TL;DR
Summer comes down to timing. Work your dog when the ground is cool and quit when it’s not, and on the really bad days take the flirt pole and tug inside where the AC is. Learn what heatstroke looks like before you need to, and the second you see it you’re done for the day.
More indoor ideas are in how to exercise a dog without walking, and the flirt pole training guide shows you how to run the chase.
Who This Is For
- You live somewhere hot and summer is a fight
- Your high-drive dog doesn’t care what the thermometer says
- You have a flat-faced breed that overheats fast
- You worry about heatstroke every time you walk
- The afternoon heat keeps you both stuck inside
- Your dog has a thick coat and struggles all summer
- You want a safe way to wear your dog out in summer
Signs the Heat Is Too Much
- Heavy, frantic panting that does not slow down
- A bright red tongue and gums
- Drooling, wobbliness, or confusion
- The dog lagging, lying down, or refusing to move
- Hot pavement you cannot hold your hand on
- Vomiting or diarrhea after being outside
- Any collapse, which is a call-the-vet emergency
Heat Is a Real Emergency
A dog cools off by panting, and when it’s hot out panting can’t keep up for long. They can’t sweat like we do so a dog can go into heatstroke in a matter of minutes, and that’s why knowing when to quit matters more than anything else in summer.
The flat-faced breeds overheat first, and so do thick coats, older dogs and heavy dogs. Heavy frantic panting, a brick-red tongue, any wobbling at all? Stop right there and get that dog cooled down. The AVMA says to seek emergency veterinary care if you see signs of heat stress, like excessive panting, restlessness or excessive drooling.
The pavement test
Before any walk I’d put the back of your hand on the pavement for seven seconds, and if you can’t hold it there it’s too hot for paws, so keep your dog off it.
Go Early, Go Shaded
When it’s hot, when you go matters more than how hard you go. Do the hard sessions at dawn or dusk on shaded, soft ground and skip the midday sun entirely. The ground cools off when the sun is low, so an early session is a lot safer, but keep it short and bring water.
Dawn and dusk only
On hot days do the hard sessions at first light or after the sun goes down and the ground has cooled, cause the sun is the problem and picking the right time handles most of it, but even then keep it short and bring water.
Find shade and soft ground
Grass in the shade stays a lot cooler than sun-baked dirt or asphalt, so do your flirt pole work on shaded grass whenever you can. On the hottest days, wet your dog down first so they start out cooler.
Water and rest
Offer water before and during and after, and give real rest between bursts, and once your dog stops chasing hard the session’s over, so don’t push for more.
Move the Burn Inside
On the dangerous heat days, the whole workout comes inside. A flirt pole in an air-conditioned room, a few hallway sprints and tug with rules all burn energy without the sun beating down. Your dog stays cool, so you can actually work them.
Puzzle feeders and scent games take care of the rest, cause making a dog think wears them out without heating them up much. A frozen stuffed toy works as a cool-down treat too. See enrichment and mental stimulation for more.
Keep it consistent
Summer’s long so keep the routine going even when it moves inside, cause a cool session every day beats a dangerous one outside and it helps keep the summer weight off.
Early, shaded, then inside
Shaded Chase
Do a short flirt pole session on shaded grass first thing in the morning, with water close by.
Cool Burn
When it’s hot, do chase or tug or a puzzle feeder inside in the air conditioning.
Evening Sniff
Take a slow sniff-walk in the shade after the sun goes down and let your dog settle for the night.
In summer it’s dawn or dusk or indoors and never a midday walk in the heat, cause cool and short is what keeps a dog alive.
Don’t ever exercise a dog hard in high heat or humidity, so skip midday entirely when it’s above the mid-eighties and stop at the first sign of heavy panting or a red tongue or wobbliness. Cool your dog with water, and if they collapse, call your vet.
Hot pavement burns paws and throws heat back up at your dog, so do the seven-second hand test, and I’d keep flat-faced breeds and seniors and thick-coated dogs on the shortest, coolest sessions.
The Whimsy Stick: Built for Dawn and the Living Room
A flirt pole works for a short hard session on shaded grass at dawn, and then it comes inside with you when the heat spikes. This is the one I built.
Read These Next to Go Deeper
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Hot-Weather Dog Exercise: FAQ
How do you exercise a dog in hot weather?
Go early or late and keep it short and stay on shaded soft ground, then do the rest inside. Heat builds fast, so I’d skip midday exercise and do the hard sessions at dawn or dusk, and when it’s dangerously hot, burn energy inside with chase or puzzle feeders.
What time of day should I exercise my dog in summer?
Dawn and dusk, when the ground has cooled and the sun is low, and on hot days I’d stay out of the late morning through late afternoon completely, and even in the cooler hours keep it short and bring water.
How hot is too hot to exercise a dog?
It depends on the dog and the humidity, but caution starts in the low eighties and real danger climbs from there, and flat-faced breeds and seniors and thick coats overheat sooner, so if you’re not sure, use the cool hours or exercise inside.
What are the signs of heatstroke in a dog?
Watch for heavy frantic panting, a bright red tongue and gums, drooling, wobbliness, confusion, vomiting and collapse. Heatstroke is deadly, so stop at the first sign and cool your dog with water and call your vet right away.
How can I exercise my dog when it’s too hot outside?
I’d take it inside, cause a flirt pole in an air-conditioned room and hallway sprints and tug with rules and puzzle feeders all burn energy out of the sun, and a frozen stuffed toy helps cool them down after.
Is it safe to run a dog in the heat?
No, hard running in high heat is dangerous, cause dogs cool off by panting and that stops keeping up fast when it’s hot, so a run can tip into heatstroke quick. Save the hard stuff for the cool hours or for inside.
Should I wet my dog down before exercise in summer?
On hot days, yeah, wet the coat and paws before a short session in the shade so they start out cooler, and keep water on hand and let your dog drink between bursts.
Do dogs need less exercise in summer?
They need the same outlet, just done more safely. Their drive doesn’t drop with the heat so the plan moves to the cooler hours and indoors, and if you skip exercise altogether you just trade a heat problem for a boredom problem.
