Is it too hot to walk my dog?
Enter today's temperature and humidity, whether your route is sunny, and a few facts about your dog. You get a 1 to 5 heat risk level based on the Tufts weather safety scale, pavement advice and what to do.
Tim de JongRelative humidity from your weather app
Your route
21 to 50 lb
Bulldog, French Bulldog, Pug, Boxer, Shih Tzu and similar
Score on the heat index when it is higher than the air temperature
Heat risk level
3out of 5
Potentially unsafe. Whether it is safe depends on the breed and the time spent outdoors.
Short, slow walk in the shade only
What to do
- Keep it short and slow, early in the morning or late in the evening.
- Stick to grass and shade, and test the pavement with the back of your hand for 7 seconds.
- Skip running, long games of fetch and cycling with your dog.
Pavement
Asphalt in direct sun has been measured at 125 °F when the air was only 77 °F. Hold the back of your hand on it for 7 seconds; if you can't, walk on grass or stay home.
- Temperature used
- 78 °F
- Chart score
- 3 of 5
- Adjustments
- none
Tufts TACC weather safety scale, medium / large dog at 78 °F: chart score 3 = 3. Scores are capped at 1 and 5.
A guide based on the Tufts Animal Care and Condition weather safety scale, not a guarantee that a walk is safe. Watch your dog, and call your vet straight away if you see signs of heatstroke.
How hot is too hot to walk a dog?
The calculator uses the Tufts Animal Care and Condition (TACC) weather safety scale, created by veterinarian Gary Patronek at Tufts University to judge when weather puts a dog in danger. It scores risk from 1 (no evidence of risk) to 5 (potentially life-threatening) by temperature and size. Its authors warn that even brief periods of high heat can be very dangerous.
Read off the chart, a medium or large dog becomes potentially unsafe from about 75°F (24°C), dangerous from 79°F (26°C) and potentially life-threatening from 83°F (28°C). Toy and small dogs follow closely (73°F (23°C), 80°F (27°C) and 85°F (29°C)). Giant breeds are the most heat-sensitive: their score climbs to 3 from about 62°F (17°C) and reaches 5 at 80°F (27°C).
The scale was made for dogs resting outdoors. A walk adds heat from the muscles, and that matters: in a study of more than 900,000 UK dogs under veterinary care, exercise triggered 74% of the heat-related illness cases with a known cause, hot weather alone 13% and hot cars 5%. So treat the score as the lowest your risk could be while walking.
Dog walking temperature chart
Scores straight from the scale, for a dog in the sun with no water, before any other adjustment.
| Temperature | Toy or small | Medium or large | Giant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60°F (16°C) | 1 · No risk | 1 · No risk | 2 · Unlikely |
| 65°F (18°C) | 1 · No risk | 1 · No risk | 3 · Possibly unsafe |
| 70°F (21°C) | 2 · Unlikely | 2 · Unlikely | 3 · Possibly unsafe |
| 75°F (24°C) | 3 · Possibly unsafe | 3 · Possibly unsafe | 3 · Possibly unsafe |
| 80°F (27°C) | 4 · Dangerous | 4 · Dangerous | 5 · Life-threatening |
| 85°F (29°C) | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening |
| 90°F (32°C) | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening |
| 95°F (35°C) | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening |
| 100°F (38°C) | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening | 5 · Life-threatening |
The original scale is a diagonal chart. We read the temperature where each size bar changes score and rounded it to the nearest degree, so a degree or two either side of a change is a judgment call.
How hot is the pavement?
Asphalt soaks up sunlight and gets far hotter than the air. These measurements, from a 1970 study of contact burns by Dr. James Berens in the Journal of the American Medical Association, were taken in direct sun with no wind:
| Air temperature | Asphalt temperature |
|---|---|
| 77°F (25°C) | 125°F (52°C) |
| 86°F (30°C) | 135°F (57°C) |
| 87°F (31°C) | 143°F (62°C) |
A 1995 study from Maricopa County, Arizona found pavement hot enough to cause a second-degree burn within 35 seconds on most summer days between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. We found no published burn thresholds for paw pads, so use the seven-second test: press the back of your hand on the pavement, and if you can't hold it there for seven seconds, it's too hot for paws.
