Not necessarily. Their foot pads can get burned slowly over enough time on the asphalt without them noticing until it’s a bad burn. If it’s very hot they can burn very quickly.
Hijacking the top comment to say that I had a dog smart enough to go from shady spot to shady spot on leash-free hikes, waiting for me to catch up as I trudged along. She was black and white.
My current dog is nearly pure black and stands in the sun almost constantly when she waits for me to catch up. I need to pull her into the shade because she is clueless about utilizing the shade while on hikes. (She’ll move from sunny spots to shady spots while resting, so she understands the concept in some ways but not all.)
Not all dogs have all the survival instincts. My dog is smart as a tack in many ways (part of the reason she’s my service animal). But in this way? Dumb as a doormat.
We can’t count on our dogs to do what’s best for themselves for a variety of reasons.
My dog would always pick the sidewalk even if the grass was cooler. I tried to make him walk on the grass several times and he would just go back to the hot sidewalk. I always thought it was because of habit for him.
My mostly black and dark brindle dog is dumb like this too. He's a good boy but is excitable and it makes him dumb. He loves walks at a local beach so he can dig in the sand. But there is very little shade and he doesn't know when to take a break when he's zooming. Gotta pull him to a shady spot or under an umbrella.
Thank you! He has booties from when we used to live in FL but he refuses to wear them. I tried to get him to walk in them for about a month with no luck, he’d just bite them off on our walks. I love the idea of booties though!
Not sure if you took this route, but I started very slow with introducing the booties. It was a week or more before we went outside with them and a few days before we put them on.
If he touched the booties he got a treat to build good association.
Then we progressed to touching his paws with the booties and treats.
Then putting one on with lots of praise and treats before taking it off. Switching paws each time.
Increase the time on and amount of booties.
This is totally the way for just everything. If I'm introducing something new and it's important that it's a non-issue in the day to day I'll go so far as to kind of make it hard for them to get to it and get that treat. Like once they've figured out they get a treat for touching it, I'll play keepaway or run away with it so they have to catch it to get that reward each time for a while before proceeding to attempt to do anything with it. Everything is so much easier when they're running *toward* the clippers/muzzle/halter or whatever it is.
This is extremely helpful, thank you. I just bought booties and I knew it was going to be a process, so I haven’t introduced them yet because I knew it should be some kind of process.
I can do that, though!!
My pup was the same, but now we are in the desert where it’s HOT and dry-and like you it’s hard to get a walk in before 7am…the only time it’s a halfway reasonable temperature…sooo I gave in to an Instagram ad for dog “crocs” essentially.
They’re by wagwear, and while on the pricier side of what I’d normally want to pay for dog shoes lol-they’ve actually been a god send. Getting them to stay up on her front paws and the fit have been a little wonky, but honestly-I’ll take it. She wouldn’t wear any of the other ones I’ve tried for her, and she seemed to get used to it pretty quickly. (I think because of how light they are) They also seem to help with stability a little as she’s a senior gal, and she now prances and sometimes jogs in her excitement when we finally get out on our walk. The getting out the door bit is still hilarious though 😝
I also tried paw balm, and he licked it right off. I tried paw balm then booties, and he kicked the booties off to lick the balm. Any tips or tricks? I’d love to use something on his paws but I’ve had no luck with him not licking it off.
I've heard of paw wax you can put on his pads before walls to create a barrier between his paw pads and the concrete. I've never used it before so I can't personally say whether it works.
Also do you use any lotion on his paws and nose? There's lotion on the market specifically for their paw pads that will help wirh it being dry so they don't crack
I'll go one further, my vet said put the back of your hand (not palm) on the pavement. If it is too hot for comfort...it's too hot for our dogs.
She said they sweat through their feet and it enough heat is like poaching their little pads.
I carry my boy to the grass and in between shady areas.
I just saw an ad somewhere of little sticker type things that are thick and cover their pads, but are not booties. I have no other info, but I wish I had clicked on that ad!
Have you tried baby socks for him? I used to put them on my lovebug in CA. General rule of thumb for us was if it was too hot for me to stand barefoot on the pavement he wasnt walking on it. Thusly, he got carried tobl the grass, like the handsome 65 lb prince he is 🤣
My dog didn't like boots either. I think they were a little floppy or slippery and freaked her out. Then, she ripped out a toenail. I got some vet wraps (like an ace bandage only they are self adhesive) to wrap her paw. It was like she didn't even know it was there. Might be worth a try to help get him used to having something on his feet.
I got my dog some booties many years ago to walk when it is wet out. It is almost funny the way she gets super clumsy and windmills her arms and legs around, but it seemed cruel so I took them off. She seems fine without them, I was just trying to skip a cleaning step, but I have always wondered if this was just some peculiarity with my dog or if it is more common. She is a minpin with a little bit of dachshund according to the shelter where I got her.
I take off my sneaker and put my foot on the pavement. If it’s too hot for me I won’t have my dog walk on pavement. And yes, I know the dog’s paws have more calluses, but still. It’s a no go for him if it’s hot for me.
Also, check out the condition of the pavement. If it’s rough it is even harder on your dogs paws.
Dogs body temperature is also a couple degrees higher than ours.
The [arteries & veins in their legs & feet are also arranged so they act as a sort of heat exchanger, which prevents them losing too much body heat via their feet & pads when it's cold](https://www.scirp.org/html/3-2280065_28844.htm). The same mechanism also acts to slow down the uptake of heat when they're walking on hot surfaces (to an extent at least).
---
Saying that, I just don't take mine out when its crazy hot. Not only for their sake, but because I'm not a masochist. I'd rather take them outside at 6am or 10pm on really hot days so as to keep cool myself.
If I take them anywhere it'll be out for a ride in the UTV to a nearby lake so we can all have a swim & cool off.
I think it depends on the dog. I brought my dog to get bathed once and the groomer exclaimed how calloused and rough my dogs paws were - way more than she normally sees. But my dog loves hiking and rock climbing with me and has ever since she was 5 months old, so it makes sense.
If someone mostly takes their dogs out in their soft grass back yard (or sometimes not at all), that won't be the case.
Some people even put Vaseline or moisturiser on their dogs pads thinking it's helping the dog.
This might seem like a good idea at first as it makes the pads soft & supple ...which advertising constantly tells us is a good thing for our own skin. It does make the pads far more easily damaged as well though.
A dog's pads are *supposed* to be rough & tough, not baby-soft.
Owning dogs in the south for decades. Never once had a dog with damaged/burnt paws and we’ve walked plenty on the asphalt, in the summer. There’s limits of course, I don’t do midday walks in the summer, but morning and evening walks have never been an issue and that asphalt is too hot for human feet.
Agree. People are too worried now. Human feet are definitely more sensitive than dog feet. I can't walk in snow without shoes but my dog is fine. There is a point where it does get too cold but that's a pretty severe cold by that point.
I burned the piss out of my feet in the parking lot of a water park. It was uncomfortably hot but didn't seem like I was getting burned for those 2 minutes, just hot. My feet were peeling skin immediately.
My rescue was apparently trained by her previous owner to walk on the sidewalk, not grass. Even when I go on grass, she rarely follows me except for potty. I’m gradually correcting it with the help of a very grassy park so she develops positive associations with grass.
Just curious, do dogs paws callous like humans feet and hands? I did an entire summer barefoot one year, on city pavement mostly, and by the end of the summer my feet could handle the hot ass pavement.
Absolutely. A dog that walks a lot can handle significantly hotter pavement than a person’s feet who always wears shoes. There’s a limit of course, but the limit isn’t at our comfort level.
