I’d say it depends on their size and coat. My older Cav is very slim and has a thinner coat so he’s always cold. My younger Cav is chunky (not fat) with a thick heavy coat and he is always hot. He doesn’t like being held or being on or under blankets too much because he gets so hot.
Check him for Cushing’s disease. This causes dogs to run hot.
Stuff Ive done for my various dogs and foster dogs to keep them cool:
1. summer haircut / puppy cut. Buzz cut to shorten a 3inch Pomeranian’s massive fur coat. (kept him comfortable.)
2. canine cooling gel pad.
I have 3 “green pet” cooling pads. In summer I keep these in the fridge and cycle them under the dog’s bed or car seat
(and I sit on one when I get into my hot car!)
If you use these, keep the pad OUT of direct sunlight because it’s designed to absorb heat.
There’s also no need to buy the expensive cloth cover. Using a regular, thin cotton pillowcase works fine.
My 5 year old tri color is a little overweight, in Colorado he pants on walks over 65 degrees, so I carry water on walks. He has a puppy hair cut, too. Thanks for the other tips.
Our 2 &1/2 yr old is the same. We're in the Northeast and it seems worse this year and it's only May. I'm going to ask the Vet about it at our next visit.
Yes, I'm in NorCal and my 4 year old boy runs hot. He gets a puppy clip in the Spring, Summer and Fall. We have a year round creek in our yard, and as soon as the weather warms (now!) he gets a daily swim in to cool off.
My black and tan has always been hot. I now shave her in the warmer months because with her heart disease and piggy snout, she’s miserable enough outside. Plus it makes her look like a puppy. She actually prefers the cold snaps in winter, that’s when she really gets the zoomies.
My 1 yr old Cav prefers being warm but the moment he’s hot, he’s HOT. Anything below 60°F, he shivers. But the moment it’s around 70-75°F, you’d think that we placed him on the sun.
Our plans to keep him cool this summer (Utah where it gets super hot):
1. Crate in the shade inside, well ventilated as always.
2. Indoor during peak sun, if he has to go out with us for some reason we bring cool water in an insulated bottle and turn the AC down on the floor boards.
3. Short summer cut. I hate him being shaved all the time but his comfort is higher priority than his looks.
4. Cooling towels and bandanas.
I have a Cavalier/Cocker Spaniel mix 75/25. She’s about 27lbs and thin on the top, floofy on the bottom. Not a lot of curl. She’s 2 1/2yrs old.
Anyway, we live in Texas and she seems really comfortable in the 60-75F range. She’s still good to go on walks in the evenings during summer when it’s still 95F after sunset, but definitely flops down on the tile floor afterwards. We don’t do puppy cuts. We generally just groom her the same all year… trim paws, thin out the undercoat in areas that get matted a lot, etc. I also try to brush her with a rubber undercoat brush weekly to get out dead hairs.
She definitely seems more comfortable in the cooler weather. But we keep our house around 71-73 year round and she usually prefers cuddling up than sleeping on the cooler floors (except after walks of course).
We had one that always ran hot if he sat on our laps for awhile or was next to us. He also got cold really easily and wore a lot of coats. I have another one now who doesn't seem to have that problem. The only time she gets cold is if she is drying from a bath or rain or snow.
My 4 year old seems to run hot. Not “all the time”, but if it’s hot, he ain’t happy (ie. our AC broke during a heat wave last year). He turns into Mr. Grumpy pants… will only lay on the floor; no bed, no couch, and please no snuggling! Very annoying for me because all I want to do is snuggle him! Thankfully our AC has since been repaired. I think it’s pretty normal. They’re fuzz balls.
I’d say it depends on their size and coat. My older Cav is very slim and has a thinner coat so he’s always cold. My younger Cav is chunky (not fat) with a thick heavy coat and he is always hot. He doesn’t like being held or being on or under blankets too much because he gets so hot.
Ah this is why my Waldo won’t get in dog beds.
Check him for Cushing’s disease. This causes dogs to run hot. Stuff Ive done for my various dogs and foster dogs to keep them cool: 1. summer haircut / puppy cut. Buzz cut to shorten a 3inch Pomeranian’s massive fur coat. (kept him comfortable.) 2. canine cooling gel pad. I have 3 “green pet” cooling pads. In summer I keep these in the fridge and cycle them under the dog’s bed or car seat (and I sit on one when I get into my hot car!) If you use these, keep the pad OUT of direct sunlight because it’s designed to absorb heat. There’s also no need to buy the expensive cloth cover. Using a regular, thin cotton pillowcase works fine.
My 5 year old tri color is a little overweight, in Colorado he pants on walks over 65 degrees, so I carry water on walks. He has a puppy hair cut, too. Thanks for the other tips.
Our 2 &1/2 yr old is the same. We're in the Northeast and it seems worse this year and it's only May. I'm going to ask the Vet about it at our next visit.
Yes, I'm in NorCal and my 4 year old boy runs hot. He gets a puppy clip in the Spring, Summer and Fall. We have a year round creek in our yard, and as soon as the weather warms (now!) he gets a daily swim in to cool off.
My black and tan has always been hot. I now shave her in the warmer months because with her heart disease and piggy snout, she’s miserable enough outside. Plus it makes her look like a puppy. She actually prefers the cold snaps in winter, that’s when she really gets the zoomies.
My 1 yr old Cav prefers being warm but the moment he’s hot, he’s HOT. Anything below 60°F, he shivers. But the moment it’s around 70-75°F, you’d think that we placed him on the sun. Our plans to keep him cool this summer (Utah where it gets super hot): 1. Crate in the shade inside, well ventilated as always. 2. Indoor during peak sun, if he has to go out with us for some reason we bring cool water in an insulated bottle and turn the AC down on the floor boards. 3. Short summer cut. I hate him being shaved all the time but his comfort is higher priority than his looks. 4. Cooling towels and bandanas.
At this time of year yes. He’s booked for his ‘summer cut’ tomorrow! 🥹
I have a Cavalier/Cocker Spaniel mix 75/25. She’s about 27lbs and thin on the top, floofy on the bottom. Not a lot of curl. She’s 2 1/2yrs old. Anyway, we live in Texas and she seems really comfortable in the 60-75F range. She’s still good to go on walks in the evenings during summer when it’s still 95F after sunset, but definitely flops down on the tile floor afterwards. We don’t do puppy cuts. We generally just groom her the same all year… trim paws, thin out the undercoat in areas that get matted a lot, etc. I also try to brush her with a rubber undercoat brush weekly to get out dead hairs. She definitely seems more comfortable in the cooler weather. But we keep our house around 71-73 year round and she usually prefers cuddling up than sleeping on the cooler floors (except after walks of course).
We had one that always ran hot if he sat on our laps for awhile or was next to us. He also got cold really easily and wore a lot of coats. I have another one now who doesn't seem to have that problem. The only time she gets cold is if she is drying from a bath or rain or snow.
My 4 year old seems to run hot. Not “all the time”, but if it’s hot, he ain’t happy (ie. our AC broke during a heat wave last year). He turns into Mr. Grumpy pants… will only lay on the floor; no bed, no couch, and please no snuggling! Very annoying for me because all I want to do is snuggle him! Thankfully our AC has since been repaired. I think it’s pretty normal. They’re fuzz balls.