Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Dog Breeds That Do Well In Hot Weather


Most dogs will do well in the heat, as long as they are provided plenty of water and shade. There are a few exceptions, of course. Heavily coated animals, such as Malamutes and other northern sled dogs don't do well
in the hotter areas of the world. Even when provided water, the Alaskan Malamute was simply not designed to do well in Phoenix, Arizona, for example. But the following dogs, because of their short and thin coats, typically do much better in the heat than most.

1. Rhodesian Ridgebacks. These dogs originally come from Southern Africa, and were breed from dogs native to the area, along with several European breeds, such as the Mastiff. Rhodesian Ridgebacks are particularly hardy, and can withstand the rough terrain of the African climate at a quick jog. Chances are good they can also handle your sunny backyard. These dogs thrive on activity, however, so if you cannot be active in the heat, this is not the breed for you.

2. Akita. Akitas are also a hardy breed. They will need a good deal of exercise, like the Ridgebacks, however, so again, if exercising in the heat is not your idea of a good time, this isn't the breed for you.

3. Chihuahua. These small dogs are little bundles of energy, but because of their tiny size, the heat does not get to them as badly as many other energetic breeds.

4. Greyounds or Italian Greyhounds. Both breeds of dogs have extremely short coats and tend to be couch potatoes while indoors, both of which help conserve energy.

5. German Pinscher. Again, a short haired breed who does not require a lot of excess energy, and therefore does well in the warm weather.

6. Doberman Pinscher. Dobermans belong with their people, and most people seek the coolness of the air conditioning during the hot months. Dobermans should never be left outside alone for extended periods, but for even those that are, the heat does not bother their short coats.

7. Terriers. This dog breed group composes several individual breeds of dogs. The terriers, because of their wirey undercoat, are actually resilient enough to survive both extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures.


8. Retrievers. Like terriers, this refers to more than one breed of dogs. These groups typically have longer hair than many on the list, but these dogs were bred to be hunting dogs, and animals that follow their human
around in the murky forests have to be tough enough to stand extreme heat. Of course, retrievers love a good dunk in the water, too, so giving your dog access to a pool or a bath tub will make him love you all the more.

9. Pointers. Pointers are, like their retriever counterparts, primarily hunting dogs, and because of that, they come with a similar level of resilience. Most breeds of Pointers come with a long-haired or short-haired version, and the short-haired breeds tend to do better in the hotter weather.

10. Corgis. These small dogs have an average coat, but conserve energy by staying primarily in their owner's lap, and therefore do pretty well in warmer environments.

2 comments:

cate said...

Some really good tips, but the picture of the dogs in sun chairs... very cute!

Dog Fence said...

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