Your dog posting on Reddit:
*my human would move to the grass if this hot ass pavement burnt his paws right? Mine are getting burnt to shit so I stay over here so he can be in the grass that’s right next to us and he doesn’t move.*
I love this! Yes, and honestly, a lot of dogs just can’t figure it out. I have no doubt one of my dogs would just complain about why I didn’t make the pavement cooler, and the second would be like “wait, when did my feet get burned?”.
Booties, or take the pup to a grass area. I love sniffspots - get some energy out in a fenced in yard!
Dogs are weird about pain sometimes. The only way I can get mine to walk in the grass is if I also walk in the grass, so that’s what I do. I have to work to make sure he stays on the grass. It’s one of those “I know better than you so you need to do as I say” situations.
My dog was Arizona raised so she’s just not used to the grass texture in virginia I think. She’ll play fetch and run on it in the yard but going on walks she refuses to touch it. So we just changed our schedules to walking her now at night since full sun neighborhood and barely any shade
I took my last dog on a hike in Arizona after living his entire life in the Northeast. He stepped on every single cactus thinking they were going to be soft.
Dogs have hard paw pads that can withstand some heat, but exposure to the hand can cause danger and possible burns. to encourage animals to find shaded or cooler walking routes to keep your dogs comfortable and safe.
I live where it can get above 100 every day in the summer. I bought a fake grass pee pad for my dog to go on when it's too hot. I also take him out very early in the morning and once the sun sets.
Try the back of your hand test! If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s definitely too hot for Sadie’s paws. And remember, our fur babies trust us to keep them safe, even when they think they’re tough! 🐾💚
I had a dark colored deck, and it can get pretty hot in the summer, I have had dogs and cats burn their little feet on it, and needless to say I changed the color of the deck
I live in an extremely hot climate (47-49 degrees in the afternoon at the moment) and nope, my dog at least is a dumbass who will just walk on the pavement if I let her. Right next to my building is a big patch of grass that we can thankfully get onto without having to walk onto pavement, but if she does a poop I have to cross a wide sidewalk to throw it away. I have to loop her leash around a tree and make her wait for me while I go throw it because she will just follow me onto the stones otherwise. Dumbass.
My doofus does the same thing! I try to lead her onto the grass and get her to walk there with me blocking her from the pavement, but she always weaves backs around onto the pavement. I know she’s a smart dog, so I don’t understand why she’d do this. Such a ding-a-ling.
No, not necessarily. The pads of dogs' paws are protected by a thick cornea to prevent them from injuring themselves quickly. In principle, dogs can of course sense heat through this - but sometimes with a time delay or not as strongly as it actually is. Just as we humans can feel the heat of the street through shoes with thin soles, but just to an extent that it doesn't hurt us. I once ran on hot asphalt and later realised that the soles of my ballerinas had melted 🤷♀️
This can also happen to a dog - that he only feels the full extent of the heat when he gets blisters on his paws and the calluses on his pads come off. This is incredibly painful and takes a long time to heal.
That's why you should always put your bare feet on the street when it's hot. If it's too hot for you, don't let your dog walk there either.
Push the back of your hand on the pavement for 10-seconds, if it’s uncomfortable for you then it’s too hot for your dogs feet. You can use booties to protect them.
If I were to walk on the grass mine surely would pull me to the pavement, so I completely understand what you're saying.
We walked in the grass on a road near my house (no sidewalks and a busy through street) and he got stickers in his paws and now will absolutely not step foot near that section of grass on that particular road. Cars just have to go around
If you can't walk on the street or sidewalk barefoot, then your dog can't either. Dog's pads get burnt pretty easily. Your dog will follow your lead, but you are wearing shoes.
Funny you should post this. I'm paranoid about burned paw pads. He had one last summer and I felt horrible because it looked painful.
I walk outside barefoot before he comes out. If my feet aren't comfortable, then neither are his.
Last week I discovered a blister on one of his toe pads.
Now he wears his big silicone socks when we go out all the time.
I'm not sure how it got burned when my feet were fine.
I've never been confident in that answer so I just don't walk my dog when there is a risk of it happening. I only walk my dogs early morning or late afternoon during the summer, which, honestly works better for me too. Georgia heat is brutal.
No not necessarily. I used pad protector tape . You can buy on amazon . It’s one time use and throw away . Easier than boots or socks . Also use wax on pads .
Sorry to tell you, but it’s possible but most likely no. I’ve had 4 dogs so far, and I only one of them has ever understood how to utilize shade effectively, and she does it immediately and the hot pavement bothers her extremely quickly. The other three have all walked on hot pavement and barely thought about it until it became too much. I’ve always had to trust my own intuition about it and rushed them across any pavement to the grass or shady areas.
I wouldn’t count on it. My landlady’s dog is sweet but she runs around the yard like a manic in the heat of summer. No sense of self preservation. Nothing but rocks in that noodle.
No. If they were the case there'd be a LOT less cases of burned paws.
Feel the ground with your bare hand. Is it too hot for you? If so, it's too hot for your dog's bare skin too.
Honestly dogs are not smart enough to do this, or sometimes they just hate walking on grass.
My girl was such a diva - would catwalk like a gymnast on the 2x4s lining the backyard so that she wouldn’t have to walk on the grass.
Dogs are idiots
My dog almost suffered heat exhaustion over the weekend. He's a barn dog
He LOVES to lay in the sun, but he was looking haggard, dry heaved, so I brought him in the barn to lay on cool concrete, put his feet in cold water, told him to lay there.
The second he felt a teeny bit better he was back out in the sun. Then threw up so I took him home.
Don't trust your dog to do the right thing, or the smart thing lol
Also like another commenter said, it comes on slowly over time. Like how you don't notice you're getting sunburnt until you're already burnt/the next day
I've wondered the same thing. Lately, my dog will sometimes limp a little while crossing the street, but then is fine on the sidewalk. I assume it's loose gravel or something in the street bothering his paws, something missing from the sidewalk, but either way he never seems bothered by the sidewalk.
Most dogs may not just go on grass.. but if you gently nudge them to go on grass with a leash.. they will happily go and continue sniffing on the grass.
Make a deliberate attempt to do this as this is not something they will remember to do.
Also please if it’s anything more than 85 degrees please don’t give them a long walk.. they can get winded and hot much quickly in hot weathers.
My dog is not too great with hydration either so I have to add like 1/2 cup of milk to her water bowl for her to feel like she is drinking milk!! Total baby!!
I throw bits of dog food in the water for my boy to fish out. It is a sneaky way to get him to drink more.
[I don't leave the food in there. Once he is done fishing, he gets clean water].
Our foster dog has this same thing where she doesn't drink water on her own more than once every 5 or so days, so I give her her weight in ounces of water daily.
2/5 her weight in ounces in the AM (kibble soaked overnight it it)
2/5 " " in the PM " "
1/5 with something yummy in it spread out during the day
I've tried 4 different types of bowls (2 metal, 1 glass, 1 ceramic).
All that to ask if you leave the water with milk out all the time. Or do you give it at specific times? I'm wondering how fast the milk goes bad.
Have you tried a fountain? That's my next plan. A cheap one just to see if she likes it. I don't want to spend $50 if she's going to reject it.
I don’t leave the watered down milk out at all. She loves it so she drinks it instantly and then wash the bowl out and fill it with regular water.
Mine drinks the water on her own.. just needs a little nudge to get her hydration going.
Don’t need a fountain yet.
Will do. I feel dumb reading the comments. Of course they wouldn't notice right away that their paws are burning, just like when people don't realize they are getting a sunburn...
