Temperature
isn't the whole story...
 Don't
underestimate humidity when it comes to dogs. Lisa Jordan shares what happened
to her my dog because, honestly, she never expected it. Throughout the recent
extreme temperatures in the UK, she's has been incredibly careful. She kept him
cool, avoided unnecessary exercise in the heat, and thought she'd done
everything I could to keep him safe. But then, at an indoor arena with very poor
ventilation, he suddenly collapsed.
It was around 27°C
outside. The weather was cloudy and stormy, not what many of us would consider
'dangerously hot.'
Here's what happened.
He had been kept calm at
one end of the arena, near a door, where he could see and hear agility taking
place. He wasn't allowed to play with his toy. We waited for around an hour and
a half before entering the ring.
Once we went in, I did a
couple of focus exercises and a little warm-up. We did a tunnel, then a long
jump to the weaves. I rewarded his entry with his toy and we played briefly as
we moved to another section.
We then did three jumps
to the dog walk.
 It
was on the top plank that I noticed something wasn't right. His gait suddenly
looked strange. He made it to the bottom, stopped, cried out and then collapsed
onto his side, completely motionless. His hind leg was stiff.
It felt like an
eternity. Then he raised his head and looked around. He stood up, shook himself
and, incredibly, started looking for his toy.
We immediately left the
arena. We gave him a hydration drink, ran the hose underneath him to help cool
him down, and sat in the shade with a good breeze blowing through. The vet
believes overheating was the cause of his collapse. It was absolutely
terrifying. This experience has taught me something I really want other dog
owners to know:
Temperature isn't the whole story
Dogs cool themselves very
differently from humans. High humidity makes it much harder for them to lose
heat effectively through panting. When you combine humidity with poor airflow,
exercise, excitement or stress, an indoor space can become dangerous
surprisingly quickly.
 Please
don't assume that because somewhere is indoors, shaded, cloudy, or 'only' 27°C,
your dog is automatically safe.
Please take signs of overheating seriously
Excessive panting, difficulty breathing, weakness, confusion, unsteadiness or
collapse should be treated as an emergency. Seek veterinary help immediately.
I was so confident that
I had done everything possible to protect my dog from the heat. This was a very
frightening reminder that overheating can happen in circumstances we don't
necessarily recognise as dangerous.
Thankfully, I'm
incredibly relieved to say that he has made a complete recovery.
Please share this
If our experience makes even one person stop and think
twice before taking their dog into a hot, humid or poorly ventilated venue, then
sharing what happened will have been worthwhile.
Please keep your dogs
safe.
 About
the author...
Lisa Jordan started the agility game in 1987
and has seen lots of improvement in training methods, equipment and course
design since then.
She proudly runs her own club K.I.S. Dog
Training and is an Agility Club Approved instructor and Kennel Club judge. She
also teaches hoopers.
Over the years she has shared her life with
lots of different breeds including a Springer Spaniel, German Shepherd, Belgian
Shepherd, Lowchen and a Beardie X Old English Sheepdog. She also has a Working
Cocker who came from the RSPCA having been seized in a puppy farm haul.
First published 1st
September 2026
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