How To Keep Your Dog Cool During the Summer

Tips & Tricks to Keep Your Dog Cool During the Summer

With it being mid-June, temperatures are already soaring, and it is vital to know what to do to allow your pet to enjoy these warmer months.  Nobody wants to find out they’ve roasted their pet, nor deal with heat stroke or severe dehydration, right?  Summer means fun and outdoors, and by all means, your pet should enjoy it, too!

Indoors

• If you don’t have central air (poor you & Rover!), make sure you invest in some fans.  Oscillating fans are also great because they move air around.  When it starts to cool down, put fans near open windows/doors to further help with air circulation.
• Make sure your pet has access to water at all times. While many training tips advise specific feeding times, many advocate constant water access.  We personally taper water access off towards night time, since Mellan is a puppy, but during the day, especially when it’s hot, dogs need to stay hydrated just as people do.
• Make some ice! Ice cubes make a great cold treat for your furry one.  We started doling them out to Mellan as treats (we’ll make him work for it), and he loves them.  Ice also helps them cool down, and for puppies, they can help soothe gums, too!
• Keep windows/doors closed when it’s really hot. If you have good insulation, keeping your windows and doors shut after temperatures start to rise will help keep your house from getting too hot.  Whenever our AC broke down, we would keep windows/doors open until maybe 9 or 10am, and then re-opened them in the evening when things cooled down.

Outdoors

• Be aware of the temperature! Soaring temperatures can be detrimental to your pet’s health.  I know a lot of pet owners refrain from taking their dogs out on demanding activities or even for long stints when temperatures get above 80, especially at 90+.  Just imagine how hot that black asphalt is at 80 degrees, and your pup has to walk across that.
• Walk on grass/dirt when it’s super hot. The pads of their feet are equipped to handle rough terrain and all sorts of madness, but they will get burned if the pavement is too hot.  Grass/dirt do not heat up nearly as much so as asphalt and sidewalk do.
• Avoid the hottest hours of the day. Typically, 11AM-3PM can be the hottest hours of the day.  It is advisable to consider walking your dog early in the morning and later in the evening.
• Bring water if you’re going to be outdoors for prolonged periods of time.  Always make sure you bring a good water supply for your pet, especially when engaging in an outdoor activity like hiking, running, etc.
• Pour water on your pet. If your pet seems particularly hot or looks like they might be overheating, splashing some water on them isn’t a bad idea.  Usually, when we’ve offered Mellan water, and he doesn’t finish it all, we’ll pour the remaining water on him.

What are your tips to combating the high temperatures?