too hot to walk?
 

Sophie is just over 5 months old and she is my first pet...I was not raised around animals. I sometimes have to ask questions on the small stuff because I only want the best for her and this stuff is all so new to both Sophie and I!

The weather here today in Ontario is very hot, sunny and humid. When I took Sophie outside this morning on the covered deck she was torn between being outside (which she absolutely loves) and cooling off in the air conditioned house. I must of walked in and out of the house a hundred times already this morning even though she has fresh cold water available to her outside.

My question is...
If she is already sticking out her tongue before we get to the end of the driveway is it too hot for her to be outside going for a walk? Or is that how dogs cool off and she is ok to go for a short walk?

yes i would say shes already hot so either walk later in day after the sun starts to set or early am. cedric usually likes this better plus the pavement inst hot on his feet either.

:thumbup: I think people often forget this, that they're walking on pavements in bare paws! I sometimes take my flipflops off, just to feel what Harry's feeling!! :D

And when it gets like that, I take him to grassy areas instead (sorry, he won't wear shoes, boots, or anything else...!!!) Sally + Harry x

Yes, that pavement and the sidewalks can get hot quickly. Most times our little ones do have sensitive paws. When is starts to get hot and humid out I have to be sure to re-regulate my walking schedule to earlier in the morning and later in the evening. No more mid afternoon walks unless we have a cooler day.

I the summer I like to walk in the morning and evening when its cooler

I agree.. I think she's telling you by panting it's too hot out. She could also suffer a heat stroke if she gets too hot.

Thanks for the great advice everyone! I am going to change our walks to early morning and evening until the fall. :)

I feel sooooo bad about something and need to confess....I never thought about how she is walking around bare pawed on the pavement that can get so hot. :(

As I have always seen bigger dogs out walking on hot summer days I never realized it may be too hot on her little sensitive paws. I am so glad I asked this question! (Sophie really thanks you all too). Now that I know better I will do better. :rolleyes:

In addition to my previous reply.....;)

The way I realised it was with one of our 'previous' dogs, on the beach (and that's in England!...:D). I could barely walk, it was oooh-oooh-oooh, me trying to jump along....hot, burning underfoot :eek:

Sam the Schnauzer RAN, laid down, and then dug - got to the cold bit about 18" down, and then laid down in it with a huge sigh, paws against the edges, looking everso happy at last :D

You're not a bad mummy - at least you realised it, and asked the question! A big hug to Sophie, too! :) Sally + Harry x

The heat is bad....but combined with high humidity, it is a killer!!! That will bring them down faster than anything....early morning (although this morning here in Houston, the temperature was 80 degrees, but the "feels like" temp was already 92*, AT 5 AM!!!!!) and late, late evening after the sun sets.....and just short walks...remember the hot concrete on those precious little bare paws!

Yeah....it is rough on them....and because they are so close to the ground...

Don't worry about asking a dumb question, LOL I do all the time, welcome to YT, and congrats on being a new yorkie mom.

I always reach down and feel the sidewalk, because you never know. we have a lot of black top driveways around here and they are the worse. I take Lola as long as the pavement is not to hot, but we also have shade and when it is hot within less than 10 min. we come to a place that she loves to take a swim at, then she is so cold when she gets out that she is running and scampering all over the place, and then it is me panting with my tongue is hanging out from keeping up with her:p:animal36:p

Thank you for sharing your story Sally...Sam was a very smart doggie finding quick relief in the sand like that! I think the beach is the only time I am barefoot outside and that sand does get scorching hot! I will always check the pavement from now on!

Yorkiemom1...I will never complain it's too hot outside again if that's what the temperature feels like at 5:00am in Texas!

Theresa you have a great point about them being so close to the pavement and Donna guess what? We have a very long black top driveway...I think Sophie walking so quickly down the driveway and panting was her telling me "Mommy, it's hot, hot, hot!"

You all give such great advice! I so appreciate you all taking the time to answer my questions on YorkieTalk. When you have never owned a dog before even reading all the books in the world will still not prepare you for everything!

I have always checked the pavement where we walk with my bare hands!:D It gets very hot quickly. It gets terribly hot here at times. We like to go early of a morning before most people are up and about. They enjoy the cool temps so much more. If it cools down of an evening before it gets dark, we will go then, too. Don't feel bad for asking. That's how you learn.

Lemonlime....thanks for asking this question. I'm a new yorkie mom and first time pet owner too and the answers were very helpful. I too have seen others walking their dogs in our neighborhood and didn't stop to think of yorkies little pads on their feet. DUH!!!! Hope is only 14 weeks old today so we have only walked to the mailbox and back since she's not completely vaccinated. I've heard of some talking about boots but have no idea where to find them or how to tell what size to get.

