Walking dogs in hot weather

[Doodle2021]

I have adopted a very new rescue dog and we are slowly trying to get into a routine.
We took him out on a hour walk this morning and have played with him a bit in my mums shady garden this afternoon.

He is now staring at me and i know he wants to go out (the back door is open in case he wants to use the back garden) but its still 26degrees. It wont drop to 24 degrees till 10pm tonight.

What do other people do in this weather?

We ignore our dog when he does this. You're obviously being sensible so know this but missing a walk won't kill them.

We set up a mini paddling pool which our dog likes to potter in but he's a lab so loves water.

If we think he's really desperate, one of us will take him out just before bed when it's cooler and the pavements aren't so hot

Ignore the dog. You can do brain games with them but missing an afternoon walk won’t do them any harm.

We ignore ours and his big "take me for a walk" puppy dog eyes too!

We'll take him out much later to somewhere that's been shady during the day.

Ignore. That's still too hot.

There are a couple of options. Ignore him. Walk him somewhere cooler having driven in a cooled car.

Ours usually gets an early morning run about 7am before its too hot, then a woodland stroll at lunchtime and an evening walk.
She’s been on the beach with us this afternoon, accessed via a wooded path from the house and able to swim to remain cool enough.

I agree

Brain games are your friend

It's too hot to walk dogs now

Do you have any woodland walks near you? We had a wonderful pm walking and kept cool when it was much too hot in the garden

Our rescue struggles at anything beyond 20 degrees (she arrived with us hardly walked, very overweight and with long nails - weight and nails now sorted but she’s not acclimatised to walking in warm weather) so took her out earlier this morning and that’s it for her for the day. She hates water too otherwise we’d try to get her to cool off somewhere with a paddle! She’s quite happy to snooze in this heat, luckily.

Yup just ignore. Human knows best. He might be restless but the old saying “missing one walk won’t kill a dog but one walk could.”
Ours is a zombie today just snoozing and he would usually be raring to go right now. Will see what it’s like at 8/9pm.

Its still too warm, it is especially too warm if he’ll be walking on concencrete, slabs or tarmac.

I’m taking mine out in a bit, but as its hot I’ll cycle to and from our woodland walk, even then it will be a lead on walk so he doesn’t run around and go bonkers.

we are only just about to take ours out for the first time today. Will be going to some very shady woods with a stream so they can cool off and won't be going far.

Main walk first thing in the morning (rather than late morning, for as long as possible (depends on human's available time, temperature, shade, and how the dog seems in herself)

Then shady walk early evening - we try to keep her routine (including meal times) as similar as possible, but will go later if it's really far too hot, and the evening walk is likely to be shorter than usual. I get the DC to play with her more in the evenings, and she has access to the garden all day (and have put some vet bed out in a shady bit, so she has a place to settle and doze if she wants to)

Agree that it's better to miss a walk than let your dog overheat

We haven't been yet - will go about 8, to our very local shady walk which starts and ends with a dip in the river at the end of our road. He's not even asked all day - has just been snoozing in the cool and pottering round.

Resident Collie knows the routine by now in hot weather. She doesn't always agree with it or like it, but she knows it. Walks are early in the morning or after 7/8PM dependant on the temperature. The rest of the day is spent indoors or in the shade with plenty of water and the occasional doggy ice cream.
This chart is a good guide.

Have had our darling dog for 12 years. I always check daytime summer temperature forecasts and walk dog around 8am to 11am depending on forecast.

Today we were out at 9.30 - bearable but still too hot so tomorrow 8am.

The best way to check if OK for your dog is to put your bare foot on sunny spot outside your house before you set out. If it's too hot for your bare foot it's too hot for your dog.

Our dog has been in and out of the back garden all day (half in shade) after the morning walk, and I will be taking him out around the park in front of our house at least twice when the sun has gone down (after my naked foot test of course, because pavements retain heat)

He sulks of course, but rather that than possibly serious harm and injury.

I walk mine before 11am if I can and check the pavement to see how warm it is. We then walk her in a wooded area with shade. In the evening her walks are around 8-9pm.

I take mine around 9pm in a shady area but if it’s just too hot then he won’t get a walk. The pitiful looks pull at my heartstrings but I know it’s for the best.

Haven’t walked mine today as too hot. She has been wandering to garden for wees but has mostly slept all day. When we do walk, it’s shaded with a river alongside so she can paddle.

Walk 6am and 5pm usually fine for our dog.

Just got in with ours! Luckily there is a breeze along the sea front...

Mine only get an evening walk in this heat. They can stare all they like but I know best!!

I’d drive to the park where there’s shade and usually a breeze.