Caring for Dogs in the Hot Summer

Summer is a special season that brings both humans and pets a lot of fun through all sorts of outdoor activities. But you have to be careful – no one enjoys extreme temperatures and dogs are not an exception here. As a matter of fact, preventing the negative effects of a hot summer is one of the essentials of doggy daycare.

There are all sorts of tricks and hacks you can do to prevent the exhaustion of your pups. They range from well-known cooling ideas to less common suggestions, so we decided to make a comprehensive list and show you how to take care of your dog during hot summer days. Let’s take a look!

1. Always Keep Some Fresh Water with You

The first tip is rather obvious – make sure to have enough cold water with you all the time. A dog gets thirsty even more than you do, so don’t forget to bring enough fresh liquid when going out with your pet. Some pups eat less during summer, so you can help them out by giving other types of fluids such as electrolytes or coconut water. Of course, you should not give energy drinks to your pooch.

2. Look for Signs of Dehydration

Dogs want to drink more water than you do, so don’t be surprised if you notice your pet showing clear signs of dehydration. Let it drink as much water as needed, but always follow the signals revealing that your pooch is thirsty. There are many signs that show your tail-wagger is dehydrated, but some of the common options include:

Heavy breathing
Excessive drooling
Eye redness
Faster heart rate

3. Find a Deep Shade

Another advice is to find a place in your courtyard with enough shade. If possible, it would be perfect to have a natural shade under a tree, but you can also create one artificially by making temporary tents. This is a simple but highly convenient solution because you can buy shade tents in almost every garden store or even make it single-handedly using a piece of old canvas.

4. Keep the Dog’s Bed Cool and Comfortable

Tail-waggers love lying on their beds and resting, but only if the environment is cozy and convenient. It is necessary to keep your dog’s bed fresh, cool, and comfortable enough so it can really take a good rest during hot summer days.

Jake Gardner, a writer at best paper writing service in charge of pet-related topics, says you can do it quickly: “Just remove a blanket underneath, and the bedding will be much cooler immediately. Don’t think twice because you probably do the same thing with your own bed and blankets when it gets way too hot outside.”

5. Avoid Long Sunlight Exposures

Pups don’t have too many ways to cool down. On the contrary, panting is the only way for dogs to reduce body temperature because they don’t sweat like human beings. They also have a much thicker fur that keeps them even warmer. In such circumstances, you must avoid long sunlight exposures to eliminate the risk of overheating. A general rule is that your fur-baby should not be out in the sun for more than an hour.

6. Avoid Overexerting Your Dog

This advice goes hand in hand with the previous one. Keep in mind that pups demand a special exercise plan during summer. The best solution is to take them out for a walk early in the morning when it’s still not too hot and also later in the afternoon or in the evening, if possible. If you have to take them out when the sun is peaking, don’t forget to take breaks frequently and keep a slower pace than usual.

7. Keep Pups off Hot Surfaces

Do you know how it feels to walk over hot send or asphalt? It’s a really painful experience, and you probably try to avoid it. Well, your puppy does the same thing because it doesn’t want to hurt his/her paws. Don’t hurt your pet this way because it could have both short- and long-term consequences.

8. Prevent Sunburns

Another thing most pet owners don’t know is that dogs can get sunburned just like humans. Of course, it happens less frequently and affects mostly pups with light-colored fur, but the problem really exists. If you have a puppy with a shorter and lighter coat, then you must act carefully and keep it in shades even longer than other owners. This will prevent sunburns and keep your dog happy regardless of the temperature.

9. Keep It Cool

There is a solution to everything. For instance, students who need a great assignment can hire a college essay writing service, essay writer, or dissertation service to get the job done quickly. The same goes for pet owners who want to keep their fur-babies fresh and cool during summer.

One option is to take a wet towel and let the dog rest on it after a long walk. Another way is to scrub it gently with a cold cloth, paying special attention to sensitive parts like paws and armpits. Besides that, you can play with other tools like water sprayers, ice cubes, and so on.

10. Don’t Shave Your Puppy

Shaving a dog is a very popular summertime activity, but it comes with a surprising countereffect. We already mentioned that fur protects puppies from sunburns, so it would be a big mistake to shave your pet and leave it unprotected. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t cut long hair, but anything more than that will have a negative effect. Therefore, you should leave the fur-baby as it is and prevent sunburns.

11. Never Leave Your Dog in a Parked Car

This is one of the biggest mistakes a dog owner can make. You probably know how hot a parked car gets after sunlight exposure, so try to imagine how your dog would feel being stuck inside of it. Only a few minutes spend inside a hot car could cause an avalanche of reactions. The worst thing that can happen is heat stroke or suffocation, which means that you must never leave your pet in a parked car.

12. Buy a Doggy Pool

Most pups enjoy jumping in the water, particularly during hot summer days. This is why you could buy a small doggy pool and keep it filled with fresh and cold water. It doesn’t have to be big, and you can even make it single-handedly. It’s enough to acquire a kid-sized version of the pool and let your pooch have a fresh and cozy entertainment every day. It’s not a big investment, but it will mean the world to your pet.

13. Make a Cool Breeze

After everything you’ve read so far, you probably understand that the methods used to cool down are pretty much the same for humans and pets. A cool breeze is yet another tactic that fits this statement because you can use it to make your puppy more comfortable during summertime. All you need is a shop fan, and it doesn’t even have to be that powerful – only a slight breeze is more than enough to make the ambiance much nicer.

14. Give Room to Your Pet

Just like humans, dogs also have their own moods. And just like humans, dogs also get irritated by extremely high summer temperatures. In such circumstances, you have to give your pooch enough room and let it enjoy some periods of solitude. Don’t forget to warn your children that puppies might not appreciate constant hugs. This helps the pet to take quality rest and also keeps it well-behaved.

15. Close Toilet Bowls

This tip may seem a little strange, but it is actually very practical. Namely, high temperatures could influence the behavior of your puppy, and it might feel tempted to try some of the toilet bowl water. For this reason, you should put down toilet lids after usage and avoid adding chemical fresheners. It will keep the dog safer and help you to prevent a big mess in the toilet.

16. Make the Dog Fit before Summer

Your dog will make it through the summertime much easier if it doesn’t have excess weight. Similar to humans, dogs also tend to gain weight during winter, so you should use the pre-summer season to let it exercise more. It will make both you and your pooch fitter, healthier, and happier.

17. Close the Windows

Spending a lot of time indoors, your puppy might be tempted to get out and use the window as its exit point. This could make the dog overexposed to sunlight and cause serious consequences (as mentioned above), so try to keep the windows closed and prevent possible summertime incidents.

18. Plan a Vacation Properly

Most people take a summer break and travel around the world. If you are one of those tourists, we recommend you to plan the vacation properly. The ideal option is to choose a dog-friendly vacation destination where you don’t have to worry about high temperatures that much.

Conclusion

A dog can enjoy summertime just like you do, but only if you prevent the usual consequences of high temperatures. We showed you 18 ways to keep your pups fresh and cool during summer. Make sure to use our tips and write a comment if you have other interesting ideas to share with our readers.

About the Author:

Justin is a marketing specialist and blogger from Leicester, UK. When not working and rooting for Leicester FC, he likes to discuss new trends in digital marketing and share his own ideas with readers on different blogs and forums. Currently, he is working as a content marketer at Assignment help, Assignment Holic Service, and Edugeeksclub paper help.