# What temperature should you keep your home?



## vegdoglover

Does anyone have any literature or resources that discuss what is the ideal temp to keep your home at if you have a GSD? Especially if you live in the South? Personal opinions welcome too. 

Thanks.


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## AbbyK9

I guess my first question would be, does your dog have any specific health conditions? Sometimes, very young dogs, seniors, and dogs with ailments have a harder time adjusting to the temperatures and humidity levels than a healthy adult dog would.

We live in Virginia, so I'm not entirely sure you would consider us "the south", but it sure does get hot and humid here - it was today! We try to acclimatize to the warmer and colder temperatures as the year passes, so we don't turn the AC on as soon as it goes over 70 and we don't turn the heat on as soon as it goes below 70. In summer, we don't usually turn the AC on until it's well into the 90's, except at night (because my DH doesn't like to sweat when he's asleep) when we set it to 85ish. In winter, the heat doesn't go on unless it's below 60 (and DH complains he's "cold").

In my experience, Abby could care less about the weather. As long as she gets brushed out frequently and has fresh water available, she's game for pretty much anything, indoors and out.


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## CertainlySpoiled

Well we keep our AC on 72 degrees in the Summer, and in the winter we burn wood, so if we are gone, we leave the heat on about 72-74 depending on how cold it is.


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## BJDimock

In Ct, I keep my house at 65 in the winter when I'm not home, and find that when we burn wood in the winter, the girls are searching for cooler spots. They don't love humidity, but we'll leave fans on during the day in the summer. Pups perfer it a little cooler, and any dog with heart conditions may have issues, but in general, if we're ok, the kids are too!


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## vegdoglover

> Originally Posted By: HistorianI guess my first question would be, does your dog have any specific health conditions? Sometimes, very young dogs, seniors, and dogs with ailments have a harder time adjusting to the temperatures and humidity levels than a healthy adult dog would.
> 
> We live in Virginia, so I'm not entirely sure you would consider us "the south", but it sure does get hot and humid here - it was today! We try to acclimatize to the warmer and colder temperatures as the year passes, so we don't turn the AC on as soon as it goes over 70 and we don't turn the heat on as soon as it goes below 70. In summer, we don't usually turn the AC on until it's well into the 90's, except at night (because my DH doesn't like to sweat when he's asleep) when we set it to 85ish. In winter, the heat doesn't go on unless it's below 60 (and DH complains he's "cold").
> 
> In my experience, Abby could care less about the weather. As long as she gets brushed out frequently and has fresh water available, she's game for pretty much anything, indoors and out.


It's not for me. I keep my a/c most of the time and just adjust the temp. In the winter, I don't keep the heat on most of the time b/c the dogs like it cool. I just double up on my clothes. But I was struggling with what to tell someone else. I guess my question should have been - what is too hot? Should one not go over 80 degrees if the dog is healthy, has a water source, lights are off, curtains closed? As far as location, I'm in Charlotte, NC and it is pretty warm here but also quite humid. I think it must be hot at least half the year. Maybe 3 cool - cold months. 

P.S. I am from Fairfax County in VA and consider anything south of that the South.


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## BowWowMeow

It depends a lot on the dog--age, what they're used to, etc. I don't have central air and sometimes it gets up to 85 in my house. I turn on fans, wet the dogs down, feed them ice cubes, etc. Chama does best when it's 70 or below in the house because she is older and has lung problems. 

And in the winter I keep the heat at 58 when I'm home and 53 when I'm out or sleeping. The dogs love it! The cat, however, thinks it's too cold!


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## BJDimock

I hear you about the cat. Often, I'll wake up in the winter to find my girls on the floor and all 8 of my cats trying for the warm spot on the bed!!!!!


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## AbbyK9

> Quote:I guess my question should have been - what is too hot? Should one not go over 80 degrees if the dog is healthy, has a water source, lights are off, curtains closed?


In that case, my answer is .... "Depends on the Dog."









In all seriousness, if we're talking about a health adult German Shepherd with no medical issues who has water and shade available to him, I don't see why that dog wouldn't do well at 80 degrees - or 90 degrees - or even warmer. As long as the dog has a cool and shady spot to go to, fresh water available, and a well-maintained coat, they can get used to the warmer temperatures and withstand them without any problems.

We still go hiking if it's over 90 degrees. We also go reenacting if it's that hot. Our hottest event recently was in Pennsylvania - it was 102 degrees and 63% humidity. Plenty of shade but no fans or air conditioning. We were all FINE, including Abby!


