Do Dogs Sweat? Why do Dogs Pant? How do Dogs Cool Off their Body Temperature?

It’s hot out, and you and your dog are taking a midday run. As your shirt becomes soaked with perspiration, Rover breaks a sweat in his own way, by panting. that’s what you’ve always thought anyway.

Dogs don’t sweat by panting, but they do regulate their body temperature that way. They release excess heat through their tongues while taking short, rapid breaths. sometimes as many as 300 to 400 breaths per minute. This process expels hot air from their lungs and body cavities. But because such breathing is quick and shallow, it doesn’t use up much energy, so the dog doesn’t risk overheating more.

It’s widely thought that dogs don’t sweat at all, but that’s not true either. Although humans perspire through our skin, a dog’s fur prevents the release of moisture and heat. Our canine companions lack the extensive sweat glands that we have. But they do have some, and they’re located in their foot pads.

That’s why you can see pad prints on wood floors and outdoor decks in warm weather. That’s also why your pet’s paws can smell kind of funky like armpits. As humans do, dogs perspire when they get overheated or anxious. We get sweaty pits, they get sweaty paws.

However, the paws of a dog are too small to release the excessive body heat generated during a romp in the middle of summer. That’s when the tongue flops out. With both cooling systems in operation, a dog is so efficient at lowering its body temperature that it can endure prolonged, high speed chases, in pursuit of a rabbit for instance, without the need to stop. The rabbit, on the other hand, has no such means to cool down. Sure, it’ll keep running to evade the dog, but it will likely drop dead from heat exhaustion in the process.

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