Burned pads look blistered or peeling, or the top layer may be missing, and dogs often lick them constantly. See your vet: burns usually need pain relief, cleaning, dressings and a cone.
Why humidity matters
Dogs rely heavily on panting to shed heat, and panting works by evaporation, which slows down in damp air. The TACC chart only uses air temperature, so the calculator also works out the National Weather Service heat index, the "feels like" temperature, and scores on that when it is higher. This is our cautious addition rather than part of the Tufts scale; switch "Count humidity" off to see the scale on air temperature alone.
Example: 82°F (28°C) at 80% humidity has a heat index of about 89°F (32°C). For a medium dog that is the difference between a 4 (dangerous) and a 5 (potentially life-threatening).
Which dogs overheat fastest?
The Tufts scale adds a point for flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs, overweight dogs, puppies under 6 months and elderly dogs. A flat-faced medium dog on a 75°F (24°C) day scores 4 instead of 3. The UK study above found that, compared with Labrador Retrievers, these breeds had higher odds of heatstroke during exercise:
- Chow Chow: 7 times the odds
- Bulldog: 3.7 times
- French Bulldog: 3 times
- Greyhound: 2.1 times
- English Springer Spaniel: 1.9 times
- Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: 1.7 times
Dogs weighing 22 lb (10 kg) or more also had higher odds than smaller dogs, and young dogs were more at risk during exercise than dogs over 8. Keen ball-chasers need you to call time on the game.
Signs of heatstroke and what to do
The Merck Veterinary Manual lists hot skin, vomiting, drooling, rapid panting, distress, uncoordinated movement, collapse or unconsciousness. A dog's normal rectal temperature is about 101.5 to 102°F (38.6 to 38.9°C); our dog temperature checker shows when a reading becomes an emergency. If you suspect heatstroke:
- Move your dog out of the heat.
- Cool the head and body with cool water, ice packs or wet towels, especially on the belly, and use a fan. Never put your dog in cold water.
- Offer small amounts of water once the temperature starts to come down.
- Go to the vet right away, even if your dog seems to recover.
Parked cars are a separate danger: see how fast they heat up with our hot car temperature calculator. For winter, use is it too cold for my dog?
Frequently asked questions
What temperature is too hot to walk a dog?
There is no single cut-off, but on the Tufts weather safety scale a medium or large dog resting outdoors is already in the dangerous range from about 79°F (26°C) and potentially life-threatening from 83°F (28°C). A walk adds the heat of exercise, so on days in the high 70s or above keep walks short, slow and shaded, or move them to early morning and late evening.
Is 80 degrees too hot to walk a dog?
It is risky for most dogs. At 80°F (27°C) the scale gives toy, small, medium and large dogs a 4 out of 5 (dangerous) and giant breeds a 5, before you add humidity or a flat face. Shade and carrying water each take a point off. Keep it to a short, slow walk on grass in the cool of the morning.
Can I walk my dog in 90 degree weather?
Not for exercise. At 90°F (32°C) every size of dog scores 5 out of 5, potentially life-threatening, and asphalt in full sun is far hotter than the air. Limit your dog to bathroom breaks in the shade and play indoors until it cools down.
How do I know if the pavement is too hot for my dog?
Press the back of your hand flat on the pavement and hold it there for seven seconds. Washington State University's vets say that if you can't keep it there for the full seven seconds, it is too hot for your dog's paws. Walk on grass or wait until evening.
What time of day is best to walk a dog in summer?
Early morning, before the sun has heated the ground, and late evening are best. A study of pavement burns in Arizona found asphalt hot enough to cause a second-degree burn within 35 seconds on most summer days between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Sources
- Patronek GJ. Tufts Animal Care and Condition (TACC) scales, reprinted in Animal Sheltering, July-August 1998
- Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Protect your pet's feet from heat, burns (2017)
- Hall EJ, Carter AJ, O'Neill DG. Dogs don't die just in hot cars: exertional heat-related illness is a greater threat to UK dogs. Animals 2020;10(8):1324
- National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center: The heat index equation
- Merck Veterinary Manual: What to do in a dog or cat emergency
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