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## flyinghayden

I keep it very cool, around +50F. I cannot tolerate heat at all, and now that the dogs have acclimated, they too get too hot when it is much above 50.


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## deborahgym2

I keep my AC on at anywhere between 72 -75 degrees with the ceiling fans on and I live in Florida. Romy does well and sleeps like a baby!


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## Brightelf

I must be related to Richard. I am trying to train a new hubby to accept sleeping in cooler temps.









Each dog has preferences. Do the dogs sleep on carpet, or always try for a space on the tile, hardwood, or linoleum? I would say most of the GSDs that I know prefer it cool, 70 degrees is the warmest they like it, but cooler is better for them, it seems.

And then there's Grimm, who craves the glacial cold of ice and snow. As a 9 week old puppy, he would lay in the flying frog position, his naked new-puppy tummy in his weenie zone pressed to the snow, grinning with delight.


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## UConnGSD

We have had to keep our temperature at 71 all through the summer. Otherwise it is crash, bang, rattle all night long as Wolfie is thrashing around in his crate along with an obscene amount of panting to keep you awake, if the poltergeist act doesn't.


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## Elaine

I go by my dogs' individual reactions to temperature. My greyhounds prefer 75-78 degrees, like me, and my GSD wild child prefers it as cold as it goes. As I hate to spend money on heating or cooling when I could be spending that money on my dogs, I keep the house nice and warm in the summer, but never over 78 as my GSD just gets too hot, and 64degrees in the winter. This winter with the cost of heat, I am going to have to keep the house in the 50s so I have already bought my greys pjs to keep them warm.


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## selzer

I live in Ohio. That means the temperature ranges from -10F to 102 degrees F. 

Sorry but I really do not have air conditioning. A room air conditioner on the ends of my house that help a little. Dogs and humans do fine. Plenty of water, shade in the kennels, the dogs tend to do fine. 

Remember that many GSDs are stationed in Irak in temperatures much higher than we have here. Maybe some places in the south are as hot, I do not think so though. 

I think you make the house comfortable for you, and if you have a basement, let Cujo hang out down there.


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## tintallie

In the winter during the daytime when I am at work, the house is 16.5ºC (62ºF) and goes up to 19.5ºC (67ºF) when I get home. During the summer (the short 2 months that we have), I keep it at 19.5ºC as well.

The dog and I don't handle the heat well so I prefer it being cooler year round. If gets super cold during the winter (prairie winters in Canada), I throw on an extra layer with a blanket and dog on my lap


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## Lauri & The Gang

Before I met DH the dogs and I lived in a small house with NO AC. They survived. One summer we had a very nasty heat wave and I remember it being 85 degrees at MIDNIGHT!!

I used fans alot to move the air and kept the shades closed to limit the heat from the sun.

Now we have a house with dual-zone climate control. During the summer we keep the house at 78 when we aren't home and then down to 75 when we are (sometimes cooler if we are working outside on a hot day). During the winter we keep the house around 65-68.

Because of my hot flashes I have the celing fans on high and blankets nearby all year round.


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## ozzymama

We keep the climate control on 69 in the winter and 79 in the summer. We too burn wood and it's a very dry heat, so I do find ours tend to get warmer. They will go and lay elsewhere.
Sandi, because of her age and health problems right now is having a more difficult time with heat. I have someone who stops in twice a day between 2pm and 7pm to check on her, help her outside to pee when I'm not there and check the temperature.
With mine, if they're cold, they cuddle with me *L* I hate air conditioning, so I'm glad I'm not there during the day with the dogs, at night we keep fans going and open the windows, unless it goes over 79 in the house, then we let the air run a cycle. We keep the fan on the furnace always running, we have an air purifier that filters air for the furnace, so it keeps the air in the house circulating. Good in the summer, because the basement is always cooler and in the winter it keeps it a bit warmer.


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## Strana1

> Originally Posted By: BrightelfI must be related to Richard. I am trying to train a new hubby to accept sleeping in cooler temps.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Each dog has preferences. Do the dogs sleep on carpet, or always try for a space on the tile, hardwood, or linoleum? I would say most of the GSDs that I know prefer it cool, 70 degrees is the warmest they like it, but cooler is better for them, it seems.
> 
> And then there's Grimm, who craves the glacial cold of ice and snow. As a 9 week old puppy, he would lay in the flying frog position, his naked new-puppy tummy in his weenie zone pressed to the snow, grinning with delight.


Brightelf, are you a writer? I love your vivid descriptions!


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