It is 30 degrees Celsius in the shade. You can feel the sweat dripping down the back of your neck and you huff in annoyance. You simply can't wait to get home and get a nice cold drink indoors...but what will you do about your dogs? So, I tried my best to come up with a few ideas that help teach you how to cool down a dog no matter the weather.
When I was young I used to take an ice cube and hold it in my mouth for as long as I could in order to keep cool during the summer. You can do something very similar for your dog.
Simply pour fresh water into a freezing tray and wait about 4 hours before taking them out and giving them to your dog. For the best result, boil some chicken without any spices and use that chicken water to make the ice cubes.
This can keep dogs cool outside and serve as a snack simultaneously. Just don't overfeed them, otherwise, they make get diarrhoea.
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If you live in the suburbs and/or have a garden or backyard you may already own one. In case you don't, you can go to the nearest hypermarket and purchase a small kiddie pool. You can also get a bigger kiddie pool if you and your dogs want to go chill together.
Just imagine how happy your dogs would be to have their own little pool. And more importantly, it would definitely keep dogs cool outside.
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This will be great both for the environment and for your favourite little buddies. With climate change on the rise each of us hasto take responsiblity for as much as we can and decrease our carbon footprint while leaving a good planet for the next generation.
Besides that point, it will also make your neighbourhood look a lot nicer. Make sure that you have a whole weekend off to do this though as it may take a few hours to pick out the tree you will want to plant as well as the actual process.
Your dog will have great fun helping you dig a hole for that tree.
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As simple as this sounds, several studies show how having grass close to your home decreases the heat. This will also add a nice visual aid to your house. It will also give you another idea of how to keep dogs cool outside.
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This little thing will work for kids of all ages as well as dogs from sizes puppy to a wolf. Obviously, this is only an option if you have grass in your garden.
A sprinkler will make it more enjoyable for your dog and you won't have to stand around spraying them with a hose all the time. You can also set it on various setting fitting your dogs' size and preferences.
You shouldn't do those activities during the heat hours though, which I will be getting to shortly.
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Even though this should be a given, many people still insist on walking their dogs or leaving their dogs outside during the hottest hours of the day.
DON'T LEAVE YOUR DOGS OUTSIDE WHEN ITS THIS HOT
The heat hours are usually between 11 am to 4 pm, so make sure to keep your dog inside during these hours.
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Just like the above post, this one should really be obvious. Your dog has very sensitive paws and walking on hot asphalt could genuinely burn their feet. Even if you buy them shoes to wear during this time, it still won't be super comfortable for them.
I mean, would you like to go on a jog in the middle of the day? No,of course not. Now imagine doing that on hot pavement with bare feet. Yep, you get where I'm coming from.
So during heat hours, keep your dog inside!
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If you have a front porch or backyard where your dogs like to lay, you can get a small standing fan from your local hypermarket that you can keep outside to help with how to keep dogs cool outside.
If you are worried about it being stolen, you can tie it to a pole with a chain if you want.
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I bet you have heard of fenced balconies for cats to go outside for? well, how about creating something for your dogs that will allow them to remain in the shade regardless of the time of day.
Start by building an overhead shade, best made out of intertwined sticks to guarantee shade throughout the entire day. If you can't build that, you can try to buy a large umbrella instead.
If you can build the floor beneath it from either grass or ceramic this can also give long-lasting coolness to your dog.
Make sure to get a ceramic dog bowl for their outside water as it can keep it cool for longer.
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Last but not least, this one will probably be the most fun thing to do for both of you. On the weekend load your dog into the car and drive to the nearest lake or stream if it is better for you.
This way you and your dog know how to make fun out of a hot summer day!
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So, this was my take on learning how to cool down a dog in the summer. If you have any more fun ideas let me know. Send me a cute picture of you and your dog at the lake next time! If your dog is really muddy after that, check out my bathing your dog article. Or do you maybe have a new furry family member that needs potty training? Read you next time!