# my puppy hates the sun!!!



## Eupher (May 9, 2008)

Cute pup, but I think he's going to have to somehow come to terms with the sun. Kinda hard gettin' away from that great big ball in the sky.

Has he been checked out? Vet visit, vision test, that sort of thing?

Belle, who is not quite 13 weeks old, favors air conditioning vents as well. So, in essence, the avoidance of heat might be a normal thing for pups. Some of the other more experienced pup owners will surely chime in on that.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

He is a little cutie. I have never heard of a sun hating puppy but I'm willing to bet is just a phase he is going through.


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## tubuzi (Jun 2, 2008)

He just had his 2nd vaccination and check up yesterday and he's a healthy boy! Hopefully he'll get over it. I was hoping this is a puppy thing...I'll let you guys posted in a few weeks


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Are you sure it's just a fear? Maybe the sun hurts his eyes or something. I've never heard of this.


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## Angel_Kody (Feb 27, 2007)

First of all...your pup is darling! I never noticed my Jester not liking sun when he was that little but as he got bigger, I noticed he has a very low tolerance for the heat. When we walk on a hot sunny day, he will stop when we come to a shady spot and lay flat out "froggie style" and not budge.


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## nixietink (Apr 3, 2008)

My brother's GSD puppy had the same problem. Dogs can have sensitivity to light. They took him to the vet and he ended up being fine. One romp with his litter mates in the sun and he had no more problems after.

Will he follow you in the sun with treats? Maybe have another dog run around with him outside? If it doesn't go away I would see a vet specifically for this problem.

PS: Your pup is adorable!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I was so into the sun thing I forgot his pics! He is SO darling!!! makes me jealous!


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

Lucy will go out of her way when playing fetch to walk in the shade.


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## Susan6953 (Jun 9, 2008)

This is kind of far fetched but the photo of him hiding his little face made me think of a genetic condition children can have in which sun exposure causes burning and itching. If a puppy had it I imagine it would only affect the areas not covered by fur.

As I said it is far fetched. Susan


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## sharlin (Feb 26, 2007)

He probably already equates sun with hot and shade with cool~he's just keeping himself supercool for all the ladies!!!!!


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## sonaliagrawal (Jun 18, 2008)

I have nothing useful to say about his issues with sun. All I have to say is that your puppy is super-cute. I cant wait to get my puppy home next weekend, when he turns 8 wks. How is the housebreaking coming along?


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## Fransheska (Mar 9, 2008)

im in miami and when my dog was a puppy i thought the same thing, but it turns out IT WAS THE HOT SIDEWALKS that i was making him walk on, not the heat itself. maybe the heat is hurting his little puppy paws?


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

How hot is it. Pups don't regulate their body temperatre too well, so it could just be self preservation! If you think he's sensitive I'd have him checked by a vet to catch any potential problem early.

My fur kidz follow me down the yard, stand/lie under the cherry tree while I'm busy, then follow me back to the house during the hot and sunny part of day. 

Have you tried asking his breeder if any other of the litter, or parents had/have the same problem?


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

> im in miami and when my dog was a puppy i thought the same thing, but it turns out IT WAS THE HOT SIDEWALKS that i was making him walk on, not the heat itself. maybe the heat is hurting his little puppy paws?


That's a great point...we definately have that probelm here!!! With the older dogs too. Solved with boots when it's too hot or too cold.


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## RedWoofs (Apr 19, 2008)

Oh your doggie is GORGEOUS!!! Makes me want a pup again!

Have you had a vision check? there could be something making the little one's eyes sensitive to light

Or it could just be that baby fuzz is making your dog super hot and your little one wants to stay cooler and rest more. Pups are like babies in many ways, so if you've ever cared for one of those, think about that heat/shade factor and how they grow out of it

GL!


