Do Dogs Enjoy Being Outdoors While It’s Raining?
For some, rain is the ultimate disrupter. It can cause you to be stuck somewhere outdoors or suffer flight delays. On the other hand, rain offers others peace. Nothing beats a walk in the park with a little drizzle and an umbrella to accompany you. Not to mention, it looks extremely beautiful!
It’s kind of the same with dogs, some enjoy it while others hate it. We’re going to start by highlighting six ways rain affects dogs below:
HERE ARE SIX WAYS RAIN AFFECTS DOGS
They may get spooked by rain and thunder
Both pet dogs and stray dogs can get spooked by thunder. While a little drizzle might not be unpleasant for your pup, full-blown thunder may push them into their den. Or worse, it may spook them to run outside onto the street. Drivers with low visibility are a major safety risk for pups in such situations. This is exactly why rain walks with dogs are discouraged.
Sensitive hearing
Dogs can hear double the frequencies that we can. They can hear these frequencies while being four times as far away. Imagine it’s raining heavily with thunder — your dog will be able to hear double or triple the sounds you’re hearing. Now that’s certainly scary!
This is why a heavy rain spell leaves dogs anxious, lazy, or laid back. At times, noisy incidents leave dogs hiding, pacing, and even shivering. In times like these, make sure to comfort your dogs.
Stronger sense of smell
Humans have six million olfactory receptors. Your pooch has about 300 million of them. Their noses are far more powerful than ours! Secondly, the part of a dog’s brain that encodes and decodes smells is 40 percent larger than an average human’s.
Moisture amplifies scents so just think about what your dog smells in the rain with all those extra receptors. This can disturb them and might affect them in a similar way as hearing does.
The feeling of being soaked
Nobody likes feeling soaked unless you’re dancing in the rain willingly. Even then you might not appreciate your clothes getting wet in the process. It’s the same with dogs. The downside? They can’t change into a new outfit as soon as they get home. The wet coat can feel unpleasant and drenched paws aren’t so different either.
If your dog doesn’t mind being wet or running into water puddles, chances are it’s because it was exposed to water or swimming from an early age.
Lower energy levels
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects humans during rainy, dark times of the year. It can make you feel gloomy and throw you into a state of melancholy. Well, as it turns out, your pups can experience the same thing. Most pet owners claim that their dogs sleep longer during the winter and rainy seasons.
Dogs also have the ability to sense our excitement levels. If you’re excited about the rain, your dog will probably sense it and feel enthusiastic too. If you’re going through a low spell of energy and as a result, it makes your dog lazy as well!
Pneumonia
Being wet for longer periods, during winter, in particular, can cause inflammation in the respiratory tract of a dog. Senior dogs or younger dogs with a compromised immune system are most prone to pneumonia in such a case. The symptoms include lethargy, cough, and difficulty breathing.
We advise making your pups wear custom-made dog raincoats to protect them during hard rain spells.
SUMMING UP: IT VARIES FROM ONE DOG TO ANOTHER
Before we conclude, know that some dogs do enjoy the occasional drizzle and may become laid back during a hard spell. Some might be lazy for as long as there’s a smell of rain in the air. And there could be some dogs that might even appreciate a cats-and-dogs type of situation for a short time. Regardless, make sure to be mindful of the aforementioned effects of rain on your dog at all times. If your dog enjoys the occasional drizzle, you can train them to wear a dog raincoat so you may enjoy a walk in the park with your best bud!