Will my dog be ok in my back yard on the hot days this summer?? (Austin: house, transfer)

[Switch10]

I have a german shepard mix, she's almost 1 year old. I have been leaving her in my fenced in back yard during the day when I'm at work. She has a gallon bucket full of water, and we have 3 large trees that provide plenty of shade.

I moved here from a very high elevation where the temps rarely reached the low 80's and there was practically 0 humidity. So leaving my dog outside in the summer was not an issue.

My question is should I leave her outside this summer, or put her inside where it's air conditioned??

Thanks,

Dave

[atxcio]

I'm pretty sure it's the law that you must have a dog house at least (so they can get out of the sun). Even with that, though, it's probably not a good idea to leave a dog outside all day in the hotter part of the summer -- it can get REALLY hot here.

Consider a doggie door, leaving her inside, or crating on the hottest days if you have to.

Come to think of it, if the dog is used to the cooler temps where you lived before, I'd just keep it inside. It will be more difficult for her than a dog that is acclimated.

[orbius]

If she has long hair you'll want to get her a short shear cut. Also heart worms are a big problem in Texas so make sure to keep up with the heart worm medicine.
Just keep an eye on her health to see how she is dealing with the temps, since she is young maybe on the scorching days bring her in. Generally though dogs prefer to be outside than in.

[CptnRn]

You might provide her with a kiddie wading pool with water in it in a shady location, so she can cool off when she wants to. Keep Your Dog Cool in Hot Weather

Dealing with the Heat – You and Your Dog
Keeping Your Dog Cool
When a human body gets hot we perspire or sweat. It’s through sweat that we are able to cool our bodies. Dogs perspire through their mouths by panting. The hotter they get the more they pant. Even though dogs don’t sweat and benefit from the thermal transfer of heat through sweat to air you can help your dog overcome the effects of heat by keeping him in an area with moving air. The air blowing across their body will help keep him cool through radiation and conduction (solid to air transfer).

Recognizing Heat Related Problems
The onset of heat stroke can be quite subtle and difficult to detect. Your dog may slowly progress from heat stress to heat exhaustion and finally heat stroke. In addition to an increase in the dog’s body temperature from a normal temperature of 101.3, the signs of heat related problems are: labored or deep and hard to control breathing, excessive panting, tacky and bright red gums, fatigue sometimes leading to collapse and even unconsciousness. It is important to get your dog out of the heat as soon as possible at the first signs of heat related problems.

It’s also advisable to wet your dog down with cool, tepid water or applying cool towels directly to his body to help dissipate the heat. Please note, you do not want to bath your dog in ice cold water. This will cause your dog’s blood vessels to restrict and will cause a slower recovery time. In the event of an emergency, seek medical attention for your dog immediately, even if he seems to have fully recovered

[jenmia]

They Austin news did a story last summer about leaving your dig outside in hot weather. As long as he has shade and lots of water he should be ok. They had a neat idea about leaving a block of ice outside so they could lick on it throughout the day.

[love roses]

I like both previous recs. I have a border collie but my husband refuses to have him shaved. If we're not home, he stays indoors and when we are home we let him out before high noon and then later in the afternoon. My sisters dog, on the other hand, is always outside. She's a lab, so she's shorthaired, but she has a dog house on the back porch (has a roof, so it's shaded) and a large, metallic tub full of water. If it's going to be super hot (100+) then they'll crate her in the garage with the door cracked so air can circulate.

[xtalman]

My mom bought a bunch of reusable ice packs and wrapped them in bath towels and stuffed it into her dog's favorite pillow. Then she put this in the dog's dog house. The dog was very comfortable, even in the midst of the heat last summer. The ice packs would stay cool until my mother got home from work.

There was plenty of shade, and she also left a fan circulating air on the patio, as well as plenty of water.

[capcat]

If we have a summer like we had last summer, you should keep your dog inside. Even with the shade trees, it's too hot. I'd keep my eye on the temps and make a judgment daily.

[JayBrown80]

Wow, I thought the overwhelming majority here would be "no!! don't leave your dog out in 100 plus degree heat"

Goes to show what I know. I guess I just spoil my dog. My rule of thumb is "Would I be comfortable out in this heat?" And if my answer is no, the dog stays inside. I would rather have to clean up a mess inside then sit at work and think about my dog panting all day.

[faithrube]

I am with JayBrown80.
I actually know of some dogs who died of heatstroke, outside in temps over 95.
My dog would be shocked if I left her outside. Dogs don't cool as easily as we do as they do not sweat so they get hotter than we do.
Leave the dog inside when it is hot.