zeus2011 Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 I got my rescue husky last August. He was a stray and malnourished. I have him almost up to weight (65 lbs) and worked up to running about 6 miles day. He is only about a year old so needs the exercise or gets into "trouble" at home Since we didn't have him last summer I have no idea how to run with him in the summer! We have had two 80 degree days and he does okay but gets really tired. I carry water and fill a bowl but he won't take it while running. Can huskies run in the heat? How do I prepare him for summer? I try to run after dark on hot days but he still has to run or he is too excitable. Thanks! Love my puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwprice103 Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have tried taking mine running, but haven't gone more than about 3 miles with him. One time last summer, we were finishing our run and he just fell over on his side and refused to run. He was fine, but he just decided to take a break. After a few minutes, he got up and finished running! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeus2011 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 Too funny. I find my husky has more personality than any previous dog. Zeus really lets me know how he is feeling. He runs beautifully right next to me and when he is too hot or tired he drags his feet and runs behind me. I know to slow down and start to call it a day. But lately he gets home and just lays down next to his water bowl (he does drink once home) but lays and pants. Longer than I would think a husky should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 you mustnt run him during the day in summer, no temps over 10-12 celcius we run on a bike and go late at night (about 2am when it has cooled down a lot) some days its still to warm at that time! you can go early morning too 4-5am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeus2011 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 That's what I was afraid of. Running is scary at night. I recently had a stalker so I guess morning will be our time! Thanks. Might be time for a treadmill He loves to run (not so much me)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sutsibe Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 That lovely coat will help him keep cool in summer's heat when he's not moving around a lot. However, if he's active, it will also keep his body heat in, allowing him to overheat. Any chance you can occasionally take him for a swim? Good exercise, as well (provided his coat doesn't stay too wet for too long and allow hot spots to develop), and he's not likely to overheat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeus2011 Posted May 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 No, no place for a swim here except the dog park which I have been warned against. Our vet and others say dog parks are not a great option since you really don't know the health or aggressiveness of other dogs there. Lots of people use the dog park but I have not tried it yet. And I don't trust him off leash either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 My husband is a marathon runner and trains with the huskies. We are lucky that the places he runs them is either on the beach or in the forest so both places have a place for them to cool off. It is more difficult in summer though, they don't do much running then, but they do swim a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHOST R1D3R Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 i play mario and sonic summer games online does that count? oh wait maybe i should read the thread first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 you mustnt run him during the day in summer, no temps over 10-12 celcius we run on a bike and go late at night (about 2am when it has cooled down a lot) some days its still to warm at that time! you can go early morning too 4-5am If we waited for those temperatures in the summer the dogs would never get to go out! They handle the low 20's just fine - it's only when the temp gets over 27-ish that we start to really mind when we take them out (often because we don't want to be running around in those temperatures either!). Definitely aim for the coolest parts of the day - early morning/evening or after dark, but so long as you take the proper precautions they can handle a surprising amount of heat. Make sure he is well hydrated - both before and after your run. Make sure he has somewhere shaded and/or air-conditioned to escape to in order to cool off afterward. Swimming or a wading pool are also great ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid_Wolf Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 If we waited for those temperatures in the summer the dogs would never get to go out! They handle the low 20's just fine - it's only when the temp gets over 27-ish that we start to really mind when we take them out (often because we don't want to be running around in those temperatures either!). Definitely aim for the coolest parts of the day - early morning/evening or after dark, but so long as you take the proper precautions they can handle a surprising amount of heat. Make sure he is well hydrated - both before and after your run. Make sure he has somewhere shaded and/or air-conditioned to escape to in order to cool off afterward. Swimming or a wading pool are also great ideas. I mean running, as in jogging, my guys will still go out for walks, though we avoid the hottest parts of the day. To have a dog work in harness in temps that high is seriously putting them at risk of heat stroke! