@jsustik this was taken right before she decided my hand was a suitable replacement for her confiscated stick (it was too fragile to play with safely) don't let the ears fool you, those eyes promise madness!
@jsustik Both of my GSDs have long double coats, so I don’t take them out when it’s over 80. Before I had a house (with backyard), I would put boots on their paws and only take them out long enough to do their business. If it’s too hot for you to walk barefoot outside, it’s too hot for the puppers.
Side note - be mindful about letting the dogs on artificial grass when it’s hot out. It actually gets hotter than the sidewalks because of the synthetic materials.
@jsustik Last Tuesday it was in the high 80’s and even though he played in the creek and was wet, Sam seemed overheated. We only went about 2.5 miles (normally we do 4-6 miles). He just wanted to go home.
Usually if I keep him near water, he does fine. We’re just not used to the heat yet!
@jsustik I live in the south. It regularly hits low to mid 90s during the summer. Ill take my boy out just long enough for him to do his business and get a little tired. He’ll let me know if it’s too hot
@anonymousbl That’s what I’m thinking too, she’ll let me know. She had a pep in her step the whole time earlier when it was 85 and she never slowed. Then we got home and she cooled down quick, so I think she’s got a high threshold and I’m overthinking it.
@jsustik Where I live temps only get above 80°F a handful of times a year. However, once the temp is below 0°F, my GSD will wear a jacket and booties. She’s gone on walks with windchill of below -50°F.
@jsustik I purposefully walk in a black shirt so I can feel it like they do, then I walk around barefoot on my property - if the sidewalk is too hot for me, it's too hot for them. If it's just barely uncomfortable, I do the palm test - palm flat on the concrete, shoulder directly over my hand to put my weight on it, and if I can't comfortably stay after 15 seconds, then no walk.
I am fortunate to have half a block undeveloped less than 100yds away and I can walk them back and forth on that grass, which lets them sniff as if at a park, so I will sometimes let them walk on the grass instead of at heel to get there if they aren't getting tired enough with training or play.
@jsustik There's no set temperature, but pay more attention to sudden changes. If it was 70 for a week then one day it went up to 95, we aren't going to work outside more than an hour, but if we're acclimated to 95, it's not a problem. Just be aware of the signs of heat stress and keep them hydrated
@jsustik In Canada and I’ll walk before the sun comes up and after it goes down at the hottest points of summer (38C/102F). It’s the winter here that’s more problematic to plan around as it can get to -40C/F in winter for days on end.
