What temperature can your Chow stand??

[gebower]

I watch my Chows when they're out in warm weather and it seems they can handle it for maybe 30 minutes at 90 degrees and that's with shade (SunSetter) and tree and ice water. Then, their purple tongues start wagging big time and it's time to put back inside. I'm very careful about that and in tune with them. Just wondering out there about the rest of the beloved Chows and how they do.
Gene.

[Jeff&Peks]

People say 70 degrees but I think it has alot to do with where you live and the weather your Chow is use to, Pekoe has no problem with 80s and 90's, when it gets in the 80's I just slow her way down and make sure i have water if she gets to hot she will drag me to a shade tree and rest. I would start doing hot weather alert around 70/75 degree's. Pekoe has been out on 100 degree days but living in Ca she is use to hot weather.

[jacqui]

my two do not do well in temps above 70's.we are having a heatwave here high 90's and humid I let them out for about 5- 10 mins. tops.
I have been brushing and raking them daily to get that undercoat out.they are comfortable in the house with the AC on high !

[sit_by_the_beach]

Humidity is a factor with Mikki chow and my late Luna. At the moment the temp here is in the 90's, humidity is 80%. The humidex is 40 C. Mikki gets a p and poo out in the yard, time: 10 minutes. A short walk tonight when it's a bit cooler. The pooch mix is o.k. in the heat, we're leaving for Woofstock, it's way too hot for me to take Mikki chow even though I'd love to. Mikki attracted a crowd last year, only two chows of the 140,000 dogs were spotted. I guess not many own chows in Toronto???? The pooch won't get a second look. They come a dime a dozen, chows are rare here. I don't expect to see any, it's just too hot and humid. Mikki walks slow in the heat and her undercoat feels wet and the next thing will be hot spots.

[fillyok]

it's been in the high 90s here for the past few weeks, but it's usually pretty warm here In south Texas. Mine have a doggie door so they come and go as they please. They tend to stay in the house more when it's hot, but if I'm outside for any reason they're right there supervising me. I don't walk them when the temps are up...too risky for heat exhaustion. My a/c runs 24/7 thanks to the Chows.

[PurpleKisses]

Chi-Ching does fine in pretty much any weather..... he did fine last summer in 90+ degree weather.... If it gets too hot he will usually come in but he really does well, of course we always make sure he has plenty of water, and we have lots of shade for him.

[vicster605]

I agree with Jeff, I think it really depends on what your Chow is used to. Kearra was born in Ala. and was raised outside (for the first 8 weeks), it is hot and humid there too. Our temps are now in the lower 90's but we almost always have high humidity. She tolerates the heat better than Kyra does, who was born in Virginia and flown down here at 11 weeks old. Not sure how much that has to do with it though.....Kyra tends to be a heavier Chow than Kearra, who is on the smaller side. Kyra does choose to stay inside way more than Kearra does in the summer.
Kearra can tollerate staying out in the 90's for hrs at a time and doesn't seem to be bothered.....she does drink alot more ice water and is slower moving depending on how hot it is out, she does hang out in the shade then too
Ms Kyra will go out on hot days and dig with both paws in the ice water bowl until she has dug out alot of the water and then she will lay down in it to cool off.......they really aren't dumb. Can't get her to jump in the pool though, keep trying to tell her its the same thing LOL(even with Lily going and getting in when she gets hot) I think where a problem comes in is when the owners doesn't provide what they need to cool off.....my two always have to option to come back in and when its TOO HOT they always choose to come in and stay until it cools off except for potty breaks.
I ran into a lady whe I first got Kearra at a coffee house who left her Chow outside and it died from the heat but she said she left him out while she was at work all day in August and he turned his water bowl over
I never walk them except early morning and late late evening when its HOT.....and I would die from heat exhaustion too if we didn't run our AC 24/7

[kingalls]

Depends on what they are doing....We choose not to take our 2 out for a walk when the temps are over 70 degrees. We have taken them for short walks at around 70 degrees but they are both panting alot by the time we get back. Shiloh jumps in her pool and Mr. N just wants in to sit under the ceiling fan.
When it's hot they both like to crawl under the backyard deck where it's cooler.
Basically, I think it's best to minimize their activity in the above 70 temps. While their thick fur will help insulate them, I think we need to make sure they aren't over stimulated in hot weather.

[Laura]

It is miserable here...90's and humidity. It is even hot at night and in the early mornings. My two go out in the yard only for brief periods of time. Maybe 15 minutes max each time. We also only go for short walks right before or after dark. They pant so much it worries me to do more then that. We also run the AC constantly and my electric bill already reflects it! I wish there was somewhere to go and walk them besides Petsmart. I feel bad they are cooped up and this will go on for months here.

