Partially released dormancy causes poor and uneven bud break in temperate plant species like red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.). Insufficient chilling may be a problem when raspberries are grown at southern latitudes and in year-round production. Dormancy may be released by sublethal stress in many species. We studied the effect of sublethal stress on endodormancy in red raspberry ‘Glen Ample’ and ‘Ottawa’. Canes growing in pots were treated with either hot water (45 °C, 1 h) or the dormancy-breaking chemical, hydrogen cyanamide (1.04%), after accumulation of 0, 240, 480, 720, 960, or 1200 h of chilling at 1 °C. Bud break, vegetative growth, and number of flowers were recorded during 12 weeks of greenhouse forcing after the treatments. Chilling increased bud break, growth, and dry weight of lateral shoots and number of flowers in both cultivars. During deepest endodormancy (0 and 240 h of chilling), treatment with either hot water or hydrogen cyanamide enhanced bud break and lateral shoot growth but could not completely replace chilling. In ‘Ottawa’, hydrogen cyanamide was more effective than hot water during deepest endodormancy, but hot water treatment broke dormancy effectively when 720 h of chilling had accumulated. For ‘Glen Ample’, hot water was as effective as hydrogen cyanamide in breaking endodormancy. Hot water treatment reduced the number of flowers in ‘Glen Ample’ during late endodormancy (720, 960, and 1200 h of chilling). The chilling requirement for ‘Ottawa’ was fulfilled between 720 and 960 h of chilling. However, in ‘Glen Ample’, 1200 h of chilling was not enough to fully release bud dormancy; bud break remained low and it was increased by dormancy-breaking treatments. Hot water treatment can be used to release endodormancy in raspberries, but treatment conditions need to be optimized to preserve crop potential. Chemical name used: hydrogen cyanamide (Dormex, Hi-Cane, Morgrapes).