WHAT TO DO WHEN IT’S TOO HOT TO WALK YOUR DOG
6 Ideas To Do With Your Dog Rather Than Walking In Hot Weather
Heatstroke in dogs can happen quite quickly and is very dangerous. Help avoid the risk by keeping your dog cool in hot weather and swapping out regular walks for mental and physical activities at home. Even temperatures from 17 degrees centigrade upwards can be too hot for our dogs. For hot days, here are 6 ideas to do with your dog rather than walking.
Tip 1 Play games indoors
There is so much you can do with your dog without going outside for a walk in hot weather. Here are just a few suggestions to try:
Treasure trail – hide some treats around the home with your dog waiting behind a door, in a crate or with someone gently holding their collar (if they’ve not got a solid ‘wait’). Start off easy and help them ‘find it’ with the treats if you need to. You can increase the difficulty as they get better at the game and spread them further afield in different rooms or a shady garden.
Hide and seek – you can also hide a toy or yourself for them to come and find!
Make a homemade ‘snuffle mat’ by scattering some of your dog’s daily food and/or a few treats on an old towel and scrunch up so that the food is nestling in the folds of the towel. Release your dog to the towel to forage for their breakfast or dinner.
Teach them the names of their toys. When they are playing with one of their toys, you can say the name of it. Over time they will learn its name and you can test it by placing different toys out in front of them to see if they can select the right one by name. Start with just 2 very different toys to choose from and build up over time. Don’t forget to praise and reward them along the way for all good attempts. Keep it short and fun.
Working through the basics of Sit – Down – Stand – Down – Sit. Mix up the order of the cues; dogs are often predicting what they think we want, or they want to do rather than listening to the verbal (or visual) cues. When that’s too easy, add in other tricks, like left and right spins. These are all great for a full-body workout. Again, keep the repetitions low.
Tip 2 Make your own cooling dog treats
If your dog likes to crunch on the odd ice cube, this is fine for most dogs. I pop a couple in Bodie’s water bowl and sometimes he likes to fish one out to chomp on it.
It’s really easy to make frozen pupsicles by mixing some blitzed-up fruit like watermelon, banana, apple, blueberries or strawberries and mixing with some yoghurt or kefir before freezing. You can make small ones in an ice cube tray or special moulds. If you want them on a stick, you could insert a small natural chew before freezing (for something more substantial you could use a pizzle, chicken’s foot or fish skin).
I also freeze a mix of dry food with some diced veggies and tasty treats and pour over a little water or bone broth and freeze in recycled yoghurt pots for a cool and crunchy dinner on the lawn.
Tip 3 Short bursts of activities are better than a longer period of exercise
Playing training games for just a few minutes at a time is a great way for your dog to learn. It keeps it fun and their attention levels higher. Pair it with an activity you do regularly, like getting a drink or a loo break to remind yourself throughout the day!
In hot weather, avoid long periods of high-energy games like running, chase or tug. Think about games that use their nose and their brain for an effective mind and body workout without overheating.
Tip 4 Plan walks every time
Check the forecast and plan your walks for times when it’s cooler. But remember even later in the day the pavements can still retain a lot of heat. Can you stick to the shady side of the street or tree-covered and shady areas?
Tip 5 Carry water with you all year round
When you do go out, always carry water with you. This applies all year round, but it’s even more important in the heat. There are some great collapsible bowls that take up very little space. HERE are the ones I use from Absolute Dogs.
For increased hydration for hot days, very active dog and sports dogs, the Fresh-K9 recovery drink is great – CLICK HERE
Tip 6 Water fun
How about a children’s paddling pool for your garden? I repurposed a large plastic tray with shallow sides. For dogs, like Bodie, that are not so keen on water, you can encourage them to take a step into a very shallow amount of water, gently building up their water confidence.
Even if your dog doesn’t like bath time, they may still enjoy a splash about in the garden.
At home, you can have a cooling mat or cool wet towel on the floor for them lay on. THESE GleamK9 towels work well.
If you have a fan, try placing bottles that are partially filled with water and frozen in front of the fan. This creates homemade air conditioning!
Clear shallow streams are also great for a cooling paddle if you are out and about.
Do you know the signs of heatstroke?
Heatstroke develops quickly and can be fatal. When dogs overheat, they can’t reduce their body temperature quickly enough. Large breed, elderly dogs, puppies, flat-faced dogs, and dogs with thick coats are even more at risk.
To get help quickly, learn these signs to look out for:
• Excessive panting, difficulty breathing
• Lethargy, being less responsive
• Heavy drooling (more than normal) or foaming mouth
• Confusion or lack of coordination
• Sickness or diarrhoea
• Seizures, fits or collapse
• Shaking or weakness
• Changes in the gum and tongue colour (darker or paler)
• Dry mouth or nose
Know what is normal for your dog so that you can quickly notice changes.
Never leave dogs in cars on a warm day; temperatures can quickly rise in a car, even with the windows open.
Useful links
Stop Walking Your Dog is available in paperback, Kindle and Audible versions HERE https://go.puptalk.co.uk/stopwalkingyourdog/
Read this blog 5 reasons not to walk your dog https://puptalk.co.uk/5-reasons-why-you-wouldnt-walk-your-dog/
Pup Talk The Podcast – Episode 62 5 reasons why you wouldn’t walk your dog https://puptalk.libsyn.com/pup-talk-the-podcast-episode-62-5-reasons-why-you-wouldnt-walk-your-dog
Pup Talk The Podcast – Episode 69 Don’t walk your dog day https://puptalk.libsyn.com/pup-talk-the-podcast-episode-69-dont-walk-your-dog-day
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