Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs — such as French bulldogs, shih tzus or King Charles spaniels — have an especially hard time cooling their bodies. Make sure to take extra precautions to keep dogs with short snouts from overheating. You can, for example, use a lightweight dog towel, such as The Absorber, to cool your pup. Simply run The Absorber under cold running water for a minute or two and then drape it over your dog.
When walking dogs in hot weather, its also important to be mindful of your pups paws. Scorching sidewalks, sand, and streets are another reason why your furry best friend may be reluctant to exercise when temperatures rise.
How did your pup know that a storm was heading your way? Veterinarians and other dog experts believe canines are better than humans at detecting changes in the barometric pressure. Dogs also have superior hearing. Its possible that your pup heard the low-frequency rumbling of thunder while the storm was still many miles away.
According to research, approximately 15 to 30 percent of dogs have a fear of thunderstorms. These pups will become extremely anxious — panting, pacing uncontrollably or whining in fear — when they sense an approaching storm. Some especially fearful dogs will even begin to associate hot, sultry nights with thunderstorms or Fourth of July fireworks. Unfortunately, these canines may resist going outside to do their business if they sense a storm approaching or if they hear a loud noise.
Some owners have found that anxiety vests or shirts can help their pups deal with their fear of thunderstorms. Anxiety shirts are designed to apply a constant, gentle hug to a dog and is believed to calm the pets nervous system. Other owners have used medications or even tried CBD oils to reduce their pets storm anxieties.
How Does Hot Weather Affect Dog Behavior?
Dogs often slow down in hot weather, especially when they’re used to cooler conditions. On the first warm days after a long winter, even normally peppy dogs might be poky, trailing behind on their walks instead of forging ahead.
As the warm weather wears on, you may notice that your dog gets hot under the collar more easily when days are sultry. Research in both New York City and Beijing has found that the frequency of dog bites rises along with the heat. If your dog gets moody in the heat, keep a special eye on encounters with strangers, children, and other dogs—you’ll need to head off a bad situation before it happens.
Surprisingly, dogs’ reaction to the heat has nothing to do with the idiom “dog days of summer”—that expression comes from the “dog star,” Sirius.
Changes in barometric pressure can affect dogs’ behavior significantly, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. Yours might become agitated — if he’s afraid of wind or storms — or he might become overexcited and curious, ready to pick up scents in the air and go exploring. If you’ve ever seen your dog sniffing the air as a storm approaches, he might be monitioring incoming weather change. As pressure in the air gets lower, the way odors travel changes. Your dog can notice these changes even if you can’t.
Wind, thunder, heat, gray skies–these can all affect Doggie’s behavior and mood. However, like people, dogs can have their own unique quirks when it comes to reacting to weather. Some dogs are particularly scared of thunder, while others ignore it. Some dogs don’t mind the dark winter months while others can appear depressed and lethargic. The same is true of other weather phenomena — it just depends on the dog and how sensitive he is.
Sometimes referred to as the “Winter Blues” Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression which occurs usually in the winter months when sunshine is scarce and daytime light levels are low. In humans, SAD symptoms include listlessness, depression, lack of interest in social activities, and fatigue. But, do dogs suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder? Some research supports the notion that they do. The PDSA (The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals) found that about 40% of dog parents noticed a significant change in their pet’s moods during dark winter months. The dogs were also reported to have slept longer and their general activities levels were lower than during sunny months. Researches believe that that the cause for these changes lies in the effect that light has on melatonin–a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. Melatonin has a number of effects and the major ones include causing a person to relax and get sleepy and lethargic. The pineal gland produces and secretes melatonin in darkness—and stops when light hits the retina. So, during the winter more melatonin is produced which probably causes the classic SAD symptoms in both humans and canines.
