Controlling Body Temperature Dogs.

How to avoid heatstroke and keep your dog safe in hot weather ?. 

When you and your dog are climbing hills, practicing agility or playing chase your yard, it's important to understand how heat affects the body and force your dog. 

How do dogs cool themselves during hot or humid weather? 

Dogs more likely to face problems when the weather is too hot compared to the weather that is too cold. After all their ancestors are all familiar with the climate and the North. As the temperature increases, the dog has the instinct to cool their bodies, including reducing their activity, panting, lying colder areas, sweat through the soles of the feet, increase their heart rate, and their tongues stuck out farther and farther. It also dilates the blood vessels in the skin and replace it with warm blood to the skin surface cool. It is more common in the thigh area, in the area where the skin is thinner. 

Do dogs have difficulty cooling off in hot weather or humid weather? 

Brachycephalic dogs (dogs with short snouts and wide), which has a flat face like a Bulldog and Pug, has an area of less hooked in the mouth for them to cool down. They also have excessive glands in the mouth and neck, which inhibits the efficiency of the air channel paths. The dogs are very susceptible to this type of heatstroke, and should avoid strenuous exercise especially in hot weather. 

Types of small dogs and puppies are more susceptible to extreme cold or very hot weather. In small type of dog it is because they have more skin surface area is relatively broad in their bodies. In hot weather, they have a relatively fast skin absorbs heat and in the winter they have a relatively fast skin off heat. In puppies, most people believe that the mechanisms controlling their body temperature is not too functional. For example, the puppy does not yet have a fully developed muscles for panting as they should be needed to cool their bodies. 

Dog sports and working dogs are also susceptible to heatstroke because of the hot weather is not the only factor that causes heatstroke. Muscle activity can be dangerous, even when the air temperature when the mediocre. When a dog bed, 25% of the body temperature is provided by the muscles. But when the dog is exercising, the heat generated by these muscles can be multiplied up to 60x. When a dog is exercising, dogs normal temperature can rise to 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 105 Fahrenheit or even more (38 degrees Celsius - 41 degrees Celsius). Therefore dogs exercising in the heat can be a long distance even in below freezing weather. 

Short-haired dogs and dogs with single-coat more often suffer when the weather is hot because they do not have a layer of fur to insulate / air bounce, where the air trapped between the skin and they do not have fur to protect the outside of them like a dog owned by a double-coat . Dogs with double-coat serves as a double-paneled windows, which provide a coating to insulate / air reflect, to avoid solar heat directly to the skin. The function of the double-coat is the underlying reason why a dog that has a double-coat like a Golden Retriever should not be sheared during the summer, or when the weather is hot. With frequent bathing and grooming feathers regularly can help to overcome the dead fur and fur thinning them. 

What are the signs early when my dog ​​is too hot? 

When you Exercise your your dog in hot weather, take note of their tongue. If the edges splay or curl (or both), the dog was using the muscles in their tongue to cool the surface of their skin. This means your dog is just using the last mechanism to cool their bodies. This means it is time for you to stop the exercise and ask your dog to rest in a cooler. 

beat the Heat 

When the weather is hot or humid outside, your dog is better placed indoors compared to outside, though so do not worry your dog can not exercise. To keep your dog still excellent stamina in hot weather, increase the activity in the room, such as playing tug. You can also make your dog stand as long as possible, a sport where the front legs do not touch the floor.