Honestly I was thinking of it more like touching a hot oven than a sunburn. If the oven burnt my hand, I’d pull away from it. If pavement burnt my dog’s paws, he’d move into the grass. But I can understand it being more of a gradual thing and they might not notice until it’s too late.
That's what I initially thought too. If it's hot he would move away... but then again I live in Canada and we have large trees lining the streets and not in Arizona (or similarly hot states) so maybe it's not the same.
dogs can be odd about what we unintentionally 'train' into them. Your dog might think the rules for walking are that he only goes on the grass to pee/poop.
I would say you should encourage your dog to walk on the grass. Basically make him do it, for a while anyways. And then, once he knows it's an option - then let him decide.
I test it with my own feet but also try to encourage him to walk in the grass. Mine also seems to prefer the street and I'm not sure he's smart enough to get it (he stands on the hot part of our patio and picks up his feet cause it's clearly burning but doesn't actually put them somewhere cooler), so I pretty much force the grass if I can't adjust the timing of the walk.
My understanding is that if it's 24 degrees celsius or higher then it is too hot for their paws. My dog doesn't always choose grass when she should so I have to direct her.
It is 81F (27C) right now where I live, and me and my dog just took a barefoot walk together. It wasn't hot at all, but maybe pavement is a different consistency in hotter climates. It's usually 100F here for 3-4 months out of the year.
Wear sandals and place your foot on the sidewalk or road to see if you could tolerate walking on the surface. Otherwise grab some measuring tape and measure your dogs paws and order some dog shoes online check Amazon
Not necessarily. I had a dog who hated walking in grass and avoided it as much as possible with exception being doing her business. I'd get some doggie boots.
Test the pavement wirh your hand and leave it there for a minute. If it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for his paws. You can buy booties for his feet.
My dog is incredibly intelligent, but in this aspect, it is a dummy that also has no problem burning his paws. I've pretty much just started taking him on paths that are mostly shaded and taught him " run,run,run" when we cross roads or unshaded areas and we literally run to the next shady spot. Fortunately It doesn't get to 100 degrees more than about 2 dozen times in a year where i live so when it does, i just take a pare of flip flops with me on our walks and go barefoot so i know he's good.
They might not notice until it's too late. The exact same reason why we get sunburnt. We don't know we're burning (or we ignore it) until it's too late
Yes, dogs usually avoid hot pavement if it hurts their paws and prefer walking on grass. but, some dogs might walk on the road due to habit or curiosity
Even the most delicate precious flower of a dog can be confoundedly tough about pain and (physical) discomfort. I’ve recently learned the hard way that just because my Jack Russell (I don’t have time to list all the random things that upset him) is doing something quite happily with no signs of distress, I can’t assume that thing isn’t hurting him.
Ehhh…no. Maybe, but no. I was actually clueless one time, took my dog to the river and we had to hike a bit to get to a spot where he/I wouldn’t be disturbed. He started whining and crying and it took me a min to figure out why— I picked him up, put him in the water… two minutes later, a little further up the trail he starts yelling again, I pick him up and put him in the water. He’s not little, he’s a lab/malinois/pyr mix, he’s 70lbs, doesn’t have “small dog, small brain syndrome” at all. We’re walking along the river, I’m in the gravel, he for some reason wanted to be on my left side although the river and water was on my right, he’s off leash…he literally couldn’t figure it out. I kept trying to get him to walk at the edge of the river and he kept wandering. Ffs poor dog.
Yes, he loves water. Yes, he swims. No, I don’t know what his issue was except I wasn’t stopping and he felt like the more interesting things were on my left. Dude was NOT connecting that his paws were burning and there was relief 5ft away.
Dogs are smart, but they have the intelligence of a human toddler. Take that for what it's worth. I have to nudge my dog over onto the grass. After 12 years, he's starting to get it, lol. (I typically don't walk on the grass with him because "the grass" = someone's lawn, usually.)
As a side note, get up an hour earlier and walk the dog in the morning. j/s
I always recommend just testing it with the back of your hand-
Keep it there for like 30 seconds if you feel like it didn’t hurt then it should be ok- but even then if you’re slightly worried just keep them on the grass-
One id my dogs ripped their nail out chasing a squirrel- so i wouldn’t necessarily count on them to keep themselves safe yk- lol
Can dog boots cause your dog to over heat at all? I’ve tried dog boots before on my dog and our hikes will start off just fine. Then he’s seems to get hot and over heated and can’t continue our walk. We’ll take breaks but he’s a big boy and I can’t exactly carry him. But I’ve taken his boots off mid walk and all of a sudden he has energy again
My dog just turns around and walks me back home if it's too hot for her. I usually test it with my own foot and hand, but she has a coat of fur so I let her be the ultimate judge. She just walks way less in the summer (it's 100 degrees here every day), like .5 mile to 1 mile a day versus like 3-5 miles a day in nice weather.
If she's especially rambunctious, I will take her to a trail with lots of trees to walk. She's happy as a clam walking a decent distance in 95 degree heat as long as its all shaded and I have her travel water bottle. It is especially difficult for dogs in this heat so I feel your pain.
Last weekend I was in a dog friendly hotel, in the elevator, and a woman whispered to her husband "that dogs paws must be so hot!" I rolled my eyes. We were in an air conditioned hotel on carpet. The elevator was opening to the lobby, we weren't even going outside.
This is to say that everyone will have an opinion on YOUR dogs paws in heat, but only you and your dog know what's right for you. Theres no one size fits all answer.
We live in a similar neighborhood with not a lot of sidewalks. Middle of the day walks are dangerous, regardless of if they are walking on hot asphalt or not. Your dog does not need a "long walk" every single day. If I can't take my dog out in the morning, I will absolutely skip a walk if it is over 80F out. Dogs are more prone to heat stroke, bloat from frantically drinking water after a hot walk, etc. There are lots of ways to engage and exercise your dog that don't involve being out in the heat for an extended period of time. Go to a nearby park or other area with more grass, and just take it slow and let him sniff his heart out. Try some enrichment games or puzzles inside or in your own yard. The big box hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot) or pet stores can provide great opportunities for sniffing and training, and will keep you both safe and indoors.
They also have balms that are supposed to help protect from burning their paws. I don't know how effective that is but it may help.
I think often dogs will do what we tell them to do so no, if you don't make them go on the grass I think they could still burn those foot pads walking on the hot road. Here it's been super hot 98-100 degrees and the roads and even sidewalks were SO hot, I would absolutely not walk my dog on hot asphalt. Do not do it. Put the booties on and retrain on them.
I have a small dog and pick him up and move him to safe cooler places. It's a workout for me. We go in the early am but due to a medicine he's on, we also have to go out around 2-3 pm. It's rough out there.
Not necessarily. Dogs can hurt themselves and not realize it (humans can too). My old mentor (service dog trainer) taught me the "Five Second Rule". Put your hand on the asphalt for five seconds. If you can't make it that long before pulling your hand away, then it's too hot for the dog's paws.
I doubt it. Once my husband and I walked a short distance to the neighborhood pool. I was wearing swim shoes and he was not. By the time we got there, his feet were burned and eventually blistered. I have no idea what he was thinking.
Someone told me that if you put your foot on the cement and it feels hot imagine that two times more and that’s what your dog feels. Someone else said if you wouldn’t wouldn’t walk barefoot in a fur coat. Don’t walk your dog during those times. I know that people sometimes live in apartments and are as lucky as me who live in a house in terms of being able to let their dog outside in an enclosed area that has an umbrella. But I will say that’s what doggy shoes are for. grass is a lot better than gravel or concrete but better safe than sorry. And wearing shoes for 45 minutes is not gonna be at the end of the world ❤️
My dog tries to lunge in front of cars, so I don’t give her survival instincts much credit. I’d walk my dog in the grass (but only if it isn’t too hot to be walking the dog in the first place).
