07/02/2026
With the crazy heat and humidity we’re facing here this week (and into next week) a good reminder to have a plan and know when to say “no “when it comes to running our dogs.
When relative humidity climbs above about 70%, the air is already holding a large amount of moisture. This makes it much harder for evaporation to occur from a dog’s tongue and airways, which is one of their main cooling methods. Basically they end up breathing in warm, moisture-heavy air, which can raise their body temperature quickly even during mild exercise.
A general rule that I was taught and go by is
Air temperature + humidity = ___
If those two together equal 150, I don’t personally run any of my dogs.
Anything below 140 and we’re good to go.
Once I reach 140 I make a lot of adjustments to what we’re doing. Sometimes even changing the entire session. Lots of water breaks.
And I make sure that they have shade to rest in.
Teammates depend upon each other and our teammates are relying on us to pay attention to these things and to watch for signs of heat exhaustion and sometimes even swallow our pride and say “let’s try tomorrow”.