[Ginger Bears Mom]

I wish there was somewhere to go and walk them besides

Just a thought and I realize it would be harder with two Chows than with just one. We have been taking Ziggy with us on trips to Home Depot and Lowe's, figuring that would be a great place to test his social skils, along with lots of activity and noises. Just started doing it within the last month or two, he is great with all the activity and people but still a bit shy on getting to know new people. Would rather look and sniff than receive but then what chow wouldnt,,LOL

Heat here in Houston has been pretty miserable, he seems to always be hot even in cooler weather, different than our first chow a red. We let him our for about 10-15 minutes and then back in to the AC. Walks at night or early morning, a must for him with his energy level.

[nuke]

I have read that high humidity is not good for Chows.Where I live, we have a pretty dry heat for the most part and Ziggy has no problem with playing outside in the 100 plus range. I keep a very close eye on him though and I would not risk taking him for a walk or even a long drive in my truck, just in case the damn thing broke down somewhere.

He has his own door and comes and goes as he pleases. Mostly he prefers to be outside at night and inside sleeping during the day.

[Laura]

Oh wow I didn't know HP and LOwes allowed animals inside! We have practically lived in those stores for the last few months working on our house! Thanks for the tip!

[Ginger Bears Mom]

Oh wow I didn't know HP and LOwes allowed animals inside!

Ask not and play dumb is my favorite motto in situations like this. We have seen quite a few pets in these stores on trips to them which gave us the idea. A local lady with a St. Bernard rescue seems to believe they are pretty open to it, her comment was "there is a lady that brings her pet snake to HD, I think that pushes their pet policy a bit." So I guess it is okay, but really don't know, have not yet had any problems....b

[WildThings]

With Lowes and HD, I'm sure it depends on the individual stores, but my dad worked at Lowes a few years ago when he first retired and they allowed dogs because so many contractors had dogs that traveled with them to job sites. The contractors obviously couldn't leave them in their trucks, so they allowed them in the store as a customer service type thing. I'm sure HD is the same way.

As for the heat, last year, I made sure during early spring that we got all of Tess's undercoat out and she was fine all summer. Marietta's heat is similar to the deep south (low to mid 90's...85%+ humidity all summer, very miserable) but Tess would spend all most all day. She doesn't do much outside other than keep an eye on the neighborhood, but would get very annoyed when we would make her come in every once in a while. My collie would actually go out in the yard, find a place with absolutely no shade and sleep. We would have to kee an eye on her because I don't think she would realize just how hot she was getting. Fiona is a little different. She did come from Georgia, but seems to get hotter, faster than the other two. She has a different coat...most of her undercoat still hasn't let go so it's super thick and long. She is also much more active. She isn't content to "observe", she wants to be up moving, so we limit her time outside. Early morning or late night walks, five to ten minutes during the hot times of the day, and mroe inside activities.

[chowwoman]

My black chow says heat is for the birds and wants back in as soon as he does his business. I looked at the temperature a little while ago and it was 99.9 (not normally this hot).

Let your dog tell you how he feels about it. Pampered pooches prefer A/C.

[wallacethegreat]

Our temps are like Nuke's in AZ. Hot, but very dry and often windy.
I know a lot of you might not agree with this, but I'd get Wally shaved with a lion cut every June. By the time it started to get cold (because we're at 7200 feet), his coat would have grown out and he'd be beautiful again. With his lion haircut, everybody would stop and coo over him. He loved it.
Berkley, of course, was shaved at the Los Angeles shelter, most likely as soon as he got there in late March because his coat is growing out pretty fast. Still, he has no problem here with the other dogs outside. Today it was 89, but the humidity was only 15%.
I think he's just happy to be here and doesn't care about the heat that much. We have plenty of shade and a five gallon bucket of water outside. Plus, we have doggie doors (although Berkley refuses to use them) and they can come in and go out whenever they want. I just bring him in after about a half-hour. Not because of the heat, but because I just want him with me all the time. I also know that when the other dogs come in through the doggie door, I need to go get Mr. Berkley.
We don't do walks since they have 5 acres to run on, and they can pace themselves pretty well.
It's New Mexico and while it may get hot, it's not nearly as bad as Phoenix and we don't have humidity, even in the winter.
Laura Mac

[Jeff&Peks]

If a Chow can live in Phoenix then a Chow can live anywhere, it all depends on what the Chow is use to, Pekoe has a door she can come and go but she is outside right now laying in the heat getting a tan, she enjoys it and loves the summer bleached look.

[CoraP.]

Wow, 89 and low humidity. That sounds great! we've had in the low to mid 90's the past few days and LOTS of humidity. It's HOT! I'm glad Berkley is doing so well. Are there more pictures coming soon??!

[susanhsue]

Songsong can stand as warm as 34 centigrade (sorry i don't know the farenheit grade); but not long.

I guess it's just because he really enjoys staying outside...

[shannlee379]

So far Shelby has been able to handle the low 90s until she feels she needs more ice in her water. She doesn't much care that the water is ice cold, she needs to have the cubes themselves to be happy. I even bought a AC yesterday for her, and she's out back in her spot...figures huh?!!