Question For The Bdr Club Experts

[Guest greytbuds]

For those of you that don't know I lost my big red Beau in July. I have my eye on a handsome young black boy at the kennel for my new best friend, but had a question for the experts in the BDR club. I'm sure you will be my best source of information on this. I have read that black dogs have a problem with high temperatures and overheating. It gets pretty warm here in NC in the summer and other than weekend playgroups, I have to walk my pup in the neighborhood on the street. I notice most of you have other color siblings, so can you share with me how the heat affects your black king or queen versus your other pups and what if any steps you have taken that help control that?

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

Greytbuds

[CaliforniaGreys]

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I live in one of the hottest climates and I don't see the heat affecting Wayne any more than the others.

[momtogeorge]

I live in the Sacramento area and it gets quite warm in the summer. My little Misty Blue, a tuxedo, feels the heat a lot more than George, a brindle. When we walk, even later in the evening, I take a spray bottle of water. I am her personal misting system!

[Guest meakah]

While I suppose there maybe 'some' truth to this...I think it is so minuscule that I don't think it is a concern. Many black animals live in very hot climates and do just fine. I would definitely not even think about this as far as deciding to whether or not to adopt a black doggie. Each dog...just like each human....have their different levels of heat tolerance and the colour of their hair/skin is not a significant factor. My girl...black doggie...doesn't like the heat but I have never considered her black colour to be much of a factor. I have a black cat who loves the heat and lays in front of the fireplace when it is on, and lays in the bright sun on hot days. Where, in comparison, my grey cat is never found in these 'heat intensive' places.

 

Go get that handsome black boy you have your eye on.

[Guest benson]

I'm no expert but I have a black greyhound. He does run warmer than his brindle housemate. Funny, I didn't think it was a black dog trait. Anyway, when we lived in NC we did most activities in the early or later parts of the day when it wasn't too warm. We had a/c so that's where he spent most of his day anyway.

[Guest vahoundlover]

I've had black dogs that like laying in the sun on a hot summer day and others that would just as soon stay in the a/c. I use caution with all of our dogs and the summer heat.

 

Go get your fella and enjoy making new memories together.

[greysandmollie]

I used to live in NC with my first black boy....he did get hot but no more so than my friends white hound. We didn't go out much in the middle of the day as it was too freakin hot for me!

 

I have had three black boys and each one has had a different tolerance but never a serious issue.

[ZoomDoggy]

This is just my experience, but Tipper, my big black ol' guy is very sensitive to heat/sunshine. He overheats in summertime much faster than my other dogs ever have. I've also had two black females who didn't seem as sensitive as Tipper, but still more sensitive than my brindles and fawn.

 

By the same token, in winter, the black fur soaks up the sun and keeps them warm longer too. Tipper can go without a sweater in lower temps than my girls.

Edited December 12, 2008 by ZoomDoggy

[GeorgeofNE]

Shouldn't be an issue!!

Edited December 12, 2008 by JumpingGeorge

[Guest brandi007]

I've had 2 black dogs and honestly, I watch them just as close as my Fawn girl. Caution in the heat with any color of dog is important but I've never noticed Hannah nor Foxy getting warmer than Sophie in the sun. Hannah is naturally a warmer dog that Sophie but I think it has a lot to do with the fact she's a heck of a lot more active!

[Guest SoulsMom]

I don't think it's really an issue, just have to pay attention that they don't over heat like any other dog. Soul is a bit more sensitive to the sun, but I keep him inside during peak hours anyway . . . .

[Jiffer]

Doubt there will be an issue.

 

My white and brindle gets just as hot as our red brindles and our dark brindles. (Not black, I know.. but still dark in colour).

[moofie]

well being in the UK its rare we see many hot sunny days and we normally avoid walking during hottest part of the day anyway. I've found my boys cope pretty well with the heat and appeared less hot than some non-black greys on some walks we've done. I did notice recently that my friends greyhounds have much thicker coats than my pair, but maybe they have a colder house?

 

You can buy silver heat reflecting coats, which i've not tried myself and also towelling ones that you can wet and use to cool a grey.

[patricia]

My black Flashy is more intolerant to the heat that my other babes...but then he does have some thyroid issues also. When we walk in parades on warm days...I put a cooling vest on him...works like a charm. As for going out to play on summer days...my babes go out for a few minutes and they want right back in the house to enjoy the AC...his being black has posed NO issues.

[Guest DarkHorse]

We didn't have Dexter through the true summer and our summers aren't THAT hot but I did notice that while it was still warm, he tended to prefer being warm to Araley, choosing to lay in the sunbeam beside the fan rather than cool off. That being said, he also is better with the cold now that it (and the snow) have hit.

