Summer Tips

So, another subject we should talk about is summer.

Summer is incredibly fun. We run at the beach, go for ice cream, camping, dive on the pool. It is awesome!

Have you asked your dog what he thinks about summer?

He will say “summer? yes, I love it too!” But!

We are going to talk about that BUT.

Here are some tips and recommendations to keep your dog safe in the summer.

Something that many of us do not realize in summer is the hours we take out our dogs for a walk. We leave our dogs under the sun for a while without water and shade.

Let’s do something. Go outside your house around 11 – 12 o’clock noon time and place your palm on the curb, street, sand for 5-15 seconds.

How was the experience? Really hot, right?

We do not pay so much attention to this because we wear our feet protectors called shoes.

Unfortunately, dogs do not have those feet protectors.

Tips

WATER – Always make sure that your dog has water available. Change the water daily so it is clean and fresh.

On a related note:

Sometimes people ask me “why does my dog not drink enough water?” Dogs drink the proper amount they need. A dog knows when he is thirsty and when he wants to drink water. There are dogs that drink huge amounts of water and there are dogs that do take some sips and that is it. It’s not an issue unless you realize that your dog is not drinking at all. Then you should take it to the vet.

Outdoors -Days that are too hot try to avoid taking your dog outdoors for long periods of time.

If you do go for an outside trip on hot temperatures, make sure the location your going has enough shade for your dog, let him rest once a while, and very important WATER!

Exercise, play, training -Do not make him play or train so much outside in hot temperatures, make sure to have short sessions.

Dog in the car – Do not leave your dog alone in the car. Leaving the window open isn’t the solution!

Refresh -If your dog has been outside for a while and you can feel its fur hot, it’s recommended to put your dog in a pool or spray them with the hose. This will refresh them.

Walks -Take your dog on walks on cooler hours. The best recommendation we can give you is to take your dog out right before the sun is fully exposed and during or after sunset when it gets cooler. If you must take your dog for more than 3 walks its fine, just be aware to look for shade and short walks.

Ice – It’s highly recommended to put ice on their water on hot hours. Other good ideas for summertime are freezing toys or treats for dogs to chew on.

In the next chart you can see what is the level of risk according to the temperature.