If you live along the southern border of the United States, you likely live in a mostly warm climate with brutally hot summers. Whether you’re in Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, or any other southern state, odds are it’s pretty hot most of the year, and stifling during the months of June, July, and August.
So, can a northern breed, like the Newfoundland from Canada, live in a hot climate? The simple answer is: No, not without special measures and precautions.
Continue reading to learn more about living in a hot climate with Newfoundlands…
A frosty Newfoundland in his natural habitat.
Newfoundlands in Hot Climates
Newfoundlands are a large working breed that come from the Newfoundland island, a province of Canada. The island’s climate is categorized as both subarctic and humid continental, meaning that depending on which part of the island you’re on, it is either freezing cold year round, or a more conventional four-season climate with warm summers.
As you can imagine, the typical weather in this region is markedly different than the swamplands of Florida and Louisiana, or the dry desert landscapes of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
The Newfoundland is a very large dog – weighing 121 to 176 lb – with a thick, heavy coat of fur. This makes them perfectly suited for the sever winters of the island where they come from, but not the scorching hot summers of the Southern United States.
Heatstroke
Leaving a Newfoundland outside on a hot summer day, or in a building with no air conditioning, is a recipe for heatstroke. In fact, heatstroke is a very real threat for any breed of dog, let alone one that is meant to live in cold climates.
Heatstroke, or heat exhaustion, is when your dog’s body temperature rises faster than their body can cope with. In many cases, it is fatal. Remember, dog’s do not sweat; instead, they cope with heat by panting, which is far less effective than perspiration. Dogs also run hotter than people – about 102º F compared to our 98.6º F.
Also, bear in mind that even humans, with our ability to sweat and our lower internal temperature, occasionally die from heatstroke. So, Newfoundlands cannot perspire, having a higher internal temperature, are heavy, and are covered in thick fur. In other words, they stand no chance in extreme heat.
Caring for Newfoundlands in Hot Wether
Whether or not you live in one of the hottest parts of the US, it’s still likely that you experience hot weather during the summer – too hot for your Newfoundland, at least. Here are some tips for taking care of your Newfoundland during hot weather:
- Keep them in an air conditioned building.
- Wet their fur to keep them cool.
- Only walk them early in the morning and in the evening when it’s cool out.
- Give them plenty of ice water throughout the day.
- Do not leave them in a car, even if the windows are down.
- Keep them calm during the day, and do not let them overexert them self.
If you would like to learn even more about keeping your dog safe and healthy in the heat, read this article about how to keep your dog cool in the summer.
References:
Wikipedia. Newfoundland (dog). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_(dog)
Wikipedia. Newfoundland (island). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_(island)
PetMD. Heatstroke in Dogs. Retrieved from https://www.petmd.com/dog/emergency/common-emergencies/e_dg_heat_stroke
