on August 13, 2026

Summer Dog Walking Guide: Heat, Hot Pavement & Hydration

Summer walks are the best walks. Long light, happy dogs, the whole neighbourhood out at once. They are also the season your dog most needs you to think for both of them, because dogs are famously terrible at mentioning they are overheating until they really, really are.

Here is the summer playbook, with the numbers we could actually source and honest labels on the ones we could not.

The ground is not the same temperature as the air

This is the bit people underestimate. The American Kennel Club, citing data from the Journal of the American Medical Association, notes that when the air temperature is 86 degrees, the asphalt temperature registers 135 degrees. Same afternoon. Same street. Roughly fifty degrees of difference between the number on your phone and the surface your dog is standing on barefoot.

ONE DAY, TWO TEMPERATURES The air, which is what you feel 86°F The asphalt, which is what your dog feels 135°F Figures per the American Kennel Club, citing the Journal of the American Medical Association. Your street will differ. Test it, do not assume it.

That is one measured pair, not a formula for every street. Shade, surface and how long the sun has been on it all matter, which is why the test beats the arithmetic.

The hand test

Dr. Jerry Klein, the AKC's Chief Veterinary Officer, puts it simply: "place your hand comfortably on the pavement for ten seconds. If it's too hot for your hand, it's too hot for your dog's paws." He also offers a rough threshold, that at 85 degrees or over without a chance for the pavement to cool, the ground may be too hot for a walk.

Ten seconds is longer than it sounds when you are crouched on a pavement in July. That is rather the point. And do not assume the ground cooled just because the air did after sunset. Check it, every time, rather than trusting the feel of the breeze.

When it fails, walk on grass. The American Veterinary Medical Association says exactly that: dogs' paw pads can be burned by pavement, and "walking in the grass may be the best option on extremely hot days."

Walk on bakery hours

The AVMA's advice on timing is short and unambiguous: "consider timing walks to avoid the hottest part of the day during warm weather." Early morning and after sunset are the summer slots. Everything in between is negotiable at best.

Know the signs, and who gets them first

The AVMA lists these as signs of heat stress needing emergency veterinary care: anxiousness, excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, abnormal gum and tongue colour, and collapse. Its first aid guidance adds rapid breathing or heavy panting, weakness or drowsiness, confusion, vomiting or diarrhoea, and dry or sticky gums.

The Merck Veterinary Manual describes heat stroke as hot skin, vomiting, drooling, rapid panting, distress, uncoordinated movement, collapse or unconsciousness, and treats it as an emergency full stop.

Some dogs get there faster. The AVMA notes that overweight pets and short-nosed breeds have a higher risk of warm-weather exercise problems, and that flat-faced and overweight dogs "may require more frequent rests, shorter walks, or a change in walk schedule." If you own a pug, a bulldog or a frenchie, that sentence is about you.

If your dog is overheating

No jokes in this section. Per the AVMA: get them out of the heat, then "place towels wetted with room-temperature water gently around your pet's neck, in the armpits, and in the groin area," rewetting and replacing them every few minutes, and use a fan to blow cool air on them. Then get to a vet.

The counterintuitive bit that matters most: "avoid putting your pet in a tub of cool or cold water, which can make their condition worse." Merck gives the same warning against immersing an overheated animal in cold water. The instinct is to dunk them. Do not.

Right. Back to the sarcasm.

Carry water like you mean it

A collapsible bowl and a bottle should live with your leash from May to September. The AVMA's line is "bring enough water for both you and your pet." Nobody has ever regretted the extra bottle. Plenty of people have regretted the missing one.

Summer poop logistics, yes, this section was inevitable

Heat changes the cleanup game, and not in your favour.

  • Everything is riper. Warm weather turns every skipped pickup into a neighbourhood announcement. The flies RSVP immediately.
  • Thin bags get worse. "Feeling the warmth" reaches a level of vividness in July that it simply does not achieve in February. Summer is thick bag season.
  • Bins are ovens. If the bag rides home with you, a proper knot is mandatory, and extra-long bags give you the slack to tie one well away from the contents.
  • More walks, more bags. Splitting one long walk into two or three short cool ones is the right call for your dog, and it quietly raises your monthly bag burn. Stock accordingly.

The short version

Walk early or late. Put your hand on the ground for ten seconds before you commit. Take water. Learn the panting signs and take them seriously. Use room-temperature towels, never a cold bath. And keep thick bags on the leash, because summer punishes the unprepared on several fronts at once.

Not sure your stash survives the extra walks? The quiz will work out how many bags your summer actually needs, or grab a box before the next heat wave.

This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Suspected heatstroke is an emergency. Start cooling and call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic straight away.

Sources