And in the summer, they may spend a little more time sleeping, maybe even exceeding the usual amount. While this is normal because summer heat can cause your dog to become tired, irritable, and less willing to exercise, you might want to visit the vet if they sleep more than 18 hours a day.
When temperatures rise, your pet may become less active. They will probably prefer to laze in the shade. By moving around less your pet is using less energy. They therefore need less energy in the form of food and calories during the hot summer days.
How Does Hot Weather Affect Dog Behavior? Dogs often slow down in hot weather, especially when they're used to cooler conditions. On the first warm days after a long winter, even normally peppy dogs might be poky, trailing behind on their walks instead of forging ahead.
Too much sun exposure can cause dehydration and exhaustion in dogs.
Dogs love the heat because it helps warm their bodies and allows them to soak in vitamin D. So indulge your dog, and let them out, even if it seems crazy to want to be in 100-degree heat.
In general, veterinarians recommend that your pets get a minimum of 20 to 40 minutes of direct outdoor sunlight daily. Light filtered through glass windows may feel good to your dog or cat, but it lacks ultraviolet rays and as such won't impart the same health benefits.
As temperatures increase it's important to remember that dogs are susceptible to illnesses and injuries related to warm weather, like dehydration and heat stroke. Some dogs are more vulnerable to the heat than others, including those who have thick fur coats, flat-faces, are obese or elderly.
It's generally safe in temperatures of up to 19°C (68°F) but be careful when the mercury rises above this. Even at temperatures as low as 20°C (70°F) dogs are at risk of heat stroke. Heat stroke in dogs is essentially a high temperature not caused by a fever.
A rest day is free from any walks – no interaction with the outside world at all. It allows our dogs to relax and have calm experiences for a day. This, in turn, means no further cortisol is being produced, as well as allowing the already existent levels to deplete.
Unlike humans, dogs can't sweat through their skin and so they rely on panting and releasing heat through their paw pads and nose to regulate their body temperature and keep cool.
Heat exhaustion, also called hyperthermia, occurs when your pet's body temperature rises above a healthy range and they are unable to regulate their own body heat.
If you can't hold the back of your hand to the pavement outside for more than a few seconds, it's too hot for your pet. On hot, humid days, you should bring your pet inside if the indoor environment is cooler (for example, if you have air conditioning).
Anything above 20C can cause your dog to become dehydrated and very hot very quickly. The hotter the temperature, the higher the risk to your dog. As the temperature increases, even by just 1C, the risk to your dog increases too. Any temperature over 25C is a definite NO when it comes to walking!
In Vets Now's assessment of temperatures for walking your dog, they state that between 20 and 23 degrees has a six out of 10 risk rating and that rigorous exercise in this heat could lead to heatstroke. An eight out of ten rating is given for 24-27 degrees celsius and they advise that extreme caution must be taken.
Use wet, cool towels
Wetting your dog's coat can help to lower their body temperature. This is especially useful for dogs suffering from heatstroke. To keep them cool, drench a towel in tepid water and drape it over your dog.
Turn off fans, lights and electronics
Fans cool humans by evaporating the sweat on our skin. But because dogs don't sweat, the air flow from a fan isn't going to make much of a difference for them in the summer. So, leave the fan off to save money and energy. Turn off the lights.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
Just as humans stare into the eyes of someone they adore, dogs will stare at their owners to express affection. In fact, mutual staring between humans and dogs releases oxytocin, known as the love hormone. This chemical plays an important role in bonding and boosts feelings of love and trust.
“The main reason dogs follow us to the bathroom is because they like to be where we are,” Dr. Coppola explains. “Dogs are obligate social animals, which means socialization is a genuinely natural behavior for them. This is part of what makes them such fantastically loyal companions.”
Dogs need exercise, even when it's hot. We recommend walking your dog in the morning or evening when it's cooler to reduce the risk of heatstroke and burning their paws on the pavement.
As a general guide, above seven degrees is considered safe for most breeds. If the weather drops to below zero, it is beginning to become unsafe for most dogs. Below minus 12 degrees, while unlikely in Australia, is considered life-threatening.
The five-second rule: Place the back of your hand on the pavement. If you cannot hold it there for five seconds, it's too hot to walk your dog on the pavement. "If the asphalt is so hot you could probably fry an egg on it, then it can burn your dog's feet.
On average, dogs can sleep between 12 to 14 hours a day, according to Purina. A dog spends about 50% of their day sleeping. Unlike humans who have busy schedules and occasionally ignore internal body signals, dogs sleep a lot because their bodies are telling them to do so, says PetMD.