Lori: Scared my Pug is going to overheat because I live in Florida?
I have an 11-week old pug puppy and she is FULL of energy. She is constantly running and playing at it seems like no inside activity will wear her out. I'm afraid to leave her outside for long periods of time. Even 15 minutes scares me. I never leave her by herself but when I take her on walks I can hear her breathing sound different and it scares me to take her out for too long. I wanted to take her to the beach one day for about an hour, with my other dog but I decided not to because I felt like she would overheat. Am I being too cautious or what?
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Answers and Views:
Answer by Lara
Why do you need to leave her outside?
If she is fully vaccinated you can start leash training her and giving her daily walks - I suggest walking in the morning and night because the sun is not as intense. Make sure she has a lot of fresh water available and shade.
Taking her to the beach may not be the best idea, dogs with short noses are the most at risk for heat-related illnesses.
Answer by 尺乇ﾑしﾉｲㄚ 乃ﾉｲ乇ら™
As long as she has proper shade and tons of water she should be fine. Pugs do well in hot weather as long as they are hydrated and cool.
You do have a right to be slightly fearful though, Pugs do have flat faces which makes respiration hard for them, which could means, if she was somewhere in a hot area she couldn't as easily aspirate and pant to cool herself off as your average dog.
All in all, she should do fine as long as she has an area to cool off and water to drink.
Answer by poggle
Indoors give her an area with a fan that she can leave or go to as she wants, and a bowl of fresh water at all times.
Outdoors make sure she has shade, even if it's just a sheet slung over the washing line. Give a bowl of water, and invest in a paddling pool. Most dogs love them. Just put a few inches of water in at first, and some toys, and play with her in and around the pool. Make sure she can get in and out, even if you have to build a ramp.
Avoid walking her on hot pavements. It's far too hot for her feet, and she is lower to the ground so will heat up faster than you. Try putting a bare foot on the pavement to test the temperature.
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Answer by amy
Pugs noses are very small, so they snort to breathe easier; they are not struggling as much as it may seem,
Yes dogs can overheat, but pugs are short-haired, this makes it cooler on them,
Freeze some water in an ice cream tub and then get the ice out of it in a block and encourage her to play with this in the garden, this will keep her hydrated and cool when playing, make sure she drinks enough and has a constant source of shelter,
Dogs act on instinct, if she is too hot then she will look for shade and water,
Keep an eye on her and get her focused on training,
You won't ever wear her out,
Take her to the beach, have fun, let her be socialized, keep her on a lead until you have done recall training with her, the sea will help to cool her down so go in with her for a little dip,
It's good that you worry, but enjoy this time with her, she won't be a puppy forever,
But do start training now, starting with things like sit, paw, lie down, stay and come, you don't want an unresponsive dog,
Dogs also like to play with a hose, so lightly spray her with it when it's very hot and turn it into a game,
Make sure she is somewhere cool at nighttime, as she could get hot in her sleep
I wish you the best of luck
Answer by Katerina
Nothing will happen just make sure she drinks a lot of water!
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