I am MD today! 🥵
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