If you have a dog who’s scared of thunder, you already know how storms can affect canine behavior. Signs of phobia include panting, whimpering or barking, and hiding. According to a study conducted by Penn State University researchers, some dogs experience a rapid increase of cortisol — the stress hormone — during thunderstorms. In fact, when researchers tested the saliva of thunder-phobic dogs, they found their production of cortisol to be 200 percent higher than that of dogs who aren’t afraid of thunder. According to the same researchers, 15 percent to 30 percent of dogs are extremely scared of thunder.
Dogs, more perceptive to changes in the weather than we are, can feel changes in the static electric field that occur in the air, especially as a strong storm approaches. That’s why dogs might be able to “guess” a tornado or major storm is coming. According to the SPCA, some dogs jump into a bathtub when they sense a change in air static. Although experts are not sure why dogs do it — it could be a search for comfort or safety — it is a common behavior as electrical storms approach.
Depression in dogs – Symptoms and What to Do
Have you ever noticed a sudden change in your dogs behavior? One minute, it’s lying by your side, and the next, cowering in your bathroom. At first, there appears to be no apparent reason for this change in your pups mood. Then, suddenly, a violent thunderstorm rolls in over your home.
How did your pup know that a storm was heading your way? Veterinarians and other dog experts believe canines are better than humans at detecting changes in the barometric pressure. Dogs also have superior hearing. Its possible that your pup heard the low-frequency rumbling of thunder while the storm was still many miles away.
Does weather affect dog behavior in other ways? Yes. The following are just four examples of how Mother Nature can affect your pups mood.
When temperatures rise, you might notice your dogs activity level and appetite decrease. One of the reasons is that dogs can quickly overheat if they exercise too much on a hot day. To cool themselves, dogs will pant, wade in the water or lie on a cool surface to dissipate their body heat. Unfortunately, when a dog overheats, its cooling system will have a difficult time keeping up, and it could end up with heatstroke.
Brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs — such as French bulldogs, shih tzus or King Charles spaniels — have an especially hard time cooling their bodies. Make sure to take extra precautions to keep dogs with short snouts from overheating. You can, for example, use a lightweight dog towel, such as The Absorber, to cool your pup. Simply run The Absorber under cold running water for a minute or two and then drape it over your dog.
When walking dogs in hot weather, its also important to be mindful of your pups paws. Scorching sidewalks, sand, and streets are another reason why your furry best friend may be reluctant to exercise when temperatures rise.
According to research, approximately 15 to 30 percent of dogs have a fear of thunderstorms. These pups will become extremely anxious — panting, pacing uncontrollably or whining in fear — when they sense an approaching storm. Some especially fearful dogs will even begin to associate hot, sultry nights with thunderstorms or Fourth of July fireworks. Unfortunately, these canines may resist going outside to do their business if they sense a storm approaching or if they hear a loud noise.
Some owners have found that anxiety vests or shirts can help their pups deal with their fear of thunderstorms. Anxiety shirts are designed to apply a constant, gentle hug to a dog and is believed to calm the pets nervous system. Other owners have used medications or even tried CBD oils to reduce their pets storm anxieties.
Most dogs seem delighted by snow. Theyll romp and play and even go sledding with their owners. If you have a dog with a heavy, thick coat, youll probably notice that it will have an extra pep in its step when you take it for a walk in the snow. On the other hand, some short-haired dogs will balk at having to go outside if the ground is covered in snow. You might be able to help these pups adjust by having them wear a warm coat as well as booties to protect their paws. Also, once your dog is back in the house, make sure to give it a good rubdown with a towel to remove all snow from its fur.
Just like humans, research has shown that some dogs are affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can be brought on by winters shortened days and gloomy weather. Owners of dogs who have puppy mood swings caused by SAD report their canines are less active and sleep more during the darker winter months.
While you cant eliminate all of the dog mood swings caused by the weather, you can help minimize them. For example, if your dog is afraid of thunderstorms, have an anxiety vest or shirt on hand. Also, make sure to keep The Absorber by your door so that you can towel off your pup after it has played in the snow or gone for a walk in the rain. Learn more about this super-absorbent towel, here.