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celestial Echo Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 I can't run with Echo, she thinks it's a game and runs at me, instead of next to me. That's awesome that you can run with yours. I originally got her because I wanted to run her. I want to bikejor with her, and I will eventually get the equipment to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid&BellaNTX Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 I limit my running with the pups to the cooler months...late fall, winter and early spring. Otherwise, we wake up early to go for our walk(usually about 3 miles or so). Last summer it was so hot even after the sun went down that we didn't get to much exercise in during the evening hours. Make sure and keep lots of water around and be careful when it's hot outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie12 Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 So question for your swimming idea...as this was our first day of heat and it is obvious it is going to be hard (we thought walking in snow and rain all winter was rough...she loved it we didn't!!!)....I have not had my Husky very long so approaching the first summer. IF you were to take them swimming what keeps them from RUNNING OFF 30 mph as we all know they are runners. Once they get cooled off they are going to feel GOOD and want to split. I know Katie would love to swim she LOVES, LOVES the water. I am going to get her a kittie pool but a bummer...on a leash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 We have long leads for them, so when they cool off in the sea or in the dam in the forest, they are always on lead, otherwise they will be off like a shot At home, they swim when they please, we have an above ground pool for them and they also have two kiddy pools in the shade. If you get her a kiddy pool at home and your yard is not secure, you can put her on a tie out on her lead and she can have relative freedom that way. She will be quite happy, and it will be a bonus if she has some shade as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 I mean running, as in jogging, my guys will still go out for walks, though we avoid the hottest parts of the day. To have a dog work in harness in temps that high is seriously putting them at risk of heat stroke! I also meant running as in jogging or running with a vehicle, though if the OP meant purely working in harness as running I didn't realize that. In the summer months we can go for over a week at a time with the nighttime temperatures staying above 18c, nevermind the daytime temperatures. Canada may have a reputation for being cold, but in the summer she can get Mexico-hot! I'm not saying strapping weight on them and having them work for huge distances in such heat is a good idea, but if they have to wait for 12c to do more than walks that won't happen very often once the snow melts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raindog Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 (edited) This article explains why running Siberians in warm/hot weather is a really bad idea: Siberian Huskies – Heat and Humidity – the invisible dangers! Siberian Husky ownership in the UK has increased massively over the past 20 years –largely due to an increase in those breeding Huskies commercially, whether as large scale puppy farmers, small scale backyard breeders or what I call naïve/ignorant/stupid“pet†breeders (the bloke round the corner who puts his poor quality bitch to a friend’s poor quality dog for pin money). Some of these new owners haven’t done their research, can’t cope andeventually either sell their dog on or give it up to rescue. Others take it more seriously, learn all they can about the breed and do their best to provide the best life they can for their husky/huskies. This often includes them deciding to allow their dog to do what comes naturally and run them in harness. This is brilliant and to be applauded. Increasingly however, we are coming across peoplewho don’t realise that running their dogs in warm and humid conditions duringthe UK spring/summer/early autumn can be extremely dangerous for their dogs’health and welfare. The Chukchi Inuit people, who first developed these dogs over thousands of years in North-Eastern Siberia, used them as long distance, endurance sled dogs throughout the winter months, hunting and fishing wherever game was plentiful. In their hot summer months, the Chukchi would let their dogs roam free around their summer villages hunting for themselves. The dogs would not be worked at all in harness during the warmer months. Most husky owners in the UK take the same approach as the Chukchi anddo not work their dogs during the summer. Indeed, even during the winter, most of the husky racing organisations will cancel events if the temperature risesabove 12º C. Huskies can cope very well with the heat and humidity as long as they are not expected to work in such conditions. Working in harness in the