Dog walks in the heat!

[BaklavaBalaclava]

New ish dog owner. How do I know when it's too hot to walk the dog? Have a lab who loves going to our local park. Do I still take him for his lunchtime walk in this heat?

What is the rule of thumb?

@Unmute

Does it ever get too hot in the UK for a leisurely walk? It's roasting here today (24ish) and we've still done our usual walks, at a slightly slower pace than usual, and sticking to the shade as much as possible. The dog has fresh water and somewhere cool to lie down when we get home, and she's absolutely fine.

Its too hot for some dogs - see the guide that Evenstar posted!

I go by the chart PP posted, it’s difficult to judge as a human - ooh it feels cool down this bit of path etc etc. Dogs are a different species, so it could still be too hot for them - we’ll take ours out before 8am and again about 8pm in this kind of weather.

I'm a dog walker. I won't walk once it hits about 24-25 degrees.

Today I started at 8.30am - my first walk was normal, on my second walk, I took the dogs swimming and by 10.30-11am it was far, far too warm.

All my lunchtime dogs had a wee-break and then playtime inside or in shaded back gardens. My car said 32 degrees at 1pm today. We did things like sausage bobbing, treat hunting in the grass, trick-training and playtime in the water/in the paddling pool.

I do toilet breaks for an older dog whose owner is disabled and she got 5-10 minutes today and that was it. It was just far too hot for her and she just wanted to go home.

@Unmute

Does it ever get too hot in the UK for a leisurely walk? It's roasting here today (24ish) and we've still done our usual walks, at a slightly slower pace than usual, and sticking to the shade as much as possible. The dog has fresh water and somewhere cool to lie down when we get home, and she's absolutely fine.

@Unmute - dogs die in the UK every single year because of heatstroke. In our local park last summer, someone took their dog out at 9am and the dog was dead two hours later.

My dog is small, hairy, not bracycephalic, 7 years old, so not the worst and not the best in the heat.
He hasn’t been walked today, though we are all home so he has been in the garden with a toddler. He’s a bit antsy now it’s cooler in the house but the weathers turning a bit tomorrow so he’ll just go for a walk then.

It depends a lot on the dog, what they're used to, and how fit they are.

We have an old dog who can't cope with the heat (other than to sunbathe - and then he comes in and lies on the tiles). The younger two are close-coated, have proper muzzles and are very, very fit, and I know from experience that they are fine with shade and some access to water, especially if they get built up gradually to the heat during the summer. At some point they will get older and be less fit and we'll have to adjust accordingly. If they were brachy, or very hairy, or had health conditions, I'd be less blasé.

. Take it from me, QLD is hot - up in the high 20s is normal. These dogs are fully acclimatised to the heat. It would never have crossed my parents' minds to have NOT walked our dog when we lived in a hot climate.

In summer I go out a lot earlier in the morning and far later at night. Don't take them out like many idiots do during the day.

Mine is young, with a proper snout and no health problems. I go on the basis of feeling the pavement with my hands.

Often though, on days like this bank holiday Monday just gone when it was very warm, I opt to walk from about 8pm onwards when it's cooler and most picnickers have departed, for comfort more than safety.

My dog has an early warning system. He's a street dog from a hot country skinny and always cold.

If he lies on the floor rather than on the sofa surrounded with blankets, it's too hot for a walk.

@DeathByWalkies

Mine is young, with a proper snout and no health problems. I go on the basis of feeling the pavement with my hands.

Often though, on days like this bank holiday Monday just gone when it was very warm, I opt to walk from about 8pm onwards when it's cooler and most picnickers have departed, for comfort more than safety.

I ought to add that when it gets hot there's water carried with us and no fetch, and ddog loves a swim whenever the river isn't flowing too fast, so he'll probably end up in the water too.

There's a huge difference between a leisurely sniffy walk - especially in a shaded wood - and throwing a ball around in the same weather.

My Lab gets walked alongside a river in hot weather and is in and out of the water the whole time. He would go bonkers without a walk, and it would also mess up his toilet routine. Otherwise, I choose the shadiest option available and make sure he does not run around too much.

Oh god! Yes labs and picnics are a nightmare! Worth waiting until late for that alone!

@MrsTerryPratchett

My dog has an early warning system. He's a street dog from a hot country skinny and always cold.

If he lies on the floor rather than on the sofa surrounded with blankets, it's too hot for a walk.

love this. Know your individual dog!

My one is supposed to be a hardy terrier and only 4 but he really suffers in the heat, doesn't like it at all so we tend to do early morning and evening instead of lunchtime and afternoon/evening. He loved the rainy slightly cooler walk today