bren

It's starting to get hot here (well for England anyway) and my boy seems to feel the heat quite a lot. I'm only talking temeratures of 20-25 degrees but it really takes it out of him.

I know dogs will "Just keep on going" despite suffering from heat exhaustion if we push them so I am terrified of doing him harm. At present on a hot day where he seems to lie down a lot to cool off on our walks, I have even halved his daily exercise from 2 hours to around 1 just to be sure.

Am I being a little dramatic?

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kais_mom

Kai really struggles, but I think it is not so much the "heat" persay (at least not right now and it is around 85 to 95F), but I think more of the heat coupled with the Sun shining down on him. He is happy to go herding at sunset, but is not as happy when the sun is up full in the sky.

Here in Arizona, we bake during the summer, I walk him at 4:30 am so that it is cool and dark.

I did buy him a reflective coat and am going to try to use it this summer to see if it helps make a difference. Also when we are doing some kind of event or training and have to be in the sun I use a mister and mist him down (or hose him down, he is starting to accept that) every hour or so to keep him comfortable. You might try wetting your boy before your walks to see if that helps.

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Jeri
~Kai~

velmadobe

I think that Dobes don't do very well in any extremes of temperature - be it cold or heat. A dark single coated breed - it gets cold because of the single coat, and hot because of the dark color AND the single coat.

There is a reason I drive a white SUV - I can go to shows in hot weather, open the back up, use a sun shade in the front window & over the back window, and my SUV does not get broiling hot like dark cars do.

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CH Cha-Rish A Moment Like This RN WAC CGC "Louise"
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bren

I agree with you both.

when I got him home the other day I felt his back and it was scorching hot from the direct sunlight, I turned a hosepipe on him and for about 30 seconds he just stood and enjoyed the cooling feeling before running off back down the garden to play.

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avalonandon

I am fortunate to have a ton of trees in the backyard AND he is red not black - but he comes in and pants, literally for 45 minutes sometimes. I stay out there with him to monitor him but I don't know what to monitor really - he just keeps playing and running as if all is okay - until I make him come in and then he seems like he is dying.

BlackandTans

Luckily it usually does not get in the 100's or anything where I live in Washington (next to Seattle) but it will still get up to 90 sometimes.... my girl is a sun baither and she LOVES to lay out in the sun even when it is 80 or over outside... Running around it seems like they pant alot so I just go outside with them and watch them... We have lots of trees so they can get in the shade if needed but when we are out I will even bring like a little tent thing for them to lay under (when camping and such) no matter if it looks stupid so they are not getting overheated. I also make sure that they have lots and lots of water to keep hydrated!!

lyngr

Cinny will run for 5-10 minutes and then be done.. tongue hanging out of her head.

I may buy her a cooling coat that I saw at a dog show but I'll still wind up taking her out several times a day for much shorter periods of time.

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An eagle needs two wings to fly.. a left and a right

gracieface

Grace is a sun worshipper too, but for shows I take along a cooler with ice and a wet coat to use on her. I cover the van with those reflective emergency camping sheets, they do a great job of keeping it cool! Those old fashion ice packs, the cloth ones with the screw tops to put ice in are great too, just a few minutes on the belly helps cool them down. I've seen bulldog people use them on the genital area for a quick cool down.
I do make exercise time either early in the morning or later in the day in the summer when it is cooler out. I would say let the dog dictate what is enough, and carry lots of water!

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Elizabeth
Dobermans aren't my whole life, they just make it whole.

LuvMyDobes

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Dragon Slaying Dobermans Incorporated member #44


Kira and Storm
Waiting at The bridge

"We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan."
"The Once Again Prince" by Irving Townsend

BackInBlack

I do the same thing. I got the idea last summer from Lyn (Charlie Brown's Mom) who uses the cool coat, the neck wrap, and also the car chamois.

The car chamois really work great, the synthetic ones are the ones that I use, and I just keep them in the cooler with ice and a little bit of water.

I would really like to get at least one of the actual cool coats this summer though.

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