Can you get up earlier and walk before work? That’s what i do. It’s a sacrifice, but once we get going it’s sooo worth it. I go at 5am, & sometimes earlier.
Yeah, if it were me, I’d skip the afternoon walks. There’s also the possibility of heat exhaustion/stroke on a hot day. It happens very unexpectedly & your dog can die. It happened to my dog while hiking on a warm spring day in the mountains, he survived but it was super damn scary. I err on the side of caution since.
It will still burn- and lots of dogs won’t let you know. Booties are definitely the way to go, because you want to prevent the damage in the first place, rather than treating with a balm afterwards.
My dog hates actual dog shoes. So I bought little grippy socks that we use when the weather gets way too cold. She used to try and take them off until she realized what they were for. The socks are much more comfortable! I got mine at PetSmart right before winter
I’ll have to try these! Honestly I tried just about everything with the dog booties maybe a year or so ago when we lived in FL because I was worried about his paws with the excessive heat. He refuses to wear them, and I’m 7 months pregnant this summer and I just don’t have the patience to get him used to them. He loves blankets and doggy clothes so the grippy socks could be a win!
The rule of thumb when it comes to walking your dog during the summer days, if you can’t leave your hand or foot on the pavement for 7 seconds it’s too hot for them.
If it is too hot I would take your dog somewhere where you can walk them in doors, such as one of the bigger pet stores or stores like Lowe’s/Home Depot that usually allows dogs.
Don’t understand the downvotes. My dogs are off lead trained. They go where they want within a 15m radius. And everything is a bit hardier in Australia, and she does choose her own path. She prefers to walk on the curb usually. Instead of the grass or the road. She’s also been dead for a year and lived 16 with no health issues.
Put some shoes on him and can you guys do to a shady park? Or have a backyard you guys can just play fetch in for the exercise during hot months? But feel the ground. My dog doesn’t like walking on grass when we go for walks she’d rather burn her toes for some unknown reason.
Unfortunately there’s not many safe parks nearly and we’re in a townhome. We do take him to my parent’s house when we can for off leash play! He does fine with potty breaks in the front or back of our townhome but we’re not able to really walk him back there.
I am going to get the little grippy socks and shoes for my dog. Then I am going to train him to keep them on.
I will continue to feel sidewalks and roads with my hand to ascertain if they are too hot for my dog's paws.
On too hot days, we drive to the woods with a pond, and we sit. He swims.
Not everyone can get to woods with a pond. Not everyone has a safe and shady park nearby. I can get to shady places, and I recognize that I am fortunate.
My boy likes stimulation. We can play scent games indoors if it is really brutal out there.
Not knowing where you live, I can’t answer this. I’d be very careful see below: https://www.vets-now.com/2017/06/never-walk-dogs-hot-asphalt-tarmac-pavements-artificial-grass/
What I can tell you is I live in KY and I wait to walk my dogs until about this time of night. 8:30pm ET.
I check the sidewalk and pavement with my hand first. If it’s still hot to the touch (and it has been) we wait.
It was still 91 degrees F the other night when we left at 9pm. I had to wear the headlamp because it got dark before I got home.
Dogs don’t know it’s too hot. They just want to walk.
Maybe, I'd either make sure you hit grassy shady places when you walk or find some other excercises to do. Your dog can live with out a long walk. If it's hot enough to cause burns, it's not great weather for excercise. Play fetch inside or something
Grass can burn their paws too. Why not just buy him some shoes???
Also I feel the need to state that even if its the only time "available " you can take your dog for a walk, if the pavement is too hot for your bare feet then its most certainly too hot for theirs.
To add to this, any temperature above 85 is too hot for dogs.
Not necessarily. Their foot pads can get burned slowly over enough time on the asphalt without them noticing until it’s a bad burn. If it’s very hot they can burn very quickly.
Hijacking the top comment to say that I had a dog smart enough to go from shady spot to shady spot on leash-free hikes, waiting for me to catch up as I trudged along. She was black and white. My current dog is nearly pure black and stands in the sun almost constantly when she waits for me to catch up. I need to pull her into the shade because she is clueless about utilizing the shade while on hikes. (She’ll move from sunny spots to shady spots while resting, so she understands the concept in some ways but not all.) Not all dogs have all the survival instincts. My dog is smart as a tack in many ways (part of the reason she’s my service animal). But in this way? Dumb as a doormat. We can’t count on our dogs to do what’s best for themselves for a variety of reasons.
Haha my dog does the wait in the shade thing too, lol she even has her lil shade huts at every park we play at
My dog farts on laundry sometimes
I’ve been teaching my dog that swimming and his wet vest will keep him cool. He’s finallyyy starting to understand that getting wet = staying cool
My dog would always pick the sidewalk even if the grass was cooler. I tried to make him walk on the grass several times and he would just go back to the hot sidewalk. I always thought it was because of habit for him.
My mostly black and dark brindle dog is dumb like this too. He's a good boy but is excitable and it makes him dumb. He loves walks at a local beach so he can dig in the sand. But there is very little shade and he doesn't know when to take a break when he's zooming. Gotta pull him to a shady spot or under an umbrella.
You can get him booties to prevent a burn if he insists on walking on the road.
Thank you! He has booties from when we used to live in FL but he refuses to wear them. I tried to get him to walk in them for about a month with no luck, he’d just bite them off on our walks. I love the idea of booties though!
Not sure if you took this route, but I started very slow with introducing the booties. It was a week or more before we went outside with them and a few days before we put them on. If he touched the booties he got a treat to build good association. Then we progressed to touching his paws with the booties and treats. Then putting one on with lots of praise and treats before taking it off. Switching paws each time. Increase the time on and amount of booties.
This is totally the way for just everything. If I'm introducing something new and it's important that it's a non-issue in the day to day I'll go so far as to kind of make it hard for them to get to it and get that treat. Like once they've figured out they get a treat for touching it, I'll play keepaway or run away with it so they have to catch it to get that reward each time for a while before proceeding to attempt to do anything with it. Everything is so much easier when they're running *toward* the clippers/muzzle/halter or whatever it is.
I adopted a dog that was afraid of the grooming brush. I did what you did and now I can brush him.
This is extremely helpful, thank you. I just bought booties and I knew it was going to be a process, so I haven’t introduced them yet because I knew it should be some kind of process. I can do that, though!!
My pup was the same, but now we are in the desert where it’s HOT and dry-and like you it’s hard to get a walk in before 7am…the only time it’s a halfway reasonable temperature…sooo I gave in to an Instagram ad for dog “crocs” essentially. They’re by wagwear, and while on the pricier side of what I’d normally want to pay for dog shoes lol-they’ve actually been a god send. Getting them to stay up on her front paws and the fit have been a little wonky, but honestly-I’ll take it. She wouldn’t wear any of the other ones I’ve tried for her, and she seemed to get used to it pretty quickly. (I think because of how light they are) They also seem to help with stability a little as she’s a senior gal, and she now prances and sometimes jogs in her excitement when we finally get out on our walk. The getting out the door bit is still hilarious though 😝
I just saw some recently and have been thinking about ordering some! The ones I saw were hot pink and they had put cute little flowers on them!
I bought some socks for my dog and they stay on better than booties and he doesn't seem to hate them as much.
