How can you protect your dog from the sweltering summer heat? Here are our 5 tips for keeping your dog cool during the heatwave.

Thermometers have been going crazy these past few days, with temperatures even exceeding 45 degrees in the shade in some places. Just like here! Dogs aren't big fans of extreme heat; like us, they're very sensitive to these completely crazy temperatures and can quickly feel unwell. Here's 5 Easy Tips to Keep Your Dog Cool. I'm sharing my tips and what I do to keep my dog ​​from getting heatstroke. Cooling jacket, cooling mat, dog ice, frozen bones, dog pool... I'll tell you all about it in the article! And I'll share some of Musher's favorite dog ice cream recipes.

Summary

Walk your dog: very early or late at night

My first advice is very basic: Do not walk your dog during the day during the hottest hours.. Why ?

  • If it's too hot for you, it's definitely too hot for him. Don't go out.

  • If you wear shoes to insulate yourself from the ground, this is not the case. He will have to walk on the hot asphalt and risks very serious burns to the pads.

  • Be careful, a good thing to know: a black or dark-colored dog will attract more heat than another. It's the same phenomenon as when you put on a black t-shirt, it attracts heat. Musher, my dog, knows something about it! Black Labrador, she knows the phenomenon well.

Prefer walks very early in the morning or in the evening or even at night. Have you ever tried night hiking? This is the perfect opportunity to test the night hike with a dog. Sensations and thrills guaranteed.

Opt for walks near a watering hole where your dog can bathe. This is an ideal way to cool him off a little. However, be careful of cyanobacteria and hydrocution. Dogs can also suffer from these very dangerous or even fatal thermal shocks. If they are extremely hot and suddenly dive into cool water: beware of imminent danger of hydrocution. Do as for you, wet it gently to cool it down a little before swimming.

Also be careful of the city fountains... it's enticing, but to keep the water clean in the circuits, it is treated and NOT DRINKABLE so don't let your dog drink from it and if he gets refreshed, rinse it. clean water at home to avoid skin problems.

And besides, if your dog loves water, you can also opt for a nautical activity: discover the top 5 water activities to do with your dog. Cani-paddle, canyoning, surf… Think about the safety of your dog: equip it withdog life jacket.

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Avoid the car

If temperatures rise, unless necessary, avoid taking your dog in the car. AND this even if you have air conditioning on board. 

Last Friday, I had to go to an appointment. My car was showing 53 degrees and after driving for 20 minutes it was showing 46 degrees outside. I preferred not to take Musher with me; she was much better at home. The drive would have been very difficult for her and our exit even more so. 

Even if my air conditioning helped cool the air in the car a little, it must have been well over 35 on board. In addition, when you get out of the air-conditioned car, the thermal shock is hard to take. If we can catch colds, ear infections or sore throats, know that dogs can also suffer from air conditioning. I've seen Musher get stomach aches and diarrhea before. Poor thing… So in case of hot weather, no doggie car if possible. Otherwise make sure that it is placed in the shade in the passenger compartment of the car and in a well-ventilated place. And above all, above all, above all: never stop even for a few seconds with the dog in the car, even with the windows open! You just have some bread to take, but in the bakery you meet Mrs What's-her-name and the discussion begins... 5 minutes have passed, 5 minutes during which your dog is dying and heatstroke is near... Protect your dog from heatstroke, it can be fatal to him and very quickly unfortunately.

Unlimited hydration and ice cream: your dog will love it

The first reflex to have when it is hot is to offer water to your dog at will. Room temperature water. Remember to change the water in his bowl often to keep it clean. 

To bring some freshness to my dog, I opted for the same solution as me: ice cream! Good foodies that we are, at home: summer rhymes with ice cream… the rhyme doesn't sound good to the ear, but I can tell you that my stomach hears it! And Musher's too. 

I suggest you 4 Ice Cream Recipes for Dogs :

The classic for us is a mug filled with water with dog treats that I place directly in the freezer. It takes me three seconds to do it and Musher loves it. 

Say "ice cream" and she runs to the freezer, stands in front of it, and puts on a good show. 

