Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I live in GA and have a "snow dog" breed a Swedish Vallhund and he sez...no way in the heat. You might consider getting a tread mill to run on during the heat and you can get those 2nd hand - get 2 one for you and one for your dog and train him to run on the tread mill right beside you on yours. I have a girlfriend with 2 Shelties (way long hair) and that's what she did. She's got them set up in her un-used living room and the dogs jump on one and she on the other.
I live in a very hot and humid area (in Mississippi). The highs have been averaging 90+ for the past couple months and generally average higher during July and August. I also live 18 miles from a "safe running area" (I live on a very narrow and bad country road where a runner has been hit and killed). Well, two weeks ago I started a new job in a office. So it is not as practical to drive to town and run in the morning , then drive home to shower and then drive back to town to work. But I am scared to run after work with my dog because the average high is in the nineties around 5-6pm. Does anyone else run with their dog in extreme temperatures? What would you advice? I don't want to hurt my dog, but I also like to get him and me exercise! How much heat and what distance is safe? We haven't ran in a couple weeks because I don't know the right answer!
(Running at dusk isn't a good option because I cook dinner for my husband and I, and we like to go to bed at 9:30 since he is up at 5. I also don't crock pot because I stress out leaving something plug in and alone for 12 hours during the day. Husband can't cook because he works 6am to 7pm during crop season)
I would absolutely not run when it is so hot and humid and also not run your dog. Do you have a treadmill for those days when the heat is unbearable? You can also get one for your dog so you can both run at home in the Air Conditioning. We live in Connecticut and it gets mega humid here as well. We have a 20X40' inground pool and when it is super hot and humid, we limit our time outside at the pool. When it gets super soggy outside, all the cool water in the world doesn't work long term. By the time we walk back into our house from the pool, (a distance from the house), we are all sweaty and uncomfortable again. I would be careful running at dusk out where there are not many houses or people in case you have a problem. The world just isn't as safe as it use to be. I do think that your answer is a treadmill for you and one for the dog. Be careful in the heat!
Both my dogs and I HATE the heat, they both pant and drool excessively when we take a short walk from my car to the petstore. Couldn't imagine trying to run in it, and my dogs are short hair.
I especially appreciate the input about the scientific reasons why it isn't healthy, such as how dogs release heat verses humans.
I am leaning towards not running with my Zeus (My german shepard). I might just wait for days when the high isn't in the triple digets.
However, I do agree with the poster that says a person might be able to read their dog. I have seen plenty of dogs that as soon as they are let out of the house and into the Mississippi heat the first thing they do is lay down in shade. But here is a little more insight on the day in the life of Zeus. We live out in the country (as mentioned in the original post). Meaning he has lots of room to run around. So when I get home at 5-5:30 I let him outside the house...and he will stay there until dark, and not once will he stop to lay on the carport floor. He is chacing every dragon fly he sets eyes on, exploring anything new in the 3 mile stretch of nothing behind our house and playing with our country dog (she is a stray my husband picked up 6 months ago, and is about 2 years old) that lives outside in the carport. The Stray and Zeus will run and run and run all afternoon together. They will come into the carport for water and sometimes Stray will chill on the carport floor for a little while...but not Zues, he is VERY Active. If I try to keep him inside with me (because I like him to always be with me), he just keeps running to the door to go back out. Even last night (when It was 100 degrees at 5pm) and he was outside the house until 8pm and I made him come in to eat...he wanted back out at 8:30.
So while out in the country, I trust his animal insticts will tell him when he is over heated (right??). Therefore, I will continue to let him get his exericse out in the country, and I will run on my own in town...until it cools down.
I especially appreciate the input about the scientific reasons why it isn't healthy, such as how dogs release heat verses humans.
I am leaning towards not running with my Zeus (My german shepard). I might just wait for days when the high isn't in the triple digets.
However, I do agree with the poster that says a person might be able to read their dog. I have seen plenty of dogs that as soon as they are let out of the house and into the Mississippi heat the first thing they do is lay down in shade. But here is a little more insight on the day in the life of Zeus. We live out in the country (as mentioned in the original post). Meaning he has lots of room to run around. So when I get home at 5-5:30 I let him outside the house...and he will stay there until dark, and not once will he stop to lay on the carport floor. He is chacing every dragon fly he sets eyes on, exploring anything new in the 3 mile stretch of nothing behind our house and playing with our country dog (she is a stray my husband picked up 6 months ago, and is about 2 years old) that lives outside in the carport. The Stray and Zeus will run and run and run all afternoon together. They will come into the carport for water and sometimes Stray will chill on the carport floor for a little while...but not Zues, he is VERY Active. If I try to keep him inside with me (because I like him to always be with me), he just keeps running to the door to go back out. Even last night (when It was 100 degrees at 5pm) and he was outside the house until 8pm and I made him come in to eat...he wanted back out at 8:30.
So while out in the country, I trust his animal insticts will tell him when he is over heated (right??). Therefore, I will continue to let him get his exericse out in the country, and I will run on my own in town...until it cools down.
Thanks!
Good decision, and one more point that should be mentioned, not only for you, but everyone that wants their dog to run and play, be it by your side, or out in a yard.
Allow at least 2 hours after the dog's meal, before letting it run around, especially a German Shepherd, and especially if the dog is on a dry dog food.
Sooner than two hours, and they could develop bloat, which if not treated quickly, by trained professionals, could mean the death of your dog within an hour.
If you do not know what bloat is, google it, and read up on it.
Bob.
Good decision, and one more point that should be mentioned, not only for you, but everyone that wants their dog to run and play, be it by your side, or out in a yard.
Allow at least 2 hours after the dog's meal, before letting it run around, especially a German Shepherd, and especially if the dog is on a dry dog food.
Sooner than two hours, and they could develop bloat, which if not treated quickly, by trained professionals, could mean the death of your dog within an hour.
If you do not know what bloat is, google it, and read up on it.
Bob.
the other thing to remember is theres a HUGE difference between free form playtime (a dog CHOOSING to go outside and run around in the heat) and "forced" excersize in this kind of heat...
my dogs go outside and playwhen they wish and sometimes thats in 102 degrees with high humidity...but when they choose they can lay down come in ect when they wish...
when your doign structured excersize with an animal, especially when the animal has been trained to "keep up" hes going to do everything he can to keep up, whether hes feeling over exherted or not...by the time you see the signs of stress, hes already WELL beyond "danger" point...
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,307 posts, read 38,680,380 times
Reputation: 7184
I'm in Houston, TX. It was 105 by my thermometer yesterday and I would guess the relative humidity was over 90%. I still took my dog for some exercise. The sessions have to be short, water must be readily available and you have to watch the dog for cues to stop. I also keep a small picnic cooler in the car with a couple of those igloo ice blocks in case I need to cool the dog down quickly (or because the dog likes to lie in the kennel with an ice block in his armpit on the way home). My dog is young, lean, athletic and acclimated to exercise in the heat - that said, I wouldn't ask him to run with me in this heat for any distance over about 200 yards. Bipedal persistence hunters with sweat glands are better adapted for long jogs in hot-hot conditions than four legged persistence hunters without sweat glands.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
