The fur gives an additional barrier between the source of heat (like the sun) and it’s blood. This way, the movement of heat has to go source->fur->skin->blood->general increase in body temp, as opposed to source->skin->blood->body.

Anything that forces heat to diffuse through more space will insulate it (that is, cause it to resist change in temperature).

Secondly, you’re thinking of only one method by which heat can move. it’s true that the dog’s body will always be giving off heat to the surrounding environment as long as the ambient temperature is lower than the dog’s body temp. The warmer it is, the less this heat will move though, so in high temperatures the dog will not be able to lose as much heat as in lower temperatures. However, heat can also travel by radiation, i.e. sunlight.

So, regardless of the temperature of the dog and its surroundings, heat will still move into the dog by sunlight, and as stated above insulation will help with that. This is even more important than at lower temperatures, because the dog’s body will be less efficient at giving off excess heat due to the higher temperatures around it.

I’m not sure if I missed anything, but I think that that’s at least the basics of it.

dog’s body temps are 100.5 to 102.5 F….

while all this seems to make a lot of sense, it all depends how much hair ur dog has and where you live. If you have a husky the poor creature should get a haircut, because their coat is to provide extra insulation for the cold condiditions from whih huskies originate.
If you are confused about whether ur dog should get a shave, first look at how much it pants and its activity levels are on hot days. Try not to shave it all off anyway, because the sun is something the coat protects it from aswell. Keep that in mind some protection from that is also necessary.
good luck in your decision making. hope i helped a bit 🙂

well i must tell dogs have no sweat glands and do not sweat……they keep cool themselves thrg panting only….so there is no use of shavin a dog….panting is the only mode of thermoregulation in acse of dogs….

I would say theres a fine line between that logic, because as you are right about the coat providing a berrier between the suns heat and animals bl00d, large amounts of hair (typical of the sumoyed) would in addition block thermal heat radiating off the skin of the dog. Cold weather jackets focus on this principle by preventing heat from leaving the body and blocking cold air from touching the body. If the dog has a thick coat, it will be more uncomfortable in summer weather compared to the coat of say…a…grey hound?

sorry thats not really advice…I would have sumoyed dog groomed regularly during summer months, provide lots of water, live in ventilated/air cond. spaces, and if possible limit walking to early morning/nightime. Shade is a plus but if its mainly an inside pet then i would say you have that base covered!

Not true! Dogs have sweat glands on their paws, at least that’s what I was very much sure about. And their fur helps to protect against sunburn, yes, dogs can get it too. Unless their fur is very thick like a husky or something, and their hair isn’t driving them crazy, you shouldn’t completely shave him/her. Just trim ’em up!

😆 i almost did that to. how ❓ Well you know how dogs w/long hair you pet their fur and it’s hot well i did the exact thing.

your new friend,
kaela weathers

We live in Texas and have a big dog (some kind of chow mix I think). We shave him during the summer and he loves it. He doesn’t pant near as much and is way cooler.