Keeping Your Dog Cool

Staying cool is a challenge during this summer’s heatwave…and just imagine how tough it would be to stay cool wearing a fur coat! We’ve been seeing 100+ degree temperatures since the beginning of May and we’re now hovering around 105 degrees so we wanted to share our tricks for keeping our dogs cool:

• Stay inside. If there’s one trick, this is it…just keep the dogs indoors. Both Irie and Tiki spend their days hanging out in front of the air-conditioner vents.
• Walk early and late. Our walks are now scheduled extra early and extra late. It doesn’t cool off that much here in the evenings (yesterday at 8pm it was still 99 degrees) so the morning walk is our longer excursion. Pack a flashlight if you need to and a glowing leash or collar for your dog if needed.
• Take it slow. When you do walk, take your time; this isn’t the time to start a fitness program with your dog. Pay special attention to brachycephalic dogs like pugs or bulldogs that have a tougher time cooling off in the heat.
• Groom, groom, groom. We’re using the FURminator to keep loose hair out of their coats. Also, Tiki had a “tunnel tummy” cut during her May grooming session at PetSmart and now we just keep that area trimmed with scissors. It allows her almost-bare tummy to cool off on the hardwood floors.
• Stay off the pavement. We don’t have a lot of pavement here in the country but we do have some asphalt near the house; we make sure we don’t walk the dogs on the asphalt in the heat of the day AND after the heat of the day, when the pavement is still holding the heat. Keep your dogs on grass or dirt; if you have to walk on concrete or asphalt in the heat, make sure your dog is wearing protective booties. Just think how you’d feel walking barefoot on the pavement!
• Carry water. On our longer morning walks, we carry water for the dogs. Throughout the rest of the day, they always have plenty of fresh water available.
• Enjoy frozen treats. Cool your dog (and yourself) with some frozen treats or ice.
• Take a dip. We have a galvanized tub for the dogs to “swim” in; children’s plastic pools are also a lot of fun for staying cool!
• Make a cool place to lie outdoors. It’s better for your dogs to be indoors in the heat but if your dogs are going to be outside for a while, make sure they have a cool place to lie. Take the hose and wash off the porch or wet an area in the shaded portion of the yard to keep them cool.

About Paris Permenter and John Bigley

DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.

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