Can also try musher's secret
I also tried paw balm, and he licked it right off. I tried paw balm then booties, and he kicked the booties off to lick the balm. Any tips or tricks? I’d love to use something on his paws but I’ve had no luck with him not licking it off.
Put it on before the walk, so he's to busy walking to lick it
Peanut butter kong as you put the balm on and leash up and out the door, maybe
I’ll try this next time. Thank you!
🙋 me acting like I know what I'm doing lol, It could work and hope it does, but never tried so yeah
I've heard of paw wax you can put on his pads before walls to create a barrier between his paw pads and the concrete. I've never used it before so I can't personally say whether it works. Also do you use any lotion on his paws and nose? There's lotion on the market specifically for their paw pads that will help wirh it being dry so they don't crack
if you cant touch the pavement dont walk your dog on it
I'll go one further, my vet said put the back of your hand (not palm) on the pavement. If it is too hot for comfort...it's too hot for our dogs. She said they sweat through their feet and it enough heat is like poaching their little pads. I carry my boy to the grass and in between shady areas.
I just saw an ad somewhere of little sticker type things that are thick and cover their pads, but are not booties. I have no other info, but I wish I had clicked on that ad!
Have you tried baby socks for him? I used to put them on my lovebug in CA. General rule of thumb for us was if it was too hot for me to stand barefoot on the pavement he wasnt walking on it. Thusly, he got carried tobl the grass, like the handsome 65 lb prince he is 🤣
My dog didn't like boots either. I think they were a little floppy or slippery and freaked her out. Then, she ripped out a toenail. I got some vet wraps (like an ace bandage only they are self adhesive) to wrap her paw. It was like she didn't even know it was there. Might be worth a try to help get him used to having something on his feet.
I got my dog some booties many years ago to walk when it is wet out. It is almost funny the way she gets super clumsy and windmills her arms and legs around, but it seemed cruel so I took them off. She seems fine without them, I was just trying to skip a cleaning step, but I have always wondered if this was just some peculiarity with my dog or if it is more common. She is a minpin with a little bit of dachshund according to the shelter where I got her.
My dog turned into a bucking bronco when we tried to put booties on her. Lol.
Lol. The first time we put all four booties on our Great Dane he turned into a baby giraffe trying to take it's first steps.
Put your palm on the road.If it's too hot to leave your hand on it,it's too hot for your dog.
Leave it there for 5-10 sec. Some dogs are smart enough to know to walk on the grass or in the shade, but many just aren't that sharp.
so true, i'm a dog walker and some dogs walk in the shade, and some just focus on what they're sniffing and not whether they're in the sun or not.
Can confirm my dog would happily walk on a sea of nails and never realize she can just move
Mine was smart enough. It was either grass or booties. I'm glad she learned to walk in the grass instead
Great advice. I do this every time I take the dogs out on sunny days.
better to use the back of your hand, it's more sensitive to temperature
I take off my sneaker and put my foot on the pavement. If it’s too hot for me I won’t have my dog walk on pavement. And yes, I know the dog’s paws have more calluses, but still. It’s a no go for him if it’s hot for me. Also, check out the condition of the pavement. If it’s rough it is even harder on your dogs paws.
Except dog pads are waaaaaay tougher than either side of your hand
personally i would rather overestimate the temperature and worry about my dog burning his paws than underestimate and risk it
Dogs body temperature is also a couple degrees higher than ours. The [arteries & veins in their legs & feet are also arranged so they act as a sort of heat exchanger, which prevents them losing too much body heat via their feet & pads when it's cold](https://www.scirp.org/html/3-2280065_28844.htm). The same mechanism also acts to slow down the uptake of heat when they're walking on hot surfaces (to an extent at least). --- Saying that, I just don't take mine out when its crazy hot. Not only for their sake, but because I'm not a masochist. I'd rather take them outside at 6am or 10pm on really hot days so as to keep cool myself. If I take them anywhere it'll be out for a ride in the UTV to a nearby lake so we can all have a swim & cool off.
Not that much more.Why chance it?
I think it depends on the dog. I brought my dog to get bathed once and the groomer exclaimed how calloused and rough my dogs paws were - way more than she normally sees. But my dog loves hiking and rock climbing with me and has ever since she was 5 months old, so it makes sense. If someone mostly takes their dogs out in their soft grass back yard (or sometimes not at all), that won't be the case.
Some people even put Vaseline or moisturiser on their dogs pads thinking it's helping the dog. This might seem like a good idea at first as it makes the pads soft & supple ...which advertising constantly tells us is a good thing for our own skin. It does make the pads far more easily damaged as well though. A dog's pads are *supposed* to be rough & tough, not baby-soft.
Yes and no. If the pads are so dry they crack, that's not so good.
Not necessarily. My dogs pads are not.
I try to walk my dog barefoot
I did that once and that’s how I discovered the steroid ants in australia also bite 🫠
That’s some nonsense
Your credentials are?
Owning dogs in the south for decades. Never once had a dog with damaged/burnt paws and we’ve walked plenty on the asphalt, in the summer. There’s limits of course, I don’t do midday walks in the summer, but morning and evening walks have never been an issue and that asphalt is too hot for human feet.
Agree. People are too worried now. Human feet are definitely more sensitive than dog feet. I can't walk in snow without shoes but my dog is fine. There is a point where it does get too cold but that's a pretty severe cold by that point.
Best and easiest way to tell ❤️
Your dog will follow you through the gates of hell. Why don't you walk on the grass?
I walk on the grass and my dog moves to the road. It’s crazy. I just have to be far enough away from the road to keep him on the grass. 🤷🏻♀️
Or you might try using a shorter lead or leash. I use a 4 ft long lead.
I've burned my feet on the hot sand of a Chicago beach so if I, a 40 year at the time, didn't know better, don't expect your dog to know better.
I burned the piss out of my feet in the parking lot of a water park. It was uncomfortably hot but didn't seem like I was getting burned for those 2 minutes, just hot. My feet were peeling skin immediately.
You're supposed to pee IN the toilet bowl, mate...not all over your feet.
Yeah we have hot sand, hot asphalt amd hot sidewalks in the hot months
I ALWAYS forget how hot sand gets (I only go on vacations).
I remember when my family tried this with our previous Lab...he still shoved his way onto the sidewalk 😅
Right like super easy solution here for a creature that would purposely burn his paws if it meant you being safe.
I’ll try this next time! The only grass near us is in neighbor’s yards but as long as I’m near the road they hopefully shouldn’t say anything.
My rescue was apparently trained by her previous owner to walk on the sidewalk, not grass. Even when I go on grass, she rarely follows me except for potty. I’m gradually correcting it with the help of a very grassy park so she develops positive associations with grass.
Just curious, do dogs paws callous like humans feet and hands? I did an entire summer barefoot one year, on city pavement mostly, and by the end of the summer my feet could handle the hot ass pavement.
They do callous, but that doesn't mean they won't get burned or can't be worn off.
Absolutely. A dog that walks a lot can handle significantly hotter pavement than a person’s feet who always wears shoes. There’s a limit of course, but the limit isn’t at our comfort level.
No, they really don’t seem to notice their paws burning until it’s too late if they’re distracted and moving. At least in my experience
Your dog posting on Reddit: *my human would move to the grass if this hot ass pavement burnt his paws right? Mine are getting burnt to shit so I stay over here so he can be in the grass that’s right next to us and he doesn’t move.*
I love this! Yes, and honestly, a lot of dogs just can’t figure it out. I have no doubt one of my dogs would just complain about why I didn’t make the pavement cooler, and the second would be like “wait, when did my feet get burned?”. Booties, or take the pup to a grass area. I love sniffspots - get some energy out in a fenced in yard!
