The thermal image of an Aussie, with a Lion cut, natural fur/hair in front, shaved in rear. The bluer the image the colder, The aussie is probably sitting on a table in an air conditioned exame room where the room temperature is colder than 75, the dogs skin temperature (shaved area) is 86° F (30.8° C) the coat area temperature is 75° F (24° C). In this case protecting the Aussie from the cold ambient temperature, with an 11 degree difference. The process also works in reverse, the coat would insulate the dog from a hot ambient temperature.
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Just Chill Out!
First of all, let’s tackle how humans keep cool. As we know, our bodies produce sweat when we become overheated. This is a very efficient mechanism by which the human body regulates its temperature. Sweat glands are the organs responsible for producing and secreting sweat, and are located all over our bodies. This effectively means that the cooling process takes place over a large surface area of the skin, which is definitely desirable, particularly after a vigorous workout. What about dogs though? Do they sweat in the same way?
When a dog gets excited, stressed, or has recently exercised, its body temperature naturally rises, so it needs to get rid of this extra heat. Unlike humans, dogs have very few sweat glands, with most of them located in the animal’s footpads. Dog owners have surely noticed that their pets often leave wet footprints behind on hard surfaces. Turns out that this is because your dog is sweating!
Is sweating from their paws the only way dogs keep cool?
No. Not even close.
Actually, the main way in which dogs regulate their body temperature is by panting with their mouths open. Some people are under the wrong impression that since dogs cool down by panting, their tongues must contain sweat glands too. This, however, is not the case.
Panting serves two main purposes in terms of cooling a dog down. Firstly, the moisture on the tongue evaporates while panting, while the heavy breathing allows moisture to evaporate from the moist lining of their lungs. Furthermore, dogs cool off via vasodilation. The blood vessels in their face and ears expand, enabling the blood to flow closer to the skin, allowing heat to be exchanged with the outside environment. Pretty cool!
Don’t Let Sparky Get Too Hot!
Despite their cool-down mechanisms, dogs are still prone to getting overheated (hyperthermia) and eventually suffering from heat strokes. Heat strokes are very dangerous, as they can cause brain damage and even death for your beloved pooch.
