Do dogs get grumpy when the weather is hot ? Tara had a go at her best friend a choc lab bitch this afternoon. She was out with my daughter, who had stopped to chat to the owner. Tara was on the lead and daughter didn't see exactly what happened - the first she knew was when the choc lab yelped :( No harm was done fortunately. They are usually best friends and Tara is very good with other dogs. I don't think that her paw is hurting her - so could it just be the weather ?

Daisy

So -  I must be the only one with a hot, grumpy dog :) Or is it that, after her recent experiences, Tara has now decided to get nasty ? :(

Daisy

Meant to add that we are a bit restricted i what we can do to keep her cool, as she musn't get her bandage wet. We spent Thursday evening at the emergency vets, as she managed to get into the garden and found the only wet bit of lawn where we had been watering a tree :(

I haven't noticed a difference in my dogs as far as being grumpy. They're never grumpy unless Lyric, the Doberman puppy is pestering them to play and they don't want to play. He can be a real pill sometimes. But it doesn't much matter if it's hot or cool outside. They still get irritated with him. So, sorry....not much help. They're always the same with me....even tempered and sweet.

Carrie

If you think that the heat is stressing Tara try using a water spray to cool her down.  The back of the neck, throat, belly and ears are good places wet and will help her feel cooler quickly.  If she's really hot you could always sponge her down all over (avoiding the bandage) and as she dries she'll get nice and cool.  Of course there are always doggy ice lollies, put a bowl of stock in the freezer and when frozen she can lick it :D

I think some dogs do get grumpy when they're hot, like people their ability to cope with heat varies from one to another.  I certainly do when the least effort makes me hot and sticky ;)

Thanks Dill - will try the spray. After what happened to her I am paranoid about getting her bandage wet. She likes ice-cubes etc - so no problems there as long as she doesn't make pools on the floor. She MAY have her bandage off today, so that would make life a bit easier :) I don't think that I could cope if she started to be dog-aggressive, so hopefully it is just the heat  :(

Daisy

I think dogs are probably very similar to humans in that respect. Research has shown that there is more violent crime when it is very hot than on normals days. I am also sure that some one said that there is a rise in dog bites when it gets very warm too. If you think about it if you were waiting in a queue for ages and it was really hot you would probably be a little bad tempered and the slightest annoyance could become far worse. (Or maybe thats just me!!) I'm not saying that you are making your dog wait around for ages, but the point i am trying to make (not doing it very well either) is that when you are hot you are far more irritable than usual so i guess dogs are the same.
What has poor tara done to her leg?

Tara broke her toe badly and had to have a splint with heavy bandage on for 7 weeks. Somehow - we don't know how - she got an infection in the paw - she didn't show any signs of being in pain - and has now lost a toe and the large pad :( It's now 2 weeks later and it is healing well, but she still has the bandage on and I am not sure how long it will take (if ever) before she is able to walk properly on it :( Poor dog has had a bandage on her leg for 9 weeks. Fortunately she has never tried to get it off and hasn't needed a 'lampshade' :) Keeping a 2 year old Aussie on the lead all this time is very frustrating and I'm not sure when she will be able to go back to obedience/agility. The good news is that she didn't lose her leg, which is what we feared may happen initially.

Daisy

Oh poor thing! It must be very frustrating for both of you! :-( Give her a cuddle from me.
Bit off topic but i'm toying with the idea of getting an aussie in the future, i absolutely love Border collies (I have one), but i also think that Aussies look lovely, and very similar. What are they like? Are they as manic as BC's?

I'm not the best person to ask :) I've only got the one. She's definitely not as manic as a collie - although she does get quite excited at agility :) Personally, I prefer Aussies to Collies. I have found her very quick to learn and she has a very quirky personality - quite laid back at times, but hyper at others - but she is only 2 and still maturing, I think.

Gabrielle or Loki's Mum are much better qualified to talk to you about them :)

Daisy