24/05/2026
Copied Reposting!!!!!! An important reminder!
I would always rather adjust times, cancel or convert to a drop in for my clients!
The dogs welfare is always the most important for me ❤️❤️❤️
⚠️ IMPORTANT REMINDER ⚠️
☀️Warm Weather ➕ 🐕Dogs ➕ 🏃♀️➡️Exercise
A few days ago, the temperature range here in the UK was 14-17 degrees.
This weekend we’re looking at highs of 29 - 32 degrees in some parts of the country.
That’s not a gradual warm-up – that’s a shock to the system, especially for our dogs.
For your dog’s body, that kind of sudden leap is significant.
If you’re wearing a t-shirt and shorts, it’s too hot for your dog to be hurtling around chasing balls and such. If you don’t believe me, go home and put on a fur coat and then go for a run for half an hour and see how you feel 😊
Our dogs rely on us to adjust their activity levels in hot weather. Most of these dogs, if they were free roaming, would spend the majority of a hot day simply lazing in the shade with the odd mooching scavenge.
🐕 Your walk in warmer temperatures should look very different to your ‘normal’ walks.
Even at 20 degrees - which we might not consider ‘too hot’ - your dog can begin to overheat. And if you continue to encourage high energy activity, once past a certain point, things can go downhill quite quickly.
Recommendations:
✅ Walk early in the morning – be mindful of walking in the evening, often with these types of temperatures it remains warm and humid right through ‘til 9-10pm
✅ Shorter walks on grass and in the shade as much as possible
✅ Slower walks
✅ On lead sniffari walks instead of off lead crazy walks
✅ No walks – some of these dogs will make it clear they don’t want to walk in higher temperatures, listen and respect that choice.
✅ Support them at home with shady cool spots to lay in – many of these dogs will look for dirt beds or space under shrubs and bushes to cool down.
I’ve heard many people say, ‘but my dog loves to play fetch / go for three-hour walks - they’d stop if they didn’t want to or were too warm.’
I can tell you with 100% certainty that if I took my Border Collie out on a hot day and played fetch with her, she would keep chasing that ball until she collapsed. It is my job as her guardian NOT to do that - while also making sure she has adequate and appropriate environmental enrichment of course.
My Romanian boy, on the other hand, has far more common sense 😊 He does not enjoy long walks in hot weather. He much prefers to mooch around, hunt out some treats in a shady spot under a tree, and mostly just watch what’s going on around him.
👉 Keep an eye out for ‘spatula tongues’ - When you see your dog’s tongue start to widen at the bottom, that’s an indicator that your dog is having to work harder to cool down.
The tongue widening is a physiological response that maximises the surface area for evaporation, to help dissipate excess body heat.
Certain breeds are more at risk of heat-related illness and injury - but ALL dogs are wearing a fur coat, and they have not evolved to get too hot.
🙏 Please adjust your walks and support your dog’s appropriately if the temperatures are ramping up where you are.
👉 Did You Know… Research shows that exercise on warm days is one of the leading causes of fatal heatstroke in dogs.
🥵 And then of course despite the constant reminders – every year we still see reports of dogs being left in cars in hot temperatures. Pleases leave them at home. 🙏
Keep your dog’s safe in the warm weather. They rely on us to make the right decisions for them ❤️