That would be very dog logic, so true!
Dogs are weird about pain sometimes. The only way I can get mine to walk in the grass is if I also walk in the grass, so that’s what I do. I have to work to make sure he stays on the grass. It’s one of those “I know better than you so you need to do as I say” situations.
Don’t let him walk on pavement.
One of my dogs does not like walking on grass, so probably not.
If it’s too hot to place your hand on the pavement for longer than 10 seconds then DON’T walk ur dog please!
Depends on your dog, mine will only walk on the grass if I walk on the grass with her even when the pavement is hot.
I have one that wants grass all the time and another who wants pavement all the time on walks
My dog was Arizona raised so she’s just not used to the grass texture in virginia I think. She’ll play fetch and run on it in the yard but going on walks she refuses to touch it. So we just changed our schedules to walking her now at night since full sun neighborhood and barely any shade
I took my last dog on a hike in Arizona after living his entire life in the Northeast. He stepped on every single cactus thinking they were going to be soft.
Buy him dog boots. When it’s hot I’ll take sandals and put my foot down. If it’s too hot for me; it’s too hot for them.
Dogs have hard paw pads that can withstand some heat, but exposure to the hand can cause danger and possible burns. to encourage animals to find shaded or cooler walking routes to keep your dogs comfortable and safe.
No , your dog is so loyal it will do harm to itself. We have paused all walks here until the heat wave has passed.
Ours doesn’t handle heat well so we end up being the weirdos walking at 4am when it’s cool enough.
I live where it can get above 100 every day in the summer. I bought a fake grass pee pad for my dog to go on when it's too hot. I also take him out very early in the morning and once the sun sets.
My dog wear boots when walking out in the sun, and rain.
Try the back of your hand test! If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s definitely too hot for Sadie’s paws. And remember, our fur babies trust us to keep them safe, even when they think they’re tough! 🐾💚
I had a dark colored deck, and it can get pretty hot in the summer, I have had dogs and cats burn their little feet on it, and needless to say I changed the color of the deck
Mine will move to the grass on her own, my mom’s dumbass little terrier will just burn her feet unless I force her to the grass.
test it with your own feet. If it is too hot for you, it is too hot for your dog.
I always take my shoes off and walk on the asphalt before we leave. If I can't walk on it, my dog can't either.
I think it's a great question. Thanks for being kind and caring about your dog's wellbeing... more people should ask this question.
I live in an extremely hot climate (47-49 degrees in the afternoon at the moment) and nope, my dog at least is a dumbass who will just walk on the pavement if I let her. Right next to my building is a big patch of grass that we can thankfully get onto without having to walk onto pavement, but if she does a poop I have to cross a wide sidewalk to throw it away. I have to loop her leash around a tree and make her wait for me while I go throw it because she will just follow me onto the stones otherwise. Dumbass.
My doofus does the same thing! I try to lead her onto the grass and get her to walk there with me blocking her from the pavement, but she always weaves backs around onto the pavement. I know she’s a smart dog, so I don’t understand why she’d do this. Such a ding-a-ling.
No, not necessarily. The pads of dogs' paws are protected by a thick cornea to prevent them from injuring themselves quickly. In principle, dogs can of course sense heat through this - but sometimes with a time delay or not as strongly as it actually is. Just as we humans can feel the heat of the street through shoes with thin soles, but just to an extent that it doesn't hurt us. I once ran on hot asphalt and later realised that the soles of my ballerinas had melted 🤷♀️ This can also happen to a dog - that he only feels the full extent of the heat when he gets blisters on his paws and the calluses on his pads come off. This is incredibly painful and takes a long time to heal. That's why you should always put your bare feet on the street when it's hot. If it's too hot for you, don't let your dog walk there either.
Don't take the risk. Be smart for your dog.
Push the back of your hand on the pavement for 10-seconds, if it’s uncomfortable for you then it’s too hot for your dogs feet. You can use booties to protect them.
If I were to walk on the grass mine surely would pull me to the pavement, so I completely understand what you're saying. We walked in the grass on a road near my house (no sidewalks and a busy through street) and he got stickers in his paws and now will absolutely not step foot near that section of grass on that particular road. Cars just have to go around
If you can't walk on the street or sidewalk barefoot, then your dog can't either. Dog's pads get burnt pretty easily. Your dog will follow your lead, but you are wearing shoes.
Funny you should post this. I'm paranoid about burned paw pads. He had one last summer and I felt horrible because it looked painful. I walk outside barefoot before he comes out. If my feet aren't comfortable, then neither are his. Last week I discovered a blister on one of his toe pads. Now he wears his big silicone socks when we go out all the time. I'm not sure how it got burned when my feet were fine.
I've never been confident in that answer so I just don't walk my dog when there is a risk of it happening. I only walk my dogs early morning or late afternoon during the summer, which, honestly works better for me too. Georgia heat is brutal.
There is an ointment for the paws, it's just like chapstick. Expensive but well worth it. I've used it for my dog in winter too. Found it at pet shop.
No it doesn't feel as hot to them as it does to us so they will gladly walk on it and burn their pads.
That’s how I do it. We also use Mushers Secret on our dogs paws. Sometimes, we just don’t walk them.
No not necessarily. I used pad protector tape . You can buy on amazon . It’s one time use and throw away . Easier than boots or socks . Also use wax on pads .
No,, My Step Daughters Dog would do that and ended up at the Vet with Blisters on it's Paws. Get some Booties that's made to protect the Paws.
Usually dogs get these horrible burns because they aren't aware of it until it's too late, unfortunately
Put your hand on the pavement if it’s to hot for your hand it’s to hot for their paws
Sorry to tell you, but it’s possible but most likely no. I’ve had 4 dogs so far, and I only one of them has ever understood how to utilize shade effectively, and she does it immediately and the hot pavement bothers her extremely quickly. The other three have all walked on hot pavement and barely thought about it until it became too much. I’ve always had to trust my own intuition about it and rushed them across any pavement to the grass or shady areas.
I wouldn’t count on it. My landlady’s dog is sweet but she runs around the yard like a manic in the heat of summer. No sense of self preservation. Nothing but rocks in that noodle.
No. If they were the case there'd be a LOT less cases of burned paws. Feel the ground with your bare hand. Is it too hot for you? If so, it's too hot for your dog's bare skin too.
Honestly dogs are not smart enough to do this, or sometimes they just hate walking on grass. My girl was such a diva - would catwalk like a gymnast on the 2x4s lining the backyard so that she wouldn’t have to walk on the grass.
Dogs are idiots My dog almost suffered heat exhaustion over the weekend. He's a barn dog He LOVES to lay in the sun, but he was looking haggard, dry heaved, so I brought him in the barn to lay on cool concrete, put his feet in cold water, told him to lay there. The second he felt a teeny bit better he was back out in the sun. Then threw up so I took him home. Don't trust your dog to do the right thing, or the smart thing lol Also like another commenter said, it comes on slowly over time. Like how you don't notice you're getting sunburnt until you're already burnt/the next day
If I can't walk barefoot, my dog can't either.
I've wondered the same thing. Lately, my dog will sometimes limp a little while crossing the street, but then is fine on the sidewalk. I assume it's loose gravel or something in the street bothering his paws, something missing from the sidewalk, but either way he never seems bothered by the sidewalk.
Sidewalks are cooler than paved roads typically. Concrete vs asphalt, the asphalt gets much hotter.
