Is there any way to know if a panting dog is hot, tired, or thirsty? Of course, a dog can be any combination of these at the same time, but sometimes when I am out walking my dog on a warm night he will all of a sudden start panting for no apparent reason. I usually find some shady spot and stop, and if I have water I offer it to him, but he usually shuns the water and after a minute or two he’ll stop panting and act as if nothing is wrong.
My dog is a healthy 7-year-old Parson Russell Terrier, think slightly bigger Jack Russell Terrier with longer legs. He definitely doesn’t like warm weather and I trim his coat when the weather starts to warm up. I live in the Montana Rockies and Spring can be anything from 30 degrees and snowing (he loves the snow) to 80 degrees and sunny. We live on a large lake and he loves swimming no matter what the weather.
My understanding is that dogs pant to cool down, as they do not sweat like we do. If a dog is tired they’ll lay down, and if hot they’ll find shade. It’s hard to tell if they’re thirsty, but if the nose is dry they may need water. I wish they could just tell us these things but we have to rely on body language.
(Aside, LO-F&%king L that the picture they use to convey emotional stress can lead to panting, is that of a young Weimaraner. Holy hell, have I been there.)
Thermal stress is but one kind of stress that can get a dog panting excessively. Pain does it too.
Give him a comfortable place in the shade to lie down and rest and some fresh, cool water and he will avail himself of whatever it is he needs.
Indeed, any dog should have these available to them 24/7.
If it is super hot, even in the shade, you may need to figure something extra out to help him cool off (indoors with A/C, a kiddie pool with cool water he can lie in…something).
Also, cutting your dog’s fur to keep them “cool” may not help and might even hurt. Especially if their skin can be exposed to the sun. It seems counterintuitive but there is no shortage of discussion about this on the internet.
Check with your vet (different breeds are different in this regard).
Dogs will also pant when they are excited, playful, or just happy.
My dog routinely pants when she knows she is going to be let out. With every step I make toward the back door she does a little dance, pant pant, little dance, pant pant - until the door is open and she rushes out to pee or chase a squirrel, or whatever else is striking her little dog fancy. On walks she almost always pants when she sees a person or another dog, or just smells something new along the road.
How long are these walks? My dogs get pretty wasted when it’s hot, but just around the mile mark. And that’s usually only in full sun on an 80 degree day.
I would have your dog checked out. I think it’s odd that he gets tired suddenly and insists on laying down. That sounds more like an episode of something than just plain tiredness.
I had my girl dog checked out when it became evident she wasn’t into exercise as much as my boy. She would stop and sit down near the end of our one-mile walks. Nothing was wrong with her, turns out she’s just lazy. But I’m glad I know. My dog before her had a heart murmur and I was glad to know that too.
There’s nothing wrong with panting, that’s how dogs cool off, like you sweating. Dogs do have sweat glands on the bottom of their paws but panting is their primary means of cooling down. But it’s also sometimes a display of emotion.
It is double coat breeds that you really need to avoid shaving. And for those, you are absolutely right, shaving will do more harm than good, plus I think it makes the dog look silly. It also doesn’t always grow back in right.
OP has a Parsons, though, and they are fine to shave down. (Though a purist would insist on hand stripping.)
OP, hard to say why a dog is panting. One possibility that you have not considered is that they are in pain. It doesn’t mean extreme pain, they may just have an ache or a bit of a muscle cramp. At 7 years old, and with the energy Parson’s have, I also wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to injure himself a bit and have a pulled muscle.
My Beagle pants when she wants to be let off leash to go on a imaginary hunt.
I used to think she was hot and tired because she’s obese. I started letting her off leash and she gets alot more excercise and has dropped a few pounds.
She comes back panting for real and takes water.
My dog pants from the beginning of a walk when it’s over about 72’F, but she has a lot of black on her, and it’s just her way of cooling. She knows I keep her water bottle in my right cargo pocket, and nudges it with her nose when she wants a drink.
I’ve always had black dogs, and they are big panters on hot days. If they want to stop, find them some shade, then head back after about 5 minutes.
Does the Jack Russell have a black or dark brown saddle on his back? That might contribute to making him hotter.