As the summer season gets closer, I get a lot of Dobie owners asking how to keep their Doberman cool and comfy in hot weather.
That’s an awesome question, and anything that puts our four-legged pals’ comfort first gets a big thumbs-up from me. Let’s go over the best methods to look after your Dobie when the weather heats up.
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Can Dobermans Tolerate Hot Weather?
Before we get into the tips, let’s just explain how Dobermans really deal with hot temperatures.
Dobermans, despite having short coats can still overheat throughout the summer months and would certainly benefit from us helping them to keep cool and comfortable.
Many owners think that it’s only the long double-coated breeds that need extra help, which they do, but that doesn’t exclude short coats like our Dobies.
How well your Dobie tolerates hot weather ultimately depends on the temperature, access to shade and water, as well as their overall health and age.
All of these factors, and more, have an overall effect on how well your Dobie will handle the summer months.
It’s also important to remember that dogs tolerate hot weather a lot worse than we do. So what we find warm and comfortable, could already be too hot for your Doberman.
What Temperature Can Dobermans Handle?
How hot can Dobermans handle:
In general, 20°C (70°F) is the safe upper end for most dogs. Dobermans will likely remain comfortable at this temperature. However, once the temperature rises above 20°C (70°F) the chances of discomfort, heatstroke, and dehydration increase significantly.
Yep, I know what you’re thinking, 70°F isn’t actually that hot, and many states and countries easily surpass that temperature. This is exactly when your assistance becomes important.
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8 Tips To Keep Your Doberman Cool In Hot Weather
In no order of importance, the following 8 tips will help you, help your Dobie throughout summer and hot weather in general.
1. Avoid hot pavements & tarmac
It’s easy for us to forget about this as we usually wear something on our feet, but the pavements and tarmac can become incredibly hot in direct sunshine.
If the pavement is too hot for your hand, then it’s too hot for your Dobie’s paws.
The paw pads are very sensitive to heat and being the first point of contact to the ground are susceptible to burning. This can be very painful and can even result in a trip to the vets.
You might have tarmac in your yard, or when you go out for walks. So keep this in mind.
2. Elevated cooling beds
Perhaps my favorite investment for all of my dogs has been an elevated cooling bed. They sound fancy, but they really aren’t!
These beds have a similar material to that on a trampoline. The mesh is secured tightly to a lightweight aluminum frame that sits about 8-10 inches up from the floor.
The perforated material allows for your Doberman to easily expel body heat while laying down, and the breeze that flows underneath provides additional cooling effects.
For what they cost, you can’t go wrong and will be your Dobies favorite place to lay down in the summer, especially outside.
3. Keep your Doberman out of midday heat/sun
This one sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to make this mistake. Depending on where you are, the hottest part of any day is around 12-3 pm.
And it’s during these hours that your Doberman is better off inside a cool room.
Unfortunately, our dogs don’t know best, and I know mine would happily sunbathe out at 2 pm in the direct sunshine.
But despite how good this feels in-the-moment, it will likely lead to sickness and dehydration later on. So this is something you must control yourself.
Simply sticking to this rule will help your Doberman remain cooler on a daily basis. His “outside hours” should be in the morning and evening.
4. Keep one room of the house cool and accessible
As I mentioned just above, it’s crucial to keep one room in your house cool and accessible throughout the day.
Having the option to venture off to the “cool room” whenever he feels too hot is so invaluable!
Whether you use AC or keep a cool blower turned on (assuming it’s safe) this will make summer far more bearable for your Doberman.
5. Encourage more drinking!
Believe it or not, dogs are more inclined to leave their water if it’s warm and gunky. Who would have thought? lol, in all seriousness, it’s important to keep your Dobies water fresh and cool at all times, even if that means replacing it when there’s still water left over.
Additionally, dogs don’t drink as much water as they should do, so we need to encourage them. Something I like to do is to place a few ice cubes in the water which doubles up as a game, and a way for them to drink more. It works, but it does get messy so be aware of that!
6. Frozen treats
I’m sure your Doberman will be most thankful for this tip! Frozen treats are a great way to cool down your Dobie, albeit temporarily, a frozen banana or a few peanut butter ice cubes will certainly go down well.
Frozen bananas, peanut butter-infused ice cubes, meat broth ice cubes, and frozen carrots make some of the best frozen treats. Avoid baby carrots as they could be a choking hazard.
7. Exercise in the morning or late evening
Even throughout hot weather, exercise is still important and must continue. But the time of day you choose for his exercise will likely need to change.
Take advantage while the sun is low and the temperatures are cooler. Early morning is the best time to exercise your Doberman to his usual intensity while avoiding the risk of overheating.
If you can’t do early morning then late evening is the second best time of the day although a little warmer than the mornings.
8. Doggy paddling pool
If you have your own yard, then getting a doggy paddling pool is a must!
A shallow paddling pool will serve as the ultimate place for fun and games as well as a cool place to sit and lay down (if it’s shallow enough).
Be sure to supervise your Dobie around the pool and if he hasn’t already got a life jacket, it might be worth investing in one. That’s if you want to teach him how to swim.
You can get a high-quality pool on Amazon for a reasonably good price. Just ensure you don’t have any water bans/hose pipe bans throughout summer!
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Can Dobermans Live In Hot Countries?
Absolutely, Dobermans can live in hot countries and this doesn’t change their ability to live a happy and comfortable life.
Of course, when the temperature gets up there, it’s without a doubt part of the owner’s responsibility to make sure their Doberman can remain cool and safe at any given moment.
Dobermans are increasingly popular in some of the hottest states in the US like Texas, Florida, and parts of California.
Thankfully, air condition is virtually a given in most of these locations, and things like that become of great importance when keeping your Dobie cool.
Where To Keep Your Doberman When You Are Out?
Dobermans don’t like being left alone at the best of times, let alone in the height of summer. But to keep him safe, he should remain inside.
You’ll want to keep your Doberman inside your home (not in the yard in the sunshine) at an ideal temperature range of 13°C to 18°C (55°F to 65°F) with it being absolutely no hotter than 20°C (70°F). A fan or blower to create airflow is also recommended.
Additionally, you don’t want your Dobie to become anxious or frustrated with your absence, this can make things worse if he’s already feeling too hot.
If you work long hours, ideally, you’ll have a friend or a hired dog walker to come over and check on your Dobie, replace his water, let him out for a short time and keep him company.
Keeping your Doberman comfortable in hot weather doesn’t have to be difficult, it’s just a matter of taking proactive measures and thinking ahead.
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