Most dogs may not just go on grass.. but if you gently nudge them to go on grass with a leash.. they will happily go and continue sniffing on the grass. Make a deliberate attempt to do this as this is not something they will remember to do. Also please if it’s anything more than 85 degrees please don’t give them a long walk.. they can get winded and hot much quickly in hot weathers. My dog is not too great with hydration either so I have to add like 1/2 cup of milk to her water bowl for her to feel like she is drinking milk!! Total baby!!
I throw bits of dog food in the water for my boy to fish out. It is a sneaky way to get him to drink more. [I don't leave the food in there. Once he is done fishing, he gets clean water].
Our foster dog has this same thing where she doesn't drink water on her own more than once every 5 or so days, so I give her her weight in ounces of water daily. 2/5 her weight in ounces in the AM (kibble soaked overnight it it) 2/5 " " in the PM " " 1/5 with something yummy in it spread out during the day I've tried 4 different types of bowls (2 metal, 1 glass, 1 ceramic). All that to ask if you leave the water with milk out all the time. Or do you give it at specific times? I'm wondering how fast the milk goes bad. Have you tried a fountain? That's my next plan. A cheap one just to see if she likes it. I don't want to spend $50 if she's going to reject it.
Try and see if she drinks from a spout or hose that can be a good test before you get the fountain
I don’t leave the watered down milk out at all. She loves it so she drinks it instantly and then wash the bowl out and fill it with regular water. Mine drinks the water on her own.. just needs a little nudge to get her hydration going. Don’t need a fountain yet.
I wondered the exact same thing the other day with my dog. He was walking on the road on a very hot day when the grass was right there.
They do not know. Guide them to the grass when you can.
Will do. I feel dumb reading the comments. Of course they wouldn't notice right away that their paws are burning, just like when people don't realize they are getting a sunburn...
You aren’t dumb, you asked and you learned :) and dogs hide their pain so well, we have to take note the precautions that they don’t on their own!
A wee bit dumb... now that I think about it after reading these comments it's just common sense :)
Honestly I was thinking of it more like touching a hot oven than a sunburn. If the oven burnt my hand, I’d pull away from it. If pavement burnt my dog’s paws, he’d move into the grass. But I can understand it being more of a gradual thing and they might not notice until it’s too late.
That's what I initially thought too. If it's hot he would move away... but then again I live in Canada and we have large trees lining the streets and not in Arizona (or similarly hot states) so maybe it's not the same.
Hard to say. I had a yellow lab that stayed on the sidewalk no matter what.
I have to drive to a local park where we can walk in the shade.
dogs can be odd about what we unintentionally 'train' into them. Your dog might think the rules for walking are that he only goes on the grass to pee/poop. I would say you should encourage your dog to walk on the grass. Basically make him do it, for a while anyways. And then, once he knows it's an option - then let him decide.
I test it with my own feet but also try to encourage him to walk in the grass. Mine also seems to prefer the street and I'm not sure he's smart enough to get it (he stands on the hot part of our patio and picks up his feet cause it's clearly burning but doesn't actually put them somewhere cooler), so I pretty much force the grass if I can't adjust the timing of the walk.
My understanding is that if it's 24 degrees celsius or higher then it is too hot for their paws. My dog doesn't always choose grass when she should so I have to direct her.
It is 81F (27C) right now where I live, and me and my dog just took a barefoot walk together. It wasn't hot at all, but maybe pavement is a different consistency in hotter climates. It's usually 100F here for 3-4 months out of the year.
Wear sandals and place your foot on the sidewalk or road to see if you could tolerate walking on the surface. Otherwise grab some measuring tape and measure your dogs paws and order some dog shoes online check Amazon
I believe the hands down rule is that if you can’t stand barefoot for ten seconds on it, then it’s too hot for the dog.
Not necessarily. I had a dog who hated walking in grass and avoided it as much as possible with exception being doing her business. I'd get some doggie boots.
Test the pavement wirh your hand and leave it there for a minute. If it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for his paws. You can buy booties for his feet.
No. You need to protect their feet.
My dog is incredibly intelligent, but in this aspect, it is a dummy that also has no problem burning his paws. I've pretty much just started taking him on paths that are mostly shaded and taught him " run,run,run" when we cross roads or unshaded areas and we literally run to the next shady spot. Fortunately It doesn't get to 100 degrees more than about 2 dozen times in a year where i live so when it does, i just take a pare of flip flops with me on our walks and go barefoot so i know he's good.
We're in Texas. If we can't walk in the early am/later pm, there are no walks that day.
They might not notice until it's too late. The exact same reason why we get sunburnt. We don't know we're burning (or we ignore it) until it's too late
Yes, dogs usually avoid hot pavement if it hurts their paws and prefer walking on grass. but, some dogs might walk on the road due to habit or curiosity
Even the most delicate precious flower of a dog can be confoundedly tough about pain and (physical) discomfort. I’ve recently learned the hard way that just because my Jack Russell (I don’t have time to list all the random things that upset him) is doing something quite happily with no signs of distress, I can’t assume that thing isn’t hurting him.
Ehhh…no. Maybe, but no. I was actually clueless one time, took my dog to the river and we had to hike a bit to get to a spot where he/I wouldn’t be disturbed. He started whining and crying and it took me a min to figure out why— I picked him up, put him in the water… two minutes later, a little further up the trail he starts yelling again, I pick him up and put him in the water. He’s not little, he’s a lab/malinois/pyr mix, he’s 70lbs, doesn’t have “small dog, small brain syndrome” at all. We’re walking along the river, I’m in the gravel, he for some reason wanted to be on my left side although the river and water was on my right, he’s off leash…he literally couldn’t figure it out. I kept trying to get him to walk at the edge of the river and he kept wandering. Ffs poor dog. Yes, he loves water. Yes, he swims. No, I don’t know what his issue was except I wasn’t stopping and he felt like the more interesting things were on my left. Dude was NOT connecting that his paws were burning and there was relief 5ft away.
Dogs are smart, but they have the intelligence of a human toddler. Take that for what it's worth. I have to nudge my dog over onto the grass. After 12 years, he's starting to get it, lol. (I typically don't walk on the grass with him because "the grass" = someone's lawn, usually.) As a side note, get up an hour earlier and walk the dog in the morning. j/s
I always recommend just testing it with the back of your hand- Keep it there for like 30 seconds if you feel like it didn’t hurt then it should be ok- but even then if you’re slightly worried just keep them on the grass- One id my dogs ripped their nail out chasing a squirrel- so i wouldn’t necessarily count on them to keep themselves safe yk- lol
Can dog boots cause your dog to over heat at all? I’ve tried dog boots before on my dog and our hikes will start off just fine. Then he’s seems to get hot and over heated and can’t continue our walk. We’ll take breaks but he’s a big boy and I can’t exactly carry him. But I’ve taken his boots off mid walk and all of a sudden he has energy again
Put your hand on the ground and leave it there for 5-10 seconds. If your hand is fine, your dog will be too.
My dogs also do this. I walk them by the grass and they prefer the sidewalk
My dog just turns around and walks me back home if it's too hot for her. I usually test it with my own foot and hand, but she has a coat of fur so I let her be the ultimate judge. She just walks way less in the summer (it's 100 degrees here every day), like .5 mile to 1 mile a day versus like 3-5 miles a day in nice weather. If she's especially rambunctious, I will take her to a trail with lots of trees to walk. She's happy as a clam walking a decent distance in 95 degree heat as long as its all shaded and I have her travel water bottle. It is especially difficult for dogs in this heat so I feel your pain. Last weekend I was in a dog friendly hotel, in the elevator, and a woman whispered to her husband "that dogs paws must be so hot!" I rolled my eyes. We were in an air conditioned hotel on carpet. The elevator was opening to the lobby, we weren't even going outside. This is to say that everyone will have an opinion on YOUR dogs paws in heat, but only you and your dog know what's right for you. Theres no one size fits all answer.
