We walk, run and do multiple other physical activities with our pets, yet we never contemplate a drop of sweat on their body. In this situation, it is normal for us to ask ourselves: Do dogs sweat? How are they able to remove all the internal heat that they store?

You will have heard a thousand theories about canine sweat: that it arises on the legs, that it springs up on the animal's skin but cannot be seen with the fur, that it comes off through the mouth or nose, etc. Only in this article will you find out the whole truth about this interesting topic in the canine world.

Where Do Dogs Sweat?

As we have already mentioned, sweating in dogs is a subject that has given rise to multiple theories. Some of them fall into the error of assimilating the canine organism to the human one. Nothing is further from reality; the body of dogs has nothing to do with ours.

Do Dogs Have Sweat Glands?

Dogs do have sweat glands!

Yes, of course they have and in fact they have two types of sweat gland, one is like human named eccrine sweat glands and another apocrine sweat glands.

The main activity of the Eccrine sweat glands is to produce water with a small concentration of salt and other electrolytes.

Eccrine sweat glands are covered the whole human body, and it is used to cool the body.

In case of dogs, they only have eccrine sweat gland in their paws and noses but they have apocrine sweat glands at the follicle of every hair and apocrine sweat glands produce oil laced with pheromones.

Pheromones are chemical elements that signals animals use to communicate information about themselves to other animals of the same species.

Dogs Do Not Sweat Through Their Skin Where They Have Fur

Some of the texts that we can read on the internet explain that dogs are capable of sweating through their skin just as we humans do. We are talking about a statement that can be considered false.

Dogs hardly have sweat glands in their skin. That is, it is genetically impossible for these animals to shed sweat from most of their body. We only found two areas of the canine body with these characteristics. We explain which ones in the next section.

Dogs Sweat by The Nose

Few parts of the dog contain so-called sweat glands. One of them is the nose, better known as the truffle. Although it is a clear mechanism to cool the dog's organism, the sweat on the animal's nose also has another even more essential function.

                          Photo Credited To: Telegraphindia

The truffle needs to be continuously moist so that the dog's nose is ideal. The capacity of this sense reaches its ceiling when sweat, mixed with mucus, settles in the dog's nose. Here you have all the information about the nose of dogs.

Dogs Sweat Through The Pads of The Paws

The other areas where the so-called sweat glands are located in the dog's body are the pads.

Thanks to this sweat, dogs protect the skin other than these areas and improve their adherence to the ground. Undoubtedly, it also serves as a cooling technique in the dog's body.

However, we are talking about a reduced number of glands, so the amount of sweat released by these parts of the canine body is not enough to release all the necessary internal heat.

Discover All the Details About Pads on Dogs

With all that has been said, we can point out that dogs sweat very little. And it is that the canine organism keeps an alternative cooling system that you have probably heard of.

Why Dogs Don't Almost Sweat?

Sweat is the mechanism that humans have to remove the internal heat from the body. This is not to say that it is the only way to cool an organism. This is demonstrated by dogs, who hardly need to sweat to maintain optimal body temperature.

Why Do Dogs Pant?

The substitute used by dogs is none other than panting. The mouth becomes an essential area for the dog to shed the internal heat. How do they do that? The mechanism is quite interesting.

When the canine organism detects an excess of heat in its body temperature -which is usually around 38ºC- it sends an alarm signal. The dog's body sends the blood with higher temperature to the area of the tongue.

Immediately afterwards, the water vapor coming from the lungs, upon reaching the animal's mucous membranes, condenses, causing intense drooling when the dog gasps in very hot conditions.

Panting is common after a physical effort of the animal or after situations with quite high climates. Excessive drooling in a gasp can become a pre-heat stroke sign. 

Since we are already very clear that panting is a basic canine cooling mechanism, it is advisable to carefully select accessories such as the muzzle for dogs. Many of these garments do not allow the dog to pant, which can have serious consequences for the animal - especially if it is very hot.

If you are concerned about your pet's panting or you want to make sure of its health, it is best to hire veterinary services to match. 

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