Heatwave safety tips for dogs are so important this time of year when the weather is unbearably hot in so many parts of the country! Our weather is tropical, meaning in the nineties with dew points around seventy. It is simply miserable for humans and their pups. Remember dogs don’t sweat like humans, so we have to be extra careful with the heat. I decided to post a few simple tips to help you keep your pup safe during a heatwave.
5 Heatwave Safety Tips For Dogs
1. Fresh Water
Fresh water is so important in the heat! Make sure your dog has fresh water at all times. Clean and change the water bowl or bowls several times a day as needed. Staying properly hydrated will help keep your furry friend cool.
2. Exercise Early Or Late
We still walk and run during all weather but in the heat, we make sure and get out as close to sunrise or sunset as possible. Even during these cooler times of the day, it is hot and the air is heavy. We don’t walk or run as far as we normally would. If possible, we try to walk or run in the shade and avoid asphalt as it radiates heat, even in the morning.
3. Take Your Dog Swimming
Swimming is a great way for you and your dog to cool off together. You can use a kids wading pool, swimming pool, or find a clean body of water. Remember, if you won’t go in the water because it isn’t clean enough, your dog shouldn’t either. Be very careful this time of year to make sure there is no blue-green algae. If it is ingested by your dog, she will most likely die. There is no need to panic as it isn’t something widespread, just be mindful of it.
4. Relax Indoors
Depending on the temperament of your dog, this may or may not work. When it is so hot out, we exercise early, and it really tires us out, so we are content to hang out in the A/C inside most of the day. We go out now and then for short periods of time, and then come back in. Once and a while it gets boring, but usually we are happy to simply hang out.
5. Take Some Indoor Classes
Most dog schools are open again and are offering all kinds of classes from obedience, to sports, to fun games, and tricks. Sign up for a class or two with your furry pal. It will be fun for both of you and give your dog a good mental workout as well. Last summer, Olivia tried swimming in the pool, and we practiced barn hunt which we will be doing this month once again.
We are looking forward to winter because it is more fun for us, but for now, we are doing our best to stay physically and mentally active and safe in the heat. ***Remember, never leave your dog in the car in the heat, not even for a few minutes!*** Leave us home in the A/C if you need to go somewhere, we will be happy and safe, waiting for you to return.
after we had a hot adventure last year we will use your tips to go cooler throgh da summer ;O)
Hot adventures are not a lot of fun.
thank you for the hints girls. My Alex like the AC (so do I)! He runs in the house – I chase him, he chases me !
We chase and wrestle in the house sometimes too, but it is more fun outside.
Great tips. We have to take care of our babies when it’s hot out. They are so precious to us.
Have a fabulous day. Scritches to the pups. ♥
Yes, we are lucky Mom takes real good care of us.
You just can’t be to careful out in the hots hot hots!
That is correct. You kitties are lucky to be indoors all the time.
I know they all love to be outside but I’m sure they understand it’s not good for them. Your a good mom.
We don’t like being out when it is so warm, but we keep wanting to go out, just in case it has cooled down.
Wonderful tips. Here in Florida we have that kind of weather most of the year. We have a beautiful pool, but neither Puffin nor I like to swim. My mom has tried to encourage us to swim but we just don’t like the pool! We will watch Mom swim. XOXO, Sparkle
We are not pool fans either, but give us a lake or ocean and we are all in. Mom doesn’t like Florida because it is hot and humid and has too many reptiles, LOL!
Gotta keep those sweet pups healthy in the summer heat – great advice!
Yep, it is important to be careful in the heat.
Great info, girls! Wouldn’t it be fun if it could snow in the summer to cool us off☺
It sure would be fun,but I doubt it will happen.
Thanks for sharing these great tips with us. The summer heat wave is hitting a lot of us here and these tips sound just wonderful to stay cool. A nice swim to always our babies first thing to do when we go to the park. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
We don’t have a good place to swim right now, so that is a bummer!
Great tips girls!!! Luckily it doesn’t get too hot here, but Mama does carry water everywhere we go!
You are lucky to avoid the heat, but we would miss our cold and snowy winters. I guess this is how we pay for the winter times.
These are very important things to remember. thank you. Your girls are awesome to look at and hear from. You make my day.
Chablis
Thank you, Chablis.
Those are great tips! Luke is mostly a couch potato kind of dog, so he’s pretty content to stay in the house, lying under the ceiling fan or on the cool kitchen floor.
We can be high energy and also couch potato. This summer we are really catching up on our napping.
Those are all great tips. Sometimes we get ice in our water. and we get frozen things for treats!
We get ice sometimes too. Olivia likes to chew on cubes.
As much as i love dogs, this is why i am glad right now that i have cats (which i also love), i don’t have to take them out for “potty breaks” during the hot summer.
Mom said something similar when she first moved to Germany. She complained about having to walk her dog in the rain every day. Someone told her to look at it as a blessing because she had a reason to go out, and others just wasted their time sitting in their houses.
I brought some cold over to you, and if you allow me to take some heat of yours home with me, we’re all happy. Everything seems so out of balance lately, but your postie makes it all good😸Cool Pawkisses for a Happy Relaxed Weekend🐾😽💞
So helpful! We try to follow these tips every day. I like to go on walks, but we’ve gone on much, much shorter walks more recently due to the heat. I have a black coat, so I get super hot super quick!
The heat is really hard on dogs and on humans too. Take it easy.
Such great hot weather tips. We have a heat wave going on here as well.
We are so over summer! Never our season.
It is crazy hot here so we play outside in the morning. Bentley still insists on laying out in the 100+ sun but we limit him to only a few minutes. (He is to old for that foolishness! LOL)
The heat is miserable. We had a break for 2 days, but it is coming back now.