After a run in the park?

[pipandscott]

When Harrys goes for a run in the park off lead he always seems really out of breath, Today we only went for 15 mins as it's quite hot, he ran around with a little terrier non stop. We came straight home (only four houses from the park). He drank loads of water and crunched a couple of ice cubes. He was breathing really heavily and quickly this carried on for 45 mins. is this normal? how long do boxers normally take to recover after an average run??

[jlynnholt]

He was probably just trying to cool off his body. I know even if Pimp drinks some cool water and rests in the shade it takes there body a longer time for the temperature to drop.

[BeckyNC]

That is normal. The first time it happened with Tae, I was alarmed b/c I had a Husky growing up ("regular" nose length) and she never panted like that!

Your boy's reaction to the heat was normal, but I would really cut back on the time you expose him to the heat, since Boxers tend to get overheated very quickly. It's probably better to cut back on the exercise, which will in turn cut the "panting time."

[Jan]

Boxer don't tend to deal with heat well. When it is really hot, I would restrict their exercise. Try doing some obedience work instead. Mental exercise can be just as tiring as physical exercise. Spraying with water can really help them cool off. I would spray Markus under his belly and on his neck as that seemed to work they best.

[bucca]

if you must run your dog do it in the early morning before the heat sets in or in the evening if it cools down. when you are done cool your dog down with the hose or a nice damp towel around him/her.

[stampingrace]

On really hot humid days, I cut Basil's exercise time down (we normally walk an hour) and we only go to the pond. That way, he can jump in and cool off when he needs to. The first time he panted like Harry, I was scared too.