kind of hot and humid weather conditions found during the average UK summer is extremely dangerous for sled dog breeds. Heat exhaustion can swiftly lead to heat stroke and even death. Heat stroke occurs when normal body mechanisms cannot keep the body's temperature in a safe range. Animals do not have efficient cooling systems (like humans who sweat) and get overheated easily. A dog with moderate heatstroke (body temperature from 104º to 106ºF) can recover within an hour if given prompt first aid and veterinary care (normal body temperature is 100-102.5°F). Severe heatstroke (body temperature over 106ºF) is seriously life-threatening and immediate veterinary assistance is necessary. Why are sled dogs so prone to heat exhaustion? – because of the heat built up during strenuous exercise. After all, not only are these dogs running, but they are running pulling a sled/scooter/rig and heavy passengers. Their muscles are able to convert some 20-30% of the chemical energy they use into mechanical work. So, 70 – 80% of the energy produced by an intensively working dog ends up creating body heat. During intensive pulling there is a large quantityof heat generated by sled dog muscles that must be dissipated. When muscles get too warm, they function less efficiently. When a dog's body warms too much, its non-muscular body functions not only work less efficiently, but actually may fail entirely, thus presenting a life-threatening situation to the dog. As mentioned above, sled dogs can't sweat. If they did, they could improve their rate of exercise-created heat dissipation through their skin surface. Instead, it is by increasing their breathing rate and the discharge and evaporation of water from their mouth area that sled dogs can increase the amount of heat dissipated during exercise. However, the hotter the outside temperature, the less effective heat dissipation becomes. Atmospheric temperature air is drawn into the nose and mouth and -- via the air passages --ends up in the lungs. In winter conditions the cool, dry air is warmed to body temperature traversing the air passages to the lungs. The air exiting the nose and mouth from the lungs is warm, moist air close to body temperature. On a frosty day, if the air entering the mouth/nose is at around 30º F and it takes heat from the body before being expressed at body temperature (optimally103º F) it is obvious that heat is being dissipated effectively. On a humid summer day, with atmospheric temperatures of say, 60º F, the amount of heat and moisture that the dog’s breathing can take from the body is much less with the result that heat builds up in the body and the dog’s core temperature can very quickly rise to dangerous – even life-threatening levels. Not only that, but a dog which has suffered heat stroke on one occasion, even if it has apparently been lucky and survived the experience, is likely to be much more likely to suffer the same problem in the future – the trauma having permanently damaged its thermoregulatory function and lowered its threshold of tolerance for working in warm conditions. This will make the poor dog pretty much useless as a sled dog from that point on. Terry and I have personally been involved in treating sled dogs (not ours) with heat exhaustion even in mid winter in the UK . For us, the thought of running dogs during the summer months is way beyond common sense and is not a risk we would take with our precious dogs. A simple rule of thumb is this – if it is warm enough for you to take your dogs out without wearing a sweater or jacket, it is too warm to run them in harness. Mick Brent (2011) Edited May 8, 2012 by raindog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robke Posted May 8, 2012 Report Share Posted May 8, 2012 Very well explained Mick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeus2011 Posted May 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 Thank you all. I originally posted because I run for him not me. I don't like to run but found I had a very naughty pup if he didn't get more than long walks. I read all your posts (and translated to degrees F and will take the proper precautions. He does not pull me he only runs next to me. I am looking for a beach to run and will alter my times to after dark when it is not so hot, and shorten our runs. No way would he make it 7 miles now. But even a short 2-3 mile in the early morning or late night might keep him from being naughty! Thanks for the advice. We are also looking into a treadmill for him! No worries. I love my guy and won't do anything to harm him! Trust me I didn't want to run...he did. I was content watching tv after work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyMom09 Posted May 12, 2012 Report Share Posted May 12, 2012 We've recently started biking, we're up to 4miles per day...but now as we approach summer weather I realize it's going to get more difficult to run Denali. Working the night shift I leave for work by 4pm and get home after working 12 hard hours at 6am....I just don't have it in me to exercise when I get home most mornings It was almost 65F when we went today, kept it short at 2 miles, he seemed fine afterward and didn't lag through the ride but I didn't want to push it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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