Our dog hates the heat. This is his second summer. Last summer he slept most the way through it, but then he was going through elbow treatments and so I didn't mind him having the extra rest.

We go out early every morning, I don't like the heat either, but we are outside people. He gives in pretty quickly and would prefer to be inside but will try to make it with you for awhile. Although he loves to be left into the basement to hang out outside our other dogs kennel and enjoy the cool floor. I think he still considers that to be "outside" with us. :-)

He is extremelely well behaved indoors, with a couple quirks we are working on. But he tends to just lay around and sleep a lot when he knows it is hot or when it is rainy.

we make quick trips outside when I am home during the day which is most of the time, and we go out again in the evening and spend some time,

I don't feel like he is getting enough exercise though. I want to keep him fit for his muscles to stay strong, and also to keep in shape weight wise and health wise.

Should I force him to spend more time outside even though he obvoiusly dislikes it so much? Now I don't mean make him stay outside and overheat, but be out there with him and just make him get more exercise? Or should I just make trips downstairs to the treadmill every day? I know this is boring for both of us, but works in a pinch. I shopped around the site today and saw the cool collar. Maybe that will help? Is this just a case of conditioning him to the heat? we are having unseasonally mid 90 days, but he starts to poop out in the high 70's.

My GSD can't take the heat too either well so we play in the puppy pool / hose often to keep active - but cool at the same time. I do not push him in the heat - I hate it too and know how quickly it saps my strength so I "listen" to what he is telling me. We play mind games a lot more inside (find the toy / hide and seek, etc..) and do marker training to keep his brain active. There are cooling vests you can buy if he has to be out longer than he would like to be, but I'd use the treadmill interspersed with marker / mind games.

I have always been against shaving dogs, but we did it to Shelby and she's 100% happier. We also use swamp coolers on all the adult dogs, and they love them, especially the all black pit bull.

You can also build your own indoor treadmill for under $100 if you use scrap lumber. It's not pretty, but it works great. I have a friend who made one and I've put my dogs on it with no issues, and I plan on making my own sometime soon so I can park a fan in front of them and let them run it out without being at risk.

Thankks! we already have a treadmill and it is so cool in the basement. He needed the steady low impact exercise when he was recovering from elbow dysplasia. SO that one is taken care of.

We bought him a kiddie pool. You would have thought I filled it with snakes. I got in and played, he touched one foot, finally was coaxed to stand in it, but seriously wanted out. Now it is in the barn. But we will try again. YOu never know. He gets in creeks and such, never has actually swam, but likes to fish out rocks.

I can't shave him, he is a rottweiler. Well, I guess you could, but eeekkk!! We shaved our other dog a few times, she is a chow mix, but she started not growing her hair back and I had to feed her a hair supplement and have her thyroid checked. Thank goodness she got it back, but we stopped shaving her. She looked bad for about a year, and I had to worry then about her getting cold!! Sometimes you just can't win. :-)

I use kiddie pools alot, I have to remind myself and others that GSDs come from northern Europe and thrive in the cold. Many of us in the Southern US don't realize we are on the same Latitude as North Africa and Saudi Arabia

Another crucial reminder:

The dog's back should not be soaked and then the dog crated or in the sun.

The kiddie pool is great because of the cool soaking of the belly, groin, and armpits.


Here's more:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=145628&page=0#Post145624


http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=276934&Searchpage=1&Main=26230&Words=kiddie&topic=0&Search=true#Post276934

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/276934/page/0/fpart/1

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=197067&Searchpage=2&Main=19620&Words=kiddie&topic=0&Search=true#Post197050

and

Permission is granted to re-post this article as long as the originals are not edited and credit is given.

Heat Stroke and Overheating in Dogs: Treatment & Prevention.
Nate Baxter, DVM

QUOTE:

Guideline and overview for dogs that overheat.

. . . . .The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people are different enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. I do not profess to know what the appropriate procedures for people other than what I learned in first aid.

Electrolyte replacement: Dogs do not lose enough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference, but if the dog gets truly into heat stroke the physiology changes will make them necessary. BUT oral replacement at that point is futile, they need IV and lots of it.

Cooling: The point of evaporative cooling being the most efficient is correct. However, in a muggy environment, that will not help as much, so I do cool with the coldest water I can find and will use ice depending on the situation. The best way is to run water over the dog, so there is always fresh water in contact. When you immerse a dog in a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm next to the dog, and act as an insulator against the cool water and cooling stops. If you can run water over the dog and place it in front of a fan that is the best. Misting the dog with water will only help if you are in a dry environment or in front of a fan.

