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Keeping cool in summer heat

7K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  Galathiel 
#1 ·
I like to take my GSD out on walks, camping, hiking, etc but now it's starting to get hotter and the heat is getting to him. I don't take him out if I know it's gonna be hot so I walk when it's cooler but besides that and keeping water available and staying where it's cooler what can I do on outings? Any tips or tricks or products I can buy to make it easier on him?
 
#2 ·
Lakes, ponds, beaches, even a kiddie pool in your yard. Gunther ravishes through his pool like a bull moose in heat. I wait a while before bringing him in, after I dump out the pool. Otherwise my carpet cleaner would be running 24/7
 
#3 ·
Living in Australia, we have to deal with hot humid weather and my GSDs don't cope sometimes. When it's really hot and I have to exercise throughout the day I use a Cool Vest Cooling Vest for military and law enforcement working dogs - ChillyDog Cool Vest. I also do things like freeze a bowl of water with something yummy in it like vegemite or dried liver treats and give to them like an ice block and they swim a lot.
 
#4 ·
My dog lives outside during the day so he is acclimatized to the heat.
We have a good sticky in the SAR forum on working dogs in the heat that has lots of helpful advice.
 
#5 ·
Nancy has the right idea, for humans and dogs both. The warmer you keep your house, the cooler it will feel to you both outside. When I get to the desert with a dog, I set the temp on the AC at 85. Yes, we are both hot at first, and I spend a lot of time in not much clothing, but after a couple weeks, you really get acclimated to the heat and it's easier on you both to operate.

I never leave the AC on in a car when the dog is inside. I always leave the rear hatch and windows open. I spend as much time outside doing physical activity as possible in the spring so the dog gets used to the heat gradually if possible. I keep a spray bottle of water on me at all times to mist the dog's belly and paws to aid cooling if they get too hot. I also always have a thermometer with me to keep an eye on their core temp. Anything over 104 and we take a break and cool down.

Hydration is paramount to dealing with the heat, in humans and dogs. I will bait water or sub Q fluids before hard activity in the heat. Hydration is a way of life and not a 1 time event. You don't hydrate the day before a hike. By then, it's too late. You keep the dog hydrated all the time through encouraging drinking and baiting water with appropriate stuff, like homemade beef broth... yum.

Be sure to groom a lot too. Keep those extra hairs from insulating the dog unnecessarily.

My pet dogs get less of this than my working dogs going to the middle east, obviously, but some of it still applies. We keep out thermostat at 80, not 68. They get baited water 3 times a day when we are training in the summer. They also spend a lot of time outside just hanging out. They always have shade and water, but they spend quite a bit of time outside when it starts getting warm, especially Lucian the Cane Corso. He needs all the acclimatization he can get LOL
 
#6 ·
Meanwhile in ontario we have fresh snow on the ground :( when the weather gets very hot here I fill a kiddy pool with water under a tree in my backyard, when we exercise them we bring alot of water for them and we break them every half hour or so. Last summer we ran into a lady with a older mixed dog, she had him wearing a very light mesh type backpack with super light ice packs going all around tje dogs belly, she said she made it herself though.

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#7 · (Edited)
I also carry instant cold ice packs in my pack. You get them at drugstores You break a little thing inside of it and it gets cold from a chemical reaction. I used them once on a search where we were on a ridgeline in there was no water available for the dog to lay in and get cool. If he's warm he instinctively heads for shade or water and I allow him to follow his instincts. I have had other dogs who would not stop. When we do work in the heat we stop every 20-30 minutes for a forced shade and water break. I also bait my water. Zukes minis are great for that.

EDIT - google voice and the Petguide app just don't like me one bit.
 
#11 ·
I have not bought the chilly dog. Most I know feel that wearing the added weight offsets the cooling during work, plus you have to recharge it in an ice chest. Not convenient if you are away from your car for the day. The best use I have seen from them is in the car as a mat under the dog after exercise.

FWIW, I am familiar with the phase change material as we qualified for use with shipping biologic products and had to verify it was non toxic. All it is is polymer cross linked vegetable oils...it would be an awful mess if a pack broke or was torn but not a big safety issue other than major runs.
 
#12 ·
I live in Florida. As others have said, early morning and late evening are out best friends June through August.

We carry plenty of water and hike trails with dense canopies.

Also, I am not afraid to get wet, so when it is raining, we may go to the beach. That way we can have plenty of off leash fetch and swimming and digging while the beach is deserted.



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#13 ·
Your dog doesn't do well in the heat because as you said, you don't take him out if it's going to be too hot. GSD's are working dogs and are bred to handle extreme temperatures. That doesn't mean you can leave your dog out in the sun all day, but it does mean your dog can handle being outside on even the hottest days, provided you keep hydrated and find shade for the dog when he gets too hot.

Titan doesn't do well in the heat early on in summer, but come the middle and end of summer, he's just fine. We go on very long walks, even when the heat and humidity brutalizes me. I ensure he's well hydrated and we stop in shady spots to rest. I watch him closely for early signs of heat exhaustion. It's important to read what your dog is telling you. They don't just collapse, they show signs long before that.
 