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## AmbersDad (Dec 25, 2007)

IF it's not a genetic issue causing the avoidance then I would think it's a heat tolerance issue as well. Amber has just turned 1 year old and still has an extremely low tolerance for heat. When she we walk and it's warm out(we don't go out in mid day here either) she makes a straight line for shade. I actually cater the places we go to hike based on how much shade they have. She's quite miserable and will beg to go back to the truck if we go somewhere and she has to be in the sun too long. You figure that their normal resting body temp is roughly 102 degrees, add the fur in that keeps the heat in, the inability to sweat, having to walk barefooted(pawed) on pavement that can reach temps of over 130 degrees it's not hard to understand how they can have a low tolerance for heat. Amber loces to play on the a/c registers as well and will actually make a routine of going to each of the 6 of them in our theater room, slowly circling the room at night/day to lay on each register. She's just so much happier when it's 60 degrees or under. Then the sun doesn't matter to her. I'd say to wait till it cools off enough that it's cool outside and the sun is still out, then if he still avoids it, you may want to start working on the behavioral issues around it. This is of course assuming there is no genetic undepinnings tothe problem. Good luck! Oh fyi, you have an adorable little guy there!


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## tubuzi (Jun 2, 2008)

I will try with the treats and see. It's probably the heat he hates...he is a cutie. Well, by the fall, we are moving to the east coast Canada where it doesn't get too hot, he'll love it there


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## tubuzi (Jun 2, 2008)

Well, when I do carry him in my arms and we are in the sun for 15 secs he starts to quirm and whine. It's probably the bright lights, I'll probably give it a couple more weeks and see, hopefully he's fine and just don't like it at the moment. I see more and more of his personality coming out every day! Habits and behavior are constantly changing...he's growing too fast!


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## ruby752 (Jul 29, 2005)

My Mandy is not a lover of "direct" sunlight. She will always find the shaded spot in the yard when she is not being played with or doing her duty. Just seems normal to me, I wouldn't want to be laying in the dirct sun with a fur coat like they have. Mandy has adjusted more to the sunlight as she has become older.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I wonder how much the breeder had them outside in the sun as they were growing up. Some breeders dont let them go outside much and so their eyes can be sensitive to light. Maybe just keep working on taking him out and his eyes will adjust.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

I did not take the time to read all the posts here so if this is somewhat a repeat I apologize. I have a 16 week old pup who was born and lived it's first 7+ weeks in Florida. When I brought her home to New Jersey the first week or so I noticed when we were in the yard anytime the sun was out she would seek out any shade she could find. I kept thinking about the times I competed in agility and would see a dog start on the course and within seconds quit and run to whatever shade it could find and NOW I HAD ONE OF THOSE. Well over the last few weeks there is less and less of this behavior, I think it may have something to do with their eyes still developing and being sensitive to the sun.


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## jcasks (Oct 14, 2007)

When we first got Tucker, if we would go outside he would head straight to the shade. He never cried though and I think he just didnt prefer the heat. Today he is fine so I hope its nothing to worry about, but the crying is a bit weird to me.


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## Mrs_B (Jan 21, 2008)

Both of my goldens hate the sun. It was 104 yesterday and they hardly went outside.


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## Jeannine Morrissey (Aug 13, 2020)

tubuzi said:


> My little Jacob won't walk or go where there is sunlight. It's so hard to go for a walk with him. It's kinda cute but I hope he gets over it! We are hoping to take him with us camping and sailing. If I carry him to an area where it's sunny, he'll cry and run to where there are shades and plot himself down there. He's 9 weeks old...is he going to get over this fear?


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## Jeannine Morrissey (Aug 13, 2020)

My Empress Sunshine (10 weeks old) doesn't like the sun either. In fact, I have to pick her up and carry her to a shady area to do her business. I had a gold retriever prior to this one but I honestly do not remember if she didn't like the sun. I am hoping she grows out of this because we would like her to be my son's service dog.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Rukie hated the sun as a puppy but he's fine with it now. We would run from shade tree to shade tree during the day for exercise and potty breaks.


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## BBubs (5 mo ago)

tubuzi said:


> My little Jacob won't walk or go where there is sunlight. It's so hard to go for a walk with him. It's kinda cute but I hope he gets over it! We are hoping to take him with us camping and sailing. If I carry him to an area where it's sunny, he'll cry and run to where there are shades and plot himself down there. He's 9 weeks old...is he going to get over this fear?


I know this is a very old post but did your 9 week old Golden ever get over his sun fear? Our 9 weeker is doing the same thing!


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## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

BBubs said:


> I know this is a very old post but did your 9 week old Golden ever get over his sun fear? Our 9 weeker is doing the same thing!


I recommend western Washington. No sun. Your puppy will be happy!


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

Rukie got over it.


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