How Do Dogs Keep Warm? Or Cool?

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268 – June, 2025

By Caroline Coile

How Do Dogs Keep Warm? Or Cool?

Whoever wrote “If you’re cold, they’re cold…” never spent time with a northern breed–or for that matter, most dogs.

We all know that most dogs seem to tolerate cold weather better than we do, and that they are also more susceptible to overheating. Most models of dog evolution have them originating from wolves in colder climates. That said, as the most genetically malleable mammal species, it’s no surprise that some dogs tolerate cold–and hot–better than others.

How Dogs Thermoregulate

Regulating temperature is vital for life in every mammal, and their mechanisms of thermoregulation are similar.

• Convection: Heat tends to equalize, moving from a warmer area to a cooler one until heat is the same. So, if the dog’s skin is warm compared to the surrounding air, it will dissipate into the air and cool the dog. If the dog’s skin is cool compared to the surrounding air, heat will move from the air to the skin, warming the dog. This effect is hastened if air blows over the skin surface, and lessened if the skin surface is insulated (such as by fur). It is also hastened by direct contact, such as when a dog lies on a warm or cold surface.

Click here to read the complete article
268 – June, 2025

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