Dogs need walking in whatever weather shows up, but "whatever shows up" spans a range that can genuinely harm them at both ends. The good news: the safe zone is wide, the rules at the edges are simple, and the trick in between is mostly timing.
Heat: the dangerous end
Heat hurts dogs faster than cold does. They don't sweat, they cool by panting, and the ground they walk on is often 20–30°C hotter than the air.
- Under 20°C: all dogs, all walks.
- 20–25°C: fine for most dogs; watch flat-faced breeds (bulldogs, pugs), overweight and senior dogs. Carry water on longer walks.
- 25–30°C: short walks in shade, early morning or evening only. Skip ball-chasing — exertion, not air temperature, is what tips dogs into heatstroke.
- Over 30°C: garden breaks only. No real walks.
The seven-second pavement test: press the back of your hand on the asphalt for seven seconds. If you can't hold it, it will burn paw pads. Asphalt in direct sun hits 60°C on a 25°C day — this test fails hours after the air has "cooled."
Cold: tougher than you think, until it isn't
Most dogs handle cold better than their owners assume. General guide by size:
- Above 0°C: fine for nearly all dogs.
- -5 to 0°C: small, short-haired, senior dogs want a coat and shorter walks.
- Below -5°C: limit time outside for small breeds; watch for lifted paws and shivering.
- Grit and salt on winter pavements irritates pads — rinse paws after urban walks in a freeze.
Rain: a comfort problem, not a safety one
Rain doesn't hurt dogs. Some hate it, some are delighted by it. The real rain problems are yours: soaked gear, muddy dog, and thunderstorm anxiety (a genuine welfare issue — during storms, skip the walk and let an anxious dog shelter).
The practical rain question is timing: rain comes in bands, dogs are flexible, and a walk shifted by 45 minutes is a dry walk. The whole skill of wet-week dog ownership is spotting the gaps.
Timing beats toughness
Notice a pattern? Almost every rule above resolves to walk at a different time: before the heat, after the band of rain, during the midday warmth in winter. Which means the daily question isn't "should I walk the dog?" but "when's the best window today?"
Answering that manually means checking an hourly forecast two or three times a day, every day, forever.
Let the window find you
Waycast automates exactly this. Save the dog walk as a recurring trip — the actual loop you walk, at your usual times — and it checks the forecast along that route for the exact time window, every day. You get a short briefing before the walk: "Dry now, band arriving in 40 min — go early," or "26°C at 5 PM — push the walk past 7 and it's 21°C."
If a heat spike or a storm warning appears for your walk window, you get one heads-up in advance, not a surprise at the door. The free plan covers three trips — morning loop, evening loop, and the weekend long one. Set up the walk once, and stop refreshing the hourly forecast with a leash in your hand.