Hot cocker

[KeresleyKate]

Hi Not sure if I'm posting this in the right place and if its a grooming issue or not. Arvy is a year old. He gets really hot and tired when out for a walk.  I'm wondering if its just because he's young and needs to build up stamina or because of his coat. I know a lot of people clip there pet cockers to help cool them but does it really help? His coat is so dense i'm not sure clipping would make a difference.  As you can tell I'm not keen to clip him because he has such beautiful fur. I do keep him fairly short and use a king comb on him.  Yesterday we took him a short walk, probably 1.5 miles, there was a lot of bounding and running involved and he was really, really hot but being a cocker is unable to stop running and bounding, infact he like to run all the way back home at top speed, unless stopped   I'll be honest sometimes I worry its a health issue, but then I'm  probably comparing him to the working springer we had before and he's a show cocker!

If anyone knows someone who would show me how to do a good pet trim local to Coventry that would be really useful too.  Many thanks, Kate 

[elaine.e]

What time of day did you take him out Kate? It was pretty hot where I am yesterday and I ended up taking my two out for their first walk at 10.45 am, late for me, by which time it was hot enough to make both of them pant. So we just walked for 20 minutes and went again for a longer walk in the evening when it was cooler.

Try comparing what he's like when walking in different temperatures and see if you think he's still getting too hot when the weather is cool and cloudy.

Also, how long did you walk him for? At a year old he'll be capable of long walks but is still immature and won't yet have "bodied up" and developed the shape and muscle he'll have when mature. So if you think he's getting really tired either shorten the walks a bit or give him a rest and some water mid walk.

My older boy is partly clipped and my younger one is hand stripped so has more coat. He perhaps get hotter a bit quicker than the older one, but there's not much in it. Personally I don't think clipping makes a huge difference.

[KeresleyKate]

Thanks Elaine.  It was about 10.45 when we went out too and hot. I think you are right and already had thought we should make him rest for a bit mid-walk.  Also he has had a few long walks and helped! in the garden a lot the last few days so he was probably tired beforehand. I  just want to be prepared for when we go on holiday in Cornwall in May.  At least resting Arvy will give me an excuse to stop for a while. My husband thinks you should keep going if you are walking so no stops for me.   The only way to get him to stop is if you are stopping for tea shops and lunches. I know he will stop for Arvy if not for me:)

[Jane57]

Riley aged 3 is a very hot cocker. Last night we had him out at 6pm only 20 mins and he was hot, we too have had nice weather.
I noticed that its about this time of year that he did the same last year. Basically thats him now till after summer.
He even lay down this morning which is unusual for him.

Short walks here and earlier in the morning and later at night is the best for us.
Riley was like this from a pup we noticed from about June (at 4 months old)

[KeresleyKate]

Thanks Jane. Maybe its a blue roan thing, I guess the black in their coat gets hot and with all that fluff insulating them it wood be like wearing a black woolly jumper. Cor just had a scare, a spider ran over my computer screen, thought it was an image but it was the real deal.

[Jane57]

Thanks Jane. Maybe its a blue roan thing, I guess the black in their coat gets hot and with all that fluff insulating them it wood be like wearing a black woolly jumper. Cor just had a scare, a spider ran over my computer screen, thought it was an image but it was the real deal.

Hehe, that happened to me a few years ago, lying in bed watching tv, while a man was typing on the tv on a computer screen, I thought why doesnt he swipe that fly.... took me a few seconds to realise it wasnt a fly... it was a wasp and it was on my TV screen.

Hope the spider  is gone.

[Hamad]

Bertie will be 1 end of May and have also been the same. He's generally hyper and constantly playing indoors or when taken to a garden but always returns from a walk panting and tired, will usually lay down for about 10 minutes before the craziness resumes so we only take him out for short toilet visits during the day and leave the walks for the evening.

[chrisp]

Mollie gets very hot and pants very easily.  She loves going out for her walks but then tries to lay down in the shade half way.  She literally then just flops in a cool place at home when we return.  We don't do long walks when it's warmer as she doesn't like the heat.  It's hard for me to walk her in the cool times of day so walks tend to be very short on warm days.   She just seems a puffy, panting girl.  I actually have asked the vet to check her heart as she pants so much and I was worried.