To vary the pleasures, I make him the same variant with water, but with fresh fruit: watermelon, strawberry, apricot, apple… everything I have in my fruit bowl is good for my dog's health. Above all, never add sugar to doggie ice cream. It is completely useless and harmful to his health. 

A salty recipe? Melt a chicken or beef broth in water and hop in the mug or the ice cube tray and here are the perfect ice creams for doggies. 

One last recipe for the road! Choose an apple compote with no added sugar and carrot puree (me personally, I put them in sticks in ice cream; I don't have time to make carrot puree…): pour everything into a mold and off to the freezer. You will understand, from the moment you do not put dangerous food for your dog, you can make an ice cream with anything!

Your dog has a stuffable toy You can also fill it and freeze it. He'll love chewing on his frozen toy.

You can also buy iced bones from him. As they are frozen, the freshness effect is guaranteed. I tested bone refreshing Trixie. Your dog will love chewing on it and can cool off with it. 

PS: on the ice cream side, take it easy… as for us humans, too much ice cream can lead to stomach aches…

Refreshing mat and cooling vest: the must have

For four years now, Musher has found his cooling mat and his cooling jacket for dogs every summer. I use the refreshing rug from Trixie. There is no need to wet it to activate its freshness effect. It is very practical! You put it down, your dog lies down on it and it's off to cool. It's that simple. When it no longer emits freshness, you have to let it recharge and then after a few minutes, you can get back on it again and regain the effect. 

I also tested the PetSol cooling mattress, it works very well too, but I find it less practical, because there is gel inside the mattress. Also, even though this gel supposedly poses no danger to the animal, I'm too afraid that Musher will ingest it if she pierces the carpet...

These mats are very practical for holidays with his dog: doggie will find a bit of freshness in the mobile home at the campsite or in the hotel room on his new mat.

As for the refreshing jacket for dogs, it is OUR summer accessory. My dog ​​wears the Ruffwear Swamp Cooler cooling jacket. To activate its cooling effect, you have to wet it in a large basin. Once in place on the dog, the effect is quite impressive. Musher wears it in the car, on hikes, at the market… as soon as I feel that it is too hot for her, I put the cooling jacket on her. I often envy her little jacket… The constraint of this accessory is that you always have to have water on you to recharge it. It's the same system as the mat that works with water. As soon as Musher finds a stream or a fountain, she recharges it all by herself 😉

In terms of refreshing clothing, there are also bandanas like the Aqua Coolkeeper red cooling bandana or ruffwear swamp cooler bandana. 

👉 To help you make a choice for your dog, I have made you a comparison of the best freshness accessories for dogs.

Swimming pool and water jet to wet your dog

In case of high temperatures, wet your dog to cool him down is a good idea. However, do not water it with ice water, it could cause hydrocution... You can install a swimming pool for dogsYour little friend will love splashing around in his pool. Some lie down in it, others spend their time scraping the water out of the pool... everyone has their own way of getting wet, right?

👉 I just created a Comparison of the 5 best dog pools on the market. Foldable, rigid, or even inflatable, there's bound to be a type of dog pool for your situation. You can install them on your patio, in your garden, and even on a balcony for the smaller models.

Do you have a swimming pool at home? And you wonder if letting your dog bathe there is a good idea: you will find all your answers in the article the dog in the pool, good or bad idea?

I draw your attention to the stream of water… generally, dogs love to “bite” in the stream of water. Lots of fun with his master follows. And the game can last a while. Be careful, during this game your dog will drink a lot of water. However, running, jumping, barking, acting crazy with a lot of water in the stomach can be fatal. Our dog friends are unfortunately subject to turning or twisting of the stomach. This is more common in larger dog breeds. If your dog is restless, anxious, drools a lot, and tries to vomit without success, these are symptoms that should alert you immediately. This is a vital veterinary emergency. So the water jet yes, but without excess...

I hope you have found new ideas in this article to refresh your dog 😉 I wish you all a nice holiday with your dog, Wow Holiday Well! Wow race!