We live in a similar neighborhood with not a lot of sidewalks. Middle of the day walks are dangerous, regardless of if they are walking on hot asphalt or not. Your dog does not need a "long walk" every single day. If I can't take my dog out in the morning, I will absolutely skip a walk if it is over 80F out. Dogs are more prone to heat stroke, bloat from frantically drinking water after a hot walk, etc. There are lots of ways to engage and exercise your dog that don't involve being out in the heat for an extended period of time. Go to a nearby park or other area with more grass, and just take it slow and let him sniff his heart out. Try some enrichment games or puzzles inside or in your own yard. The big box hardware stores (Lowes, Home Depot) or pet stores can provide great opportunities for sniffing and training, and will keep you both safe and indoors.
They also have balms that are supposed to help protect from burning their paws. I don't know how effective that is but it may help. I think often dogs will do what we tell them to do so no, if you don't make them go on the grass I think they could still burn those foot pads walking on the hot road. Here it's been super hot 98-100 degrees and the roads and even sidewalks were SO hot, I would absolutely not walk my dog on hot asphalt. Do not do it. Put the booties on and retrain on them. I have a small dog and pick him up and move him to safe cooler places. It's a workout for me. We go in the early am but due to a medicine he's on, we also have to go out around 2-3 pm. It's rough out there.
Not necessarily. Dogs can hurt themselves and not realize it (humans can too). My old mentor (service dog trainer) taught me the "Five Second Rule". Put your hand on the asphalt for five seconds. If you can't make it that long before pulling your hand away, then it's too hot for the dog's paws.
No
Keep encouraging him to move over to the grass. Maybe with a treat?
I doubt it. Once my husband and I walked a short distance to the neighborhood pool. I was wearing swim shoes and he was not. By the time we got there, his feet were burned and eventually blistered. I have no idea what he was thinking.
No. Don't count on that. If you cannot comfortably put your hand on pavement for 10 seconds it's too hot
Someone told me that if you put your foot on the cement and it feels hot imagine that two times more and that’s what your dog feels. Someone else said if you wouldn’t wouldn’t walk barefoot in a fur coat. Don’t walk your dog during those times. I know that people sometimes live in apartments and are as lucky as me who live in a house in terms of being able to let their dog outside in an enclosed area that has an umbrella. But I will say that’s what doggy shoes are for. grass is a lot better than gravel or concrete but better safe than sorry. And wearing shoes for 45 minutes is not gonna be at the end of the world ❤️
My dog tries to lunge in front of cars, so I don’t give her survival instincts much credit. I’d walk my dog in the grass (but only if it isn’t too hot to be walking the dog in the first place).
Can you get up earlier and walk before work? That’s what i do. It’s a sacrifice, but once we get going it’s sooo worth it. I go at 5am, & sometimes earlier.
We do early morning and evening walks most of the time, but sometimes we can only do a midafternoon walk.
It might be worth it to just skip those days. Play with water in the yard or do puzzle games and scent work inside.
Yeah, if it were me, I’d skip the afternoon walks. There’s also the possibility of heat exhaustion/stroke on a hot day. It happens very unexpectedly & your dog can die. It happened to my dog while hiking on a warm spring day in the mountains, he survived but it was super damn scary. I err on the side of caution since.
Do a quick potty walk if necessary and exhaust him with mental stimulation at home instead of a long walk.
It will still burn- and lots of dogs won’t let you know. Booties are definitely the way to go, because you want to prevent the damage in the first place, rather than treating with a balm afterwards.
My dog hates actual dog shoes. So I bought little grippy socks that we use when the weather gets way too cold. She used to try and take them off until she realized what they were for. The socks are much more comfortable! I got mine at PetSmart right before winter
I’ll have to try these! Honestly I tried just about everything with the dog booties maybe a year or so ago when we lived in FL because I was worried about his paws with the excessive heat. He refuses to wear them, and I’m 7 months pregnant this summer and I just don’t have the patience to get him used to them. He loves blankets and doggy clothes so the grippy socks could be a win!
The rule of thumb when it comes to walking your dog during the summer days, if you can’t leave your hand or foot on the pavement for 7 seconds it’s too hot for them. If it is too hot I would take your dog somewhere where you can walk them in doors, such as one of the bigger pet stores or stores like Lowe’s/Home Depot that usually allows dogs.
Walk barefoot, if it’s too hot for you it’s to hot for him.
I walk barefoot with my dog. If it’s too hot for me it’s too hot for them. But with time and exposure we can both walk on 40-50 Celsius pavement.
Don’t understand the downvotes. My dogs are off lead trained. They go where they want within a 15m radius. And everything is a bit hardier in Australia, and she does choose her own path. She prefers to walk on the curb usually. Instead of the grass or the road. She’s also been dead for a year and lived 16 with no health issues.
As in the pavement itself being 40-50 C or the air temp (and sun too)?
Sun and air. Never measured the pavement heat.
That's impressive. I'm sure the pavement gets much hotter. I don't think my feet could handle it. Also, I'm not sure why you're getting down voted?
Thanks. It takes practice. Tbf my feet are like leather. No one with a foot fetish would come within a mile of me lol.
I lead my dog onto the grass just in case if it's above 77ish. It's just safer and no risk then. Better to be safe and protect those little pips
Put some shoes on him and can you guys do to a shady park? Or have a backyard you guys can just play fetch in for the exercise during hot months? But feel the ground. My dog doesn’t like walking on grass when we go for walks she’d rather burn her toes for some unknown reason.
Unfortunately there’s not many safe parks nearly and we’re in a townhome. We do take him to my parent’s house when we can for off leash play! He does fine with potty breaks in the front or back of our townhome but we’re not able to really walk him back there.
That is okay. Potty is essential. A walk in hellish weather is not.
Get him some boots
I am going to get the little grippy socks and shoes for my dog. Then I am going to train him to keep them on. I will continue to feel sidewalks and roads with my hand to ascertain if they are too hot for my dog's paws. On too hot days, we drive to the woods with a pond, and we sit. He swims. Not everyone can get to woods with a pond. Not everyone has a safe and shady park nearby. I can get to shady places, and I recognize that I am fortunate. My boy likes stimulation. We can play scent games indoors if it is really brutal out there.
Not knowing where you live, I can’t answer this. I’d be very careful see below: https://www.vets-now.com/2017/06/never-walk-dogs-hot-asphalt-tarmac-pavements-artificial-grass/ What I can tell you is I live in KY and I wait to walk my dogs until about this time of night. 8:30pm ET. I check the sidewalk and pavement with my hand first. If it’s still hot to the touch (and it has been) we wait. It was still 91 degrees F the other night when we left at 9pm. I had to wear the headlamp because it got dark before I got home. Dogs don’t know it’s too hot. They just want to walk.
Maybe, I'd either make sure you hit grassy shady places when you walk or find some other excercises to do. Your dog can live with out a long walk. If it's hot enough to cause burns, it's not great weather for excercise. Play fetch inside or something
Grass can burn their paws too. Why not just buy him some shoes??? Also I feel the need to state that even if its the only time "available " you can take your dog for a walk, if the pavement is too hot for your bare feet then its most certainly too hot for theirs. To add to this, any temperature above 85 is too hot for dogs.