Walking dogs in hot and cold weather
The weather changes the walk. It doesn't cancel it. Here's where my cut offs are and what happens when it's too hot or too icy to do the usual route.
My rough guide by temperature
Up to 19C. Normal walk, normal route.
20C to 23C. Shade, water breaks and a slower pace. Woodland Gardens rather than open grass.
24C and up. Short and slow, or a garden visit instead. I'll message you either way.
Below freezing. Grass rather than gritted pavement, shorter time out, paws checked afterwards.
These are starting points, not rules. A young collie and a twelve year old bulldog get treated very differently on the same day.
Questions about weather
- What temperature is too hot to walk a dog
- Above about 20C I shorten the walk and stick to shade. Above 24C it becomes a slow amble in the woodland or a garden visit instead. Flat faced breeds, older dogs and heavy coated dogs come down a step from that.
- What is the pavement test
- Put the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds. If you can't hold it there, your dog can't walk on it. Tarmac holds heat long after the air has cooled.
- What do you do on a heat warning day
- I message you. We either move the walk to early morning, cut it short in the shade, or swap it for a garden visit with water and company. Nobody gets marched round a field at midday in a heatwave.
- What about rain
- We still go. Dogs don't mind it half as much as people do. Paws and coat get towelled off before your dog goes back in the house.
- What about ice and snow
- Shorter walks on grass rather than gritted pavement, because grit burns paws and licking it off makes dogs ill. If it's genuinely dangerous underfoot I'll say so and we do something else.
- How do I know my dog is too hot
- Heavy flat tongued panting, slowing down, lying down, bright red gums or drooling more than usual. If I see any of it we stop, get shade and water, and head back.
On hot days I use the shaded routes described on the Bushy Park page.
Send me the details
Tell me about your dog and I'll tell you how I'd handle them in this weather.