Send a message to our member AllDogBoots. I've gotten boots from her. She's fantastic and can guide you to whatever you need as well as help you with the size. She has some of the cutest sandals, too.:)

She has a site on FB and a web site Dog Boots | Dog Shoes & Dog Booties

We have these marathon runners that jog all over the Medical Center, regardless of the heat, the cold, the rain, etc...CRAZY!!! but they think this is soooo good for them...but one day I am driving home at 3pm, dead of last summer (T - 96*) and there is some dude, with his little speedo on, and his glistening, dark tanned body, complete with bulging deltoids and an amazing washboard set of abs, jogging around the hospital on the sidewalk, little headband catching any droplets of sweat,....clulessly dragging a little, looked to be 5# Yorkie, down the sidewalk behind him on a 8 foot leash...totally oblivious to the poor little animals distress....I pulled into a driveway 1/2 block ahead of him and stopped, waiting for him to get to me, and I asked him if he had even looked over his shoulder to see the half dead dog he was dragging down the sidewalk behind him...he was stunned and amazed that the dog was experiencing heat exhaustion and was about to collapse. I loaded him and his half dead dog in my car and drove him to his apartment about 1/2 mile away, while he took cold water from my lunch kit, soaked a towel I had in the back seat, and held it on the dogs stomach, on pulse points under her arms and groin area, with the a/c blowing on her...he saved her, to run again, but he did wave me down about a month later, and told me thanks, it had NEVER occured to him the dog could not out run him....out perform him....he had gone to the vet immediately and they treated her and she does NOT run with him anymore!

I know this does not give them their exercise, but when its too hot too walk for them I take them on a stroller ride or put them in the bike basket and go bike ride. I can't take in the morning so I only have evening option.

Great post, thanks.

Yorkieusa - Karen thank you for your advice and kind words...and also for the doggie boot link. I live in Canada and Sophie will need to deal with some slush and snow this winter!

Yorkiemom1 - great post, thanks for sharing...I always look forward to your responses in threads I read

Hopesmom - I would like to congratulate you on your new baby Hope! I almost didn't ask the question but am so glad I did! I have learned so much here on YorkieTalk. I am personally finding that unless someone has a Yorkie or another other small breed dog, the advice I can get is sometimes wrong even though they are dog owners. They can also look at you funny when you talk about hyperglycemia, sensitive paws, etc. (thinking your just babying a small dog). Everyone here on YorkieTalk has great advice...we are very lucky to have this forum to educate us and help us through this all new adventure with our precious little ones!

Thanks for sharing...I am definitely going to look into a doggie bike basket! I think Sophie will absolutely love going for bike rides!

Is it a special bike basket for pets or is it just a regular bike wicker basket lined with an added reinforced tether(?) strap? I am asking because my daughter's bike has a wicker basket on it that can be set up for Sophie unless there is something special about a pet wicker basket.

My son rigged up a regular wicker basket on my bike with a little leash made from a luggage strap (we used those plastic zipstrips to fasten it to the bike) I made a comfy cushion- a folded blanket would work fine. Ziva loves it, her little head swiveling to catch all the sights. I looked at a lot of pictures on the internet and checked out a few in stores and think our homemade/free is just as good!

When they invented "duct tape" and "zipstrips", they made my life complete!!!! There is NOTHING I cant do!!!!! I love your little basket idea!

There are a variety of bicycle baskets on Amazon and some other online sites. I like the one with the wire protection over the top so if the bike should run into trouble the dog will be fairly safe. A towel or some sort of cover for the top could be rigged up to protect from the sun. I don't ride a bike but I really thought the added protection of the wire over the top was a better way to go.
Amazon.com: Solvit 69996 Wire Safety Cage for...

Thanks yorkieusa...I'm new to YT and am not sure how to look up other members. Did it take a while for your yorkie to get use to wearing the boots? Which ones are the easiest for them to adjust too?

The younger they are when you start it will be easier. Just get something comfortable - not so hard and let them walk around in the house to get used to them. They look hilarious when they start walking in them, because they can't feel the bottom of their feet on the floor/ground, but they get used to it.

I'm all for keeping Jaeger indoors most of the day in this Georgia heat. We play a zillion games of fetch and chase to get him exercise in the summer, but we still go for early morning walks when we can.

If its really hot, I'll soak him with the hose (or in the sink) and then walk him-it really helps keep him cool and comfortable during the walk. We stay on the grass so his paws don't burn up.

He really misses being outside, even when it's super hot, so sometimes I'll take a small tupperware container, fill it with safe fruit and veggie chunks and water, freeze it, and let him melt it with his paws on the patio or in the grass. He loves scooting it around and digging at it to get the treats out.

Here in UK its start of summer & on hot days I walk Ollie before 8am and after 6pm as its too hot in day time he overheats and pavements far too hot.

I just wanted to share that I rigged up the wicker bike basket for Sophie and she absolutely LOVES our bike rides!

I now test the pavement daily...it really cools down after 8:00pm and we have great walks now.

Thanks again to everyone for your tips and suggestions!!!

What a nice idea! You two will have lots of fun going for bike rides.

It is really hot here now and we usually go for our walks 6-7 a.m. on weekends and it hasn't been cooling off in the evening until 8 p.m., so we go then as well. Of course, during the week we just go of an evening. Have fun with the bike rides!:)