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My dog pants heavily after biking. Normal or overheating? How to cool?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Wirehaired Pointing Griffon | Female | spayed | 1 year and 3 months old | 50 lbs

I take my dog biking with me on a cycle leash everyday in the spring, summer & fall. I always bring lots of water with me and we take frequent breaks. We usually go for about 30-45 min a day and when it's really hot I wait until it starts to cool off. I also have taught her bikejoring commands and she seems to be catching on well. I find that she is panting ALOT and will continue to do so for a half hour after we get home. Should I be concerned or is this normal? Any tips on keeping her cooler?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Joy Fuhrman, DVM, MBA, CPA

Veterinarian

Published on June 7th, 2017

If you are not already doing so, use a harness leash rather than a neck/muzzle leash. Dogs normalize their body temperature through panting so allowing her to keep her mouth wide open and not have pressure on the neck/throat may help. I would also recommend avoiding running/biking on tarred road surfaces. Black tar can become very hot in the summer and in addition to causing your dog to overheat, may even cause burns to the foot pads. Hope this helps. Happy biking!

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    Answered By Emily, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It sounds like she is not conditioned yet for these runs. I recommend cutting back and doing shorter runs to get her better acclimated to the new heat. Alternatively you can take breaks during your runs. My major concern would be if she pushed yourself too hard she could actually cause heat stroke/exhaustion which can be fatal.

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