Light colored dogs....better in the heat?

NC Beagler · Post by **NC Beagler** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 12:45 pm

Was thinking about this the other day and thought I'd throw it out to get y'alls opinion. Being form the S.E. we have some pretty hot weather from May - Sept. (thank the good Lord this summer has been fairly pleasant).
My question is - do lighter colored dogs do better in the heat? I know cars w/ dark exteriors and interior are much hotter than light colors. Just curious.

Does anyone in the south take this into consideration when breeding?

Big Dog · Post by **Big Dog** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 2:06 pm

I haven't noticed any difference in ability to take the heat. All of my current dogs are black and tan and I have not noticed any inability to function in the heat. As a matter of fact they seem to take the heat just as well or better than the open marked dogs that I have owned. The biggest factor in my opinion is conditioning. If the dogs are kept in shape as the conditions get hotter then they acclimatize and they will be okay, but if you lay them up for 2 to 3 weeks at a time and try to go out and run for 3 or 4 hours you will more than likely have heat related problems regardless of the color of the dogs. I normally have to make mine quit even if it is hot. They will go and lay in a mud puddle from time to time between races, but will not quit because of the heat.

Big Dog

chuck raab · Post by **chuck raab** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 9:47 am

I've judged a few hounds over the years and I've seem to notice that the Red and White or the ones mostly white heat faster in a cast than the Black and Tans. Chuck

Mike Thoms · Post by **Mike Thoms** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 10:08 am

NC, I'm no expert, but I have noticed that size has a lot to do with handling heat. In my opinion more than color. I try to run smaller, slighter built females and older pups during the day and save the biguns for the evening/night. Haven't really noticed a difference based on color although it seems to make sense that it would make some difference. MIKE

NC Beagler · Post by **NC Beagler** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 2:33 pm

I agree that being overweight or old or out of shape will cause a dog to over heat faster - but if all things are equal it seems that a dog that is 80% black would over heat faster than a dog that is 80% white. I have not really observed this as I've haven't really been looking for it - but it seems logical to me.

Don · Post by **Don** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 6:44 pm

I have thought about this topic alot,and have considered bringing it up. We have a black lab,and in the summer this poor dog is hot all the time. and it makes perfect since,because its dumb to wear a black T shirt when your going to be in the sun.
But with my beagles that are mostly black v/s the open marked dogs I havent noticed any diference in the summer months while runnen. but I cant imagine the black ones not being a little more hot then the lighter color or open marked dogs. Maybe they know if they went and laid in the shade they would be fired

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Sat Aug 09, 2003 8:13 pm

In a lot of these questions, we can go to Mother Nature and the Good Lord for the answer.

In Antartica, where it is extremely cold, we have the Polar bear that is totally white as well as rabbits, fox, etc. that live there that are also white. The Eskimos are light skinned.

Conversely, in most, if not all of the hottest places on this Earth, the people that live there are dark skinned or black, and have black hair.

Taitor · Post by **Taitor** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 2:02 pm

Buddy of mine has a red and white and she is usually the first to drop. It takes a coule of hours of real hard pushing to get her to stop but she will take a break. The rest of the dogs are tri colors and they would run till got them selves in some serious trouble, so you have to stop them. I think some of her trouble is her short height, she might be twelve inches at best.

tnbeagleman · Post by **tnbeagleman** » Sun Aug 10, 2003 8:57 pm

I have had some black and tans, tri-colors and saddle backs but have always had some lemon and white or red and white and have noticed a big difference in the amount of water drunk . It always took more water for the black back dogs in the kennel but in the feild runnung there did not seem to be much difference . I think the condition of the dog ,makes abigger impact in the feild but laying around the kennel I think the black dogs get hotter.

DG TX · Post by **DG TX** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 3:54 am

In the past I have found that lemon spotted hounds tend to have more skin problems down here that the darker coated. I know in pork production a light skinned hog will burn if not given cover in weather 105+ like we are having these days

YGD · Post by **YGD** » Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:32 am

TAITOR--- I THINK YOU MAY BE RIGHT. YOU MAY BE WORKING A 12" DOG TOO HARD. RED & WHITE OR NOT SHE HAS TO WORK HARDER JUST TO KEEP UP' I HAVE A RED & WHITE FROM J. MURPHY'S KENNELS & HE HAS NO PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAT, BUT HE'S ABOUT 14 ".
BUNNYBUSTER

NC Beagler · Post by **NC Beagler** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 5:15 pm

AL John - you make a good point, but in regards to animals, doesn't their coloring typically have more to do w/ their habitat and blending in w/ their surroundings. Polar bears are white b/c they live in the snow not so they can handle the cold weather better - same for the hare - camoflauge. Eskimos are lighter skinned b/c they don't get sun tans. Native Indians are red - because they have been in the sun for generations. If I remember back to North American history class correctly Eskimos and Indians originate from the same place.
But getting back to the main point. I think it would be interesting to test to see if a mostly black beagle and a mostly white beagles with the same height, weigh, shape, training, coat thickness, nutrition, etc. handled running on a 90 degree day.
Pete

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:20 pm

NC Beagler, I agree with you and appreciate you pointing that out.

In horses, a light colored one will blister and folks used to look through their hair at their skin color to see if it was pink. Some light colored ones had dark skin even if their hair was light. Those were preferred.

In the swamps where we run in summer time, the dogs are wet a lot so dark or light, they all get to swim or lay on their bellies in the water between runs and are sure in it during a run if the rabbit has any sense.

So, we see no difference, even if there is one between the white or black colored dogs.

I notice that a lot of the dogs I see in the magazine that are hunted in the extreme cold north country have a lot of white on them and they seem to stand up OK? I do not know how the dogs and hunters do it there!!!

Is it an show of endurance like those that jump in frozen lakes in winter naked? THose folks in the magazine are too tough for me, and they are even smiling wwhile stating ttheir trigger finger got stuck to the trigger.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 6:25 pm

The above post was from me, Alabama John. How did I become a Guest?

I also notice the extreme cold weather dogs do not seem to have as long a hair as some dogs here. Wouldn't breeding for longer, courser, wooly hair help them there?

chuck · Post by **chuck** » Tue Aug 12, 2003 7:40 pm

I haven t notice the color of the hound making a differnce in the heat...The big I notice is hound that are over weight have a tendacy to heat up faster,,, I arun all year in Ga. so in the summer I cut down on there feed..

Fork Creek Kennels

The American Beagler Forum

Light colored dogs....better in the heat?

Light colored dogs....better in the heat?

dark colors

COLOR