Are dogs better at controlling their body heat than humans?
If so, what ways do they do this?

Kiri

I don't think they are, they cannot shed clothing and cannot sweat, apart from their pads I believe, so are only able to use evaporation by panting.  Their best recourse for cooling appears to be altering their environment ie seeking shade, water etc.

by panting, also if the dog is too hot, I alwayys get their paws into cold water as this is meant to help don't know if they are better at controling their body heat than us?

No, they're not as good; they cannot sweat, so can only lose heat by panting, which in itself burns energy as heat. That's why so many dogs suffer heat-stroke when they're over-exercised during hot weather.

Important information about heat-stroke.

This is a great article pertains to Northern breeds but very interesting reading even if you dont own a double coated breed :)

I think it is panting that cools them down, and I read somewhere that  a cool wet towel on their ears also helps!

My dogs sleep on my bed,even in summer :rolleyes: .It took me a while to work out why my bed was shuddering,shaking,it turned out to be the dogs panting.i wear ear plugs to bed so i couldnt hear it.So now in summer i give them a quick cool bath right before bed and they sleep through comfortably all night infront of the fan which is infront of my bed.

Also it matters not how you try to control coat growth during seasons. Coat growth is due to daylight hours not climate. 

Is it the artificial lighting rather than central heating accounting for less thick coats on house dogs as opposed to outdoor dogs?

Both have effects so yes my last post wasn't quite correct, climate does play a part as well as daylight hours. The climate will effect how much is needed. Lots of scientific research has been done but I found this simple piece on google:

Shedding & Healthy Coats

Unless you have a Hairless Terrier or a Sphynx, it's the season once again to expect increased shedding.

Dogs typically lose their winter coats in the spring, when it is replaced by a shorter, lighter one for summer. During this time of the year, however, this cycle is reversed and the summer coat is shed to make room for heavy protective fur for winter.

The amount of shedding varies widely from breed to breed. For example, German Shepherds are prolific year-round shedders, while poodles seem to lose little fur at all. While hair cycles are affected by mental state, hormones, and nutrition, changes primarily occur due to fluctuations in temperature and the amount of daylight.

The length of daylight hours is thought to have more impact on the shedding cycle than temperature, which is why all pets shed during particular times of the year. As the number of light hours decrease, secretions from the sebaceous glands (those responsible for hair production) also decrease, resulting in shedding. This is part of the new growth cycle, where your pet's coat will thicken, enhancing hair's insulating properties and preparing him or her for winter.

Pets that are kept primarily indoors experience fluctuations in both temperature (going in and out of the house) and light (including the artificial light in our homes) all year long. Because they are in a constant state of change, these pets tend to shed their hair - sometimes profusely - throughout the year. Most pets will shed excessively during the winter due to the dry heat in the home. The average humidity of a heated home in the winter is similar to that found in some desert regions. Using a humidifier provides great help in combating excessive shedding during the winter months.

For all of the hair support systems to function properly, they require a variety of nutrients, including fatty acids, minerals and vitamins. The body delivers these nutrients to the primary organs (heart, lungs, liver) first, and the remainder is sent to the sebaceous glands. Additionally, a healthy coat requires protein - and lots of it! In fact, at optimum nutrition levels, almost 95% of the protein that's ingested is used by the body to support hair production and maintenance.


Can anybody add anything else?

For the TOS you should really provide a link or at least attribute your source :)

Thanks Isabel........I need to find out how to do that :rolleyes: the link bit!

In it's simplest form all you have to do is cut and paste the addy
http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/articles/healthy_skin_coat.htm
but if you want to be as sophisticated as HG and myself you can pick your title, highlight it by dragging your cursor along it and then click on the 'url' botton above your post reply box thus
[url=]title[/url]
Then click into the space after the = and insert your cut and paste.
title

I never seem to be able to cut and paste addresses for some reason. I'll have to have a mess about later!

Right click anywhere on the address bar and left click copy.

http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/articles/healthy_skin_coat.htm

I'm all for cutting and pasting info and articles,it's much easier and convenient for the reader to have the pertaining advice posted for them so they dont have to go trawling through sites posted,and i have absolutely no probs with it. Howeeeeever there cant be one rule for one,and another for the rest,i'm sure mods and perceptive members know what i mean ;)

Apart from the fact that simply cutting and pasting articles is against this site's ToS

>No press releases, newsletters, Webpages, or copyrighted content may be inserted into posts. Minor excerpts of less than one paragraph (5 sentences) may be used. All other forms of inserted content from Press Releases, Newsletters, Webpages, or any other copyrighted content placed into messages will be removed without exception. A link to the content is appropriate.

>Members may post links to informational sites (commercial or otherwise) which are relevant to the topic subject matter.

;), the copyright laws insist that acknowledgement be given to the author of an article. So links to the relevant article are far preferable to copy-and-paste. :)

Apart from the TOS Ktee, as you know, some of us picky readers like to examine the source, credentials etc ;)  We like to trawl :)

When i copy and paste info,i always try to add the link,or the book/source i got it from.I rarely(pretty much never) click on the links people post,i much prefer to read the relevent snippet cut and pasted. Personally authors,credentials and such arent my main interest,if the info is good and makes sense then it matters nowt to me how many letters or not the author has behind their name :)

I dont have the time to trawl. :)

>I dont have the time to trawl. 

Oooh Ktee you are the biggest trawler I know! You are always popping up with info :D
I agree it's good and helpful to have the relevent snippet pasted out for you :) but the link is important too not just to meet the TOS but also because what some regard as good and sensible others won't ;) so like it or not credentials are important :)

>but the link is important too

I agree,i think pasting the info as well as the link provided below it is a good way to go.But just posting the link,this just isnt enough to hook me in personally :D

>Oooh Ktee you are the biggest trawler I know! You are always popping up with info

Nope, i hate trawling,i'm only on the computer for a couple hours in the evenings,and only visit a few dog forums i belong to,these other forums however provide loads of info and links which i pass on,and my bookmarks folder is huge,so if something comes up here,theres usually something in my 'favourites' that i can link to.

I find reading the relevant details direct from the links much more informative than just the passages that have been cherry-picked by someone else. The rest of the article's vital to get the information in context. :)

That's very true JG it's amazing what a bit of editing can do :)
For me, though, the credentials remain all important.  Sometimes when you have had a look at them you don't have to bother reading the snippet let alone the whole link at all! Saves a lot of time :D

True - I've come across some sites on the net that were clearly written by a native of La-la Land! :D

I'm with you Isabel. I looked at one link to an 'expert'; she was about 24 YO and didn't own a dog. Not the first person I'd ask about nutrition. I don't mind age if there's education behind it and I respect anecdotal with years of experience. Without the link my judging hat goes on and I get my grain of salt out - just in case ;-)

Oh I always click on the links :D