Heat starts now: moving training to dawn and dusk.

The first 90-degree week of the year usually arrives in May, and from then until late September a Houston dog's day is built around the heat. Training does not stop; it moves. The dogs in the training home work outdoors at dawn and after sunset and spend the middle of the day on place, in the crate, and in air-conditioned store aisles.

The heat calendar

• May: walks before nine and after seven; the pavement test on every walk
• June to August: outdoor sessions under thirty minutes, water every fifteen, a hard stop
• September: the window reopens slowly; do not trust the first cool morning
• Double-coated and flat-faced dogs run hotter; Frenchies, bulldogs and huskies get half the time

The pavement test

Hold the back of your hand on the sidewalk for seven seconds. If you cannot, the dog cannot walk on it. Concrete in a Houston July reads well above 130 degrees at three in the afternoon, and pad burns are one of the most common summer injuries we hear about. Grass, shade and the early hours are the walk; the store aisle is the afternoon session.

The AVMA's heat guidance covers heat stroke signs. Heavy panting, drooling, wobbling or bright red gums mean shade, cool water on the belly and the vet, in that order.

What a summer training day looks like at home

Six thirty: a structured walk on the shaded side of the street, twenty minutes, water at the end. Mid-morning: ten minutes of place in the kitchen while breakfast happens, then a rest. Lunch: leave-it and door manners indoors, five minutes. Afternoon: a store trip, in the cart or on leash, twenty minutes of neutrality in the air conditioning. After eight: the second walk, or recall on a long line in the yard once the grass has cooled. That is more training than most dogs get in winter, and none of it risks the dog's paws or its temperature.

• A frozen chew and a place bed on the tile through the afternoon
• Water in every room the dog uses, changed twice a day
• Car rides only with the air already cold; never a wait in a parked car
• Swimming counts as exercise and cooling, and a pool needs a dog that waits for a release before jumping in

The dogs that need half the time

Flat-faced breeds, French and English bulldogs, pugs and Boston terriers, cannot pant efficiently and overheat in minutes on a warm morning, well before a Lab would notice. Thick double coats, huskies, Bernese, Aussies and shepherds, hold heat once they are hot. Seniors, puppies and any overweight dog run warmer too. For those dogs, cut every outdoor session in half, watch the tongue and the gums, and treat heavy panting that does not settle in the shade as an emergency. The heat guide has the full month-by-month calendar.

Written by

Best Dog University Team

Board and train trainers in Cypress, Houston. 16+ years, 900+ dogs. About our team