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Tassle
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Tassle is offline  
Location: UK
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 9,065
Female 
 
23-05-2010, 12:01 PM

Keeping cool....

Lets hear your tips...

At agility shows we often used to wet our dogs down, until told that actually, if done in the wrong way (top of head and back) can do more harm than good (as it draws the heat more to the wet areas) Which I can understand as I used to do it to my hair as well and the back of the neck was a much better area to cool that the top!

It was better to go under the belly and between the back legs.

Of course shade and a nice breeze helps....

Any other hints of tips from people?.
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Helena54
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Location: South East UK
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23-05-2010, 12:30 PM
My tip would be the sandpit from Argos, for cooling off in a big way plus it's good fun for them.

When indoors, I like to wet towels in really cold water, and shove them inbetween their back legs where the main arteries are, that helps to cool them down. I also put them over their head, but NEVER leave them there, just smooth them over their heads and take them away. Their paws too, if you cool the paws down, the dog will be cooler!

Sometimes I leave a cold wet towel on the kitchen floor and Georgie likes lying on that! You can't do that outside in the sun of course coz it gets hot!

Frozen kongs, frozen carrots, frozen tuggy ropes.

Ice in their water bowls, and remember, constantly change their water anyway in this warmer weather, dogs only like fresh, cold water, not manky water that's been lying there all morning! I use a bucket outside for water kept in the shade too, but then I also have the pool. Keep water in a bigger, deeper bowl, so that it stays fresher for longer is my tip.
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ClaireandDaisy
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23-05-2010, 12:38 PM
I go out early when it`s hot, and only walk where there`s water. A bit obvious I know...
We have a fan going in the house for the dogs now.
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Collie Convert
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23-05-2010, 01:34 PM
I seriously dont know how i managed before these...http://www.keepcool.org.uk/Home.htm fantastic for at agility comps aswell as lazing around in the shade in the garden.
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Wozzy
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23-05-2010, 03:29 PM
Like Claire, I try and only take my dogs out early in the morning or in the evening but if I have to take them out during the hotter part of the day, we only go where there is water.

I've read that bandanas are a good way to keep your dog cool if you wet them.

I think common sense shouldnt be missed out neither with regards to the kind of exercise your dog gets in hot weather. I know of somebody who's dog doesnt know when to stop and i've seen it with it's eyes puffed up to the point of being slits, it's tongue hanging to the floor because it's running about too much in this kind of heat. I've mentioned they shouldnt allow their dog to get to that point, they should simply put it back on a lead so it cant run itself into the ground. Unfortunately, as is the case with so many people, they wont realise until the dogs drops dead from sheer exhaustion or heat stroke.

I stop frequently in the shade to allow my dogs to cool off and take them to water whenever I can. Flynn had a funny turn one muggy day a few weeks ago because he'd overheated. Fortunately I found a muddy puddle and once he'd cooled off he regained his coordination. However, it was a pretty frightening experience so i'm always very conscious now and try to take preventative measures to stop them getting too hot.
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labradork
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23-05-2010, 04:25 PM
I don't do anything special with mine if it is warm, apart from walk them in the morning and evening (which, to be honest, I tend to do regardless!). Our house is old and therefore remains cool...no need for fans, etc., here.
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weevle21
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23-05-2010, 04:49 PM
We walk ours near water so she can dip in whenever she likes. I have been thinking about getting a paddling pool for her and do wet her if we're out for a long time. If we sit down and there's no shade i always carry an umbrella cause Sapphire's black
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Luckypirate
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24-05-2010, 09:54 AM
Jet has a kiddies paddling pool in the garden which he loves! It's also very useful for bathtime.
Other than that, always walk near ponds/by the river and always carry water with me on a walk.
He also has a water bowl that clips on to the inside of his crate, so if he does need crating, he has plenty of water without the risk of knocking it over!
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wilbar
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24-05-2010, 10:35 AM
I'm much the same as everyone else ~ early morning & evening walks, in shady places or along the river or near a pond. I find that taking them out in the hottest part of the day means they pootle about very slowly & they don't look very happy.

Indoors I have tiled floors downstairs which always stay cool so the dogs just get off their beds, cool down on the tiles & move back to the bed or sofa when they're cooler. I do have a fan in the bedroom which gets all the afternoon sun so is usually quite warm ~ & the dogs happily lay upside down on the bed with the fan blowing over them.

I once tried dousing them with the hosepipe in the garden to cool them off, but they both slunk away & clearly didn't like it ~ I thought they might like playing with the water but I got it wrong! Perhaps they associate the hose pipe with a shampoo!

I haven't tried a paddling pool in the garden as I don't like the idea of wet soggy dogs dripping through the house. Plus once they're wet they have a tendency to rough house with each other which would end up with one or both covered in grass cuttings & mud ~ even worse for the house.
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Helena54
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24-05-2010, 11:13 AM
Another good tip, is change the dog's bedding over to a cotton sheet instead of a blanket in the summer, it's much cooler for them. I always have something on the top of my dog's beds to keep them cleaner, such as an empty duvet cover which you can wash each day in this hot weather.
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