Articles about American Pit Bull Terrier
Puppy exercise and Heat
Since dogs depend on evaporation of moisture in their nasal cavity to cool themselves, humidity is an equally important factor to consider as outright heat. In the mid-Atlantic, it is regular high humidity in the summer, so while the dog may run for well over an hour in 80 degrees "dry" spring heat, the same 80 degrees with the higher humidity in summer should have you stopping your dog after only 15-20 minutes. Dogs with shorter muzzles are less efficient at cooling, because they have less surface area in their nasal cavities for evaporation to occur. From previous experience of one dog handler whose pit bull had a longer muzzle if compared with shorter one, and there was a significant difference in their heat tolerance levels... the dog with short muzzle had pretty limited heat tolerance, after 15 minutes or so of minimal activity in 85 degree or higher temps, she was panting like she was dying, and keeled over on the hardwood for a while when she with her owner came in. The general rule is that if the dog is still panting 5 minutes or so after being removed from the heat, they probably overdid it, and you should adjust accordingly. Some people say that when the tongue starts to "cup" or curl while they pant that can indicate that they're having a hard time cooling, but it is unknown how much truth there is to it... Some dogs are inconsistent in that aspect. If your dog is stretching out on the ground on their belly or seeking shade to lay in rather than play or while playing, they're trying to cool off, and it's (past) time to call it quits. There is a feeling that if a dog is lagging behind, it's probably too much, and you probably need to quit before they start to slow down on their own, or as soon as you notice it. You had better keep the walks during warm times short, and take the longer ones when it's cooler, and see if ur dog's tolerance increases with age/acclimation. It wouldn't hurt to discuss it with the dog's vet when he's in for his next vaccs, as they can A. listen to his heart to be sure there's nothing going on there that could be affecting his stamina/heat tolerance, and B. give you an idea as to what sort of heat issues they see in your specific area, and when you should take extra care (there one may regularly see dogs that are overheating even in "cooler" weather in the summer, due to the high humidity, but things might be different where you are)....to read the other interesting article please click on here....