#14 ·
I realise GSDs are working dogs, however in my experience some show line GSDs just don't cope with heat, my two don't, in the hot humid Sydney weather, they can only cope with about 10 minutes of trotting/running and will avoid direct sun always. Not sure if working line GSDs cope better? When I look at other breeds like the Australian Kelpie, they just work constantly in the heat and humidity.
 
#20 ·
We have a dry heat out here but very hot.....my WL will go just as hard in the heat as our kelpie but they are used to it......they spend a lot of time outside in the heat ........if they were in the aircon most of the time they would be useless in the heat around the sheep.....anything over 37 pulls them up though and we all refuse to work in heat like that......;)
 
#16 ·
I am also sure to keep the undercoat raked out. I think individual dogs seem to have different heat tolerances but it is mainly acclimitization, meaning if we want them inside, we need to sacrifice our own comforta a little! Honestly I can do 80 just fine in the house, if the humidity is below 50.. They don't rely on clothing or lack therof like we do and can't sweat so their whole body needs to adapt.

A teammate owes me an article on feeding for heat tolerance based on some military research. Maybe David has some insight on that. I believe the inject fluids direclty under the skin over there too. .......I think it was along the lines of less protein, more fat.......but I want to read the article.
 
#17 ·
A teammate owes me an article on feeding for heat tolerance based on some military research. Maybe David has some insight on that. I believe the inject fluids direclty under the skin over there too. .......I think it was along the lines of less protein, more fat.......but I want to read the article.
Would love to read once you get it if you don't mind passing it along :)
 
#18 ·
#21 · (Edited)
David, the first article is consistent with what my friend told me (he is traveling right now)...to LOWER the protein and RAISE the fat. He was suggesting a 24-26% protein food. That combination is hard to find and can get wonky balancing nutrients.

I am not averse to grain as the source of carbs as long as it is lower and gluten free. I know food targeted for hunting dogs is usually in the 30/20 range

I found this article as well and it looks very informative and corroborates the other.....I hope the link works. I think most of use need to realize that very few have what would be considered "performance dogs"....the weekend hike or SAR training or search.....no....we are just worrying about overheating not "performance" foods though some of the info here can be helpful for the weekend warrior. I think hydration is the biggy and getting high drive dogs to DRINK with adequate regularity is critical. Your bomb dogs are in the realm. What do they feed for performance. I bet it is not the most expensive stuff out there either!

https://s3.amazonaws.com/mmi_sacn5/Chapter 18 - Feeding Working and Sporting Dogs.pdf
 
#22 ·
Our military dogs eat crap. Hills SD AD. As you mentioned, there is a big difference between dogs that train for hours a day, plus real searches, and a weekend hike for a pet.

You mentioned hydration through the skin, which is sub Q. I mentioned that earlier but should have defined it. You take a large catheter and insert it under the skin, and then force a pocket of fluid in the subcutaneous layer. I will put a liter of fluid on a dog before a long mission in the middle of the day.

I learned a lot from the articles myself.

David Winners
 
#23 ·
I agree the ingrdients hills uses are garbage and the military probably gives a squat about longevity but perhaps does performance and working life? Anyway a TON of the research into feed formulations was done by Hill........so they have a lot of foundational knowledge...

Honestly, most of the quality feeds rely on Hill's research (which led to AAFCO) for their own formulations and most of the standard AAFCO stuff was on largely corn based diets which means nutrient absorption on our other diets is most certainly different. The Nature's logic guy has a lot to say on that, though I am rotating brands now as I am not going to trust one brand/formulation to have it all right.
 
#24 ·
I don't know enough truth about Hill's to comment. I know they have been providing dog food for the military since Viet Nam. I know some handlers pay out of pocket to feed better food with veterinary approval.

I appreciate anyone or any company that provides unbiased research that can help us make better decisions about our dogs. If Hill's is that guy, I thank them. I just won't feed their food if I can help it :)

David Winners
 
#25 ·
This is a great post. I live in phoenix and we have already had temps in the 90's and our new pup (almost 5 months) has already figured out how to find the shade. Yesterday at training, it was hot and he was tired before usual and trying to find the shade. Our trainer at that point, told me to only treat him in the sun (during training) so that he can get used to it and won't lay down on me (which is what he was doing). Trainer also decided to move the training back an hour to 9am.

We have recently been trying to ease our dog into our pool, but he doesn't love it yet. I am hoping that when the temps reach the 115's here, he will realize how refreshing it is and want to jump in!

Otherwise, we head to the high country on here on the weekends with elevations over 6,000' with much cooler temps! We are leaving tomorrow and he loves hiking and camping up in the mountains! Ahhhhh....relief for us all!
 
#26 ·
I just switched my 1 year old pup to Fromm Gold Adult. Just an FYI .. it's 24% protein and 16% fat. Mine spends a lot of time indoors as we STILL haven't gotten his outdoor kennel set up (that I got for Christmas 'sigh'). He's already feeling it as he is solid black. Hopefully we can get his kenneling finished soon so he can get more time acclimating by staying out in the mornings.
 
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