 

I think it's pretty much equivalent to wearing a black t-shirt versus a brown or white or whatever colour one. There is, of course, going to be a difference in the temperature you feel but some people will notice and care about it and some won't. Some black pups likely don't do well in long periods of intense sun and heat but some probably love it. I wouldn't let it get in your way if everything else is a go for this boy... worst comes to worst, you can carry around a spritzer/mister or a little pocket fan or something else to keep him cool.

[Hubcitypam]

Black pups grow up outside in the same non airconditioned runs in FL, KS and very hot SW Oklahoma as the rest of them and live to tell the tale.

 

Buck has never had a problem with any heat Dallas can throw at him. He spends a lot of time sunbathing but in the summer he knows enough to lternate with soaks in his pool. I wouldn't walk any dog in the middle of the day in August longer than absolutely necessary. We save our summer walks for after dark.

[Guest mandm]

I have a B&W greyhound and notice a big difference in the temp of his colors when I stroke him after he has been in the sun -- I'd estimate a 15 degree difference between his black and white patches. He is more black than white, and his back is completely black.

 

I don't use extra precaution on warm, sunny days, no more than for any greyhound. Since they are indoor dogs, I don't think it is an issue. It's not very warm where we live, but using your logic, I could have avoided balding greyhounds -- there are plenty with nice coats. My greyhound also has bald spots, no big deal, he gets a coat in winter either way.

 

OK, so most will probably advise not to consider color when choosing a greyhound, but to consider more important factors like personality & compatibility. Except there are SO many greyhounds available that if you think his dark color might worry you too much, then wait for a light colored greyhound that you like.

[4greyhounds]

I watch all of mine very closely in the heat but Aladdin and Jasmine do seem to start getting hotter faster. But even when they are running in the house the black ones are more active. So It maybe that they are more active than the other ones and that is the reason they get hotter faster.

[Guest BlackandBrindle]

Sadie does get hotter than Spud in the summer- but besides being black, she has a much thicker coat than he does.

 

My solution here, where it often gets up past 115 degrees during the day, is to only walk at night when the sun has gone down and to take a spray bottle of cold water. Roy does most of the walking and he'll just spray them both down if they look to be getting too hot.

 

Our playdates are held in the evenings in the summer, when it's not quite so hot, but the pups mostly just lay around.

 

Honestly, adopting a black greyhound is just like adopting a greyhound of any color. Good luck!

[ahicks51]

Minerva is such a dark brindle that light just falls into her. At night, she'll disappear on pavement. We're in Phoenix, which is a tough environment to beat in terms of heat soak. The only reason she overheats moreso than the other dogs is that she plays hard, runs hard, and overexerts herself.

 

Whether black has anything to do with it is a good question. I had a geology prof who always wore dark clothing in the desert, noting that this was traditional amongst the Bedouins. Even the goats they keep are black, so if it were a great burden on the animal, one would think that would have been selected against long ago, and the animals would all be a lighter color.

 

The best theory I've heard is that fur- being an insulator- does not transmit much heat directly. Individual hairs have such a high surface area that they probably shed much of the heat to the surrounding environment, rather than transfer it to the wearer. The same is presumably true of clothing- the exterior layer may heat up more quickly, but it also sheds that head through conduction with the air.

[Guest RocketDog]

My boy is b/w pied, with a black back, and he does seem to heat up faster in the sun than my brindle girl does. But he overheats faster during play than she does too, or even when we're in the shade outside - he's always the first to start panting.

[Guest greytbuds]

Thanks so much for all the advice and sharing what you do to keep your black pups cool. I will certainly try and remember not to whine when I've got 95 degree days but it's 115 in Arizona!!

 

I'm still several weeks from making my final decision, but this was definitely helpful.

Thanks again,

 

Greytbuds

[Guest kbone]

All my greyhounds are black so I don't have anything to compare it to . But having all black dogs I know that during really hot times of the day they stay indoors. Walksare early morning, late at night, or not at all. i wouldn't let where you live and the heat be a factor in wether you get a black dog or not.

[Guest Fini]

I was thinking about this too since I'm also in Northern California and it can get pretty hellish here. Have you considered a cool coat?

[greysmom]

The only consideration I have is that Dude has a lot less hair than my others, and thus more pale, bare skin that gets exposed to the sun. I use a spray on baby sun block on him when we're outside and that seems to work just fine.

 

Otherwise there's no difference between my black, fawn and blue as far as heat tolerance.

 

greysmom