Just getting the dog wet in not the point, you want the water to be cool itself, or to evaporate.

For MOST situation all you will need to do is get the dog in a cooler environment, ie shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air conditioning on (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the AC is more efficient).

When I had one dog I just pulled the wire crate out of the car and put it in some shade and hopefully a breeze. But having 2 dogs and running from one stake to another, that was not feasible. So I built a platform to put the wire crates on, this raises the dog up in the truck box where air flow better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fan in front blowing on the dogs with a foot of space to allow better airflow.

I purchased a power inverter that connects to the battery and allows the 3 speed fan to run from the truck power. It has an automatic feature that prevents it from draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium I would find that the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared very relaxed and comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hot muggy days.

Alcohol: {Rubbing Alcohol} I did not carry it but probably will next year. It is very effective at cooling due to the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are not working, but do not hesitate to use it. Due to the thicker skin and rapid evaporation I do not worry about it being absorbed. Plus we recommend using rubbing alcohol, which is propylene alcohol, not ethyl, for those of you not aware. So do not try to drink it.

I purchased those cooling pads, but found that the dogs would not lay on them. I would hold them on the back of a dog that just worked to get a quick cool, but probably will not mess with them next summer. I also bought a pair of battery operated fans but found them pretty useless. Spend your money on the power inverter and get a real fan.

Watching temp: If you feel your dog is in danger of heat injury, check its temp and write it down. Keep checking the temp every 3 minutes. Don't forget to shake it down completely each time, sounds silly, but when are worried about your companion, things tend to get mixed up.

This is VERY IMPORTANT:
Once the temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. The cooling process will continue even though you have stopped. If the temp starts at 106.5, and then next time it drops to 105.8, stop cooling the dog, dry it off, and continue monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues to go down. If you do not stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop on down to 99 or even lower. I cannot emphasis that point enough.


Limit water: When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it have a few laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you just need to keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective. Do not worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting heavily taking in large amounts of water is a risk of bloat. Due to the heavy panting they will swallow air mix in a large amount of water they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to more normal panting then allow water. The dog will rehydrate it self after temp is normal.

If the dog has a serious problem and even though you have gotten the temp normal, get the dog to a vet, as it can still need IV fluids and some medication. Also, a case of heat stroke can induce a case of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (not parvo), with a ton of very bloody diarrhea and a lot of fluid and electrolyte loss. These cases need aggressive treatment.

Prevention: The best method of treatment is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and see the changes in the size of the tongue, and how quickly it goes down. Learn your dogs response to the different environments, and be careful when you head south for an early season hunt test or trial. I have been to Nashville at the end of May the last 2 years, only 5 hours away, but the difference in temp and humidity did effect the dogs as they were used to more spring weather in Ohio. Try different things in training to help the dog cool and learn what works better.

Another very important point:
Do not swim your hot dog to cool it then put in put in a box/tight crate. Remember, evaporation can not take place in a tight space, and the box will turn into a sauna. Carry a stake out chain, and let the dog cool and dry before putting it up.


Whew!! Did not think this would get so long. I hope this is easy to understand and helps provide some info that will be useful.

Remember: Prevention- learn your dog. It is worth the time and effort.
END QUOTE

 Quote: Dennis Jones

Many of us in the Southern US don't realize we are on the same Latitude as North Africa and Saudi Arabia

Where dogs are in use today. You can't keep a dog in an air conditioned area then expect him to perform in the heat. While heat will always be a limiting factor, dogs can be acclimatized to perform in a lot more heat than people would expect. They did in the jungle, and they are doing now in the desert.

DFrost

Thanks for all the info. he is a rottweiler, for the GSD info. If I have to choose between having him live in the air or perform in the heat, then living in the air will win.:-) He is just a pet for now, and anything he does later for work will not be anything like police type work or anything of the sort. So I will just respect his likes and dislikes in this, but try to keep him as mobile as I can in the heat. He may not like it, but short amounts of time in the heat won't hurt him. I never let him get overheated, but trying to get my attention by walking up front and back steps while looking at me over the shoulder to convince me to let him in after two minutes in the yard is a little much too. :-)

Mine is black and you would think overheats quickly, however she plays in the sun so much that she is used to it now. I have one of those kid pools in the back that she will jump in if she is feeling hot, just make sure you don't crate a wet dog afterwards