Enjoying Summer with your dog

Dogs, much like the wolves they evolved from, are cool weather creatures. They have a higher body temperature than we have, and to top it off, rely on evaporative cooling from their tongues (panting) and exposure to cool air over their ears and pads of their feet to cool down. They don’t sweat or lose heat effectively through the skin on the rest of their bodies. 

Shade

Make sure your dog has shade and a cool place to stay.

Lunch time Soup

We find dogs are a bit like humans, some are good at drinking plenty of water, others don’t lift their water intake much in hot weather. Because our dogs are a bit spoilt, we give them a ‘soup’ at lunch time, which they love, and it increases their water intake too. We simply use Royal Canin Mother and Puppy Mousse (1/4 can for a smaller puppy, full can for an adult), add water (1 cup for pups, 2 for adults), mix and serve. Well worth trying and they love it. 

Frozen Veges

You can also give a frozen carrot to be licked, and make sure they have somewhere cool to lie down – they often love tiles, or concrete or somewhere in the air conditioning. An alternative is a small piece of chilled or frozen water melon which some dogs love. You can also freeze a bottle of water and give the dog the frozen bottle. The icy cold condensation on the outside is a favourite for some.

Summer Hair cuts

Make sure your labradoodle isn’t carrying a long coat over summer. A comfortable, shorter coat is easier to stay cool in than a long, thick one. Please make sure that the groomer is asked to clip the underside of the ears short for cooling. Also make sure they know to pluck the ear hair really well at this time of the year or do it yourself. The summer humidity in many areas can lead to ear infections if they are not maintained properly. More information on ears on our website. 

When is it too hot to Walk your dog?

Walk your dog early morning or evening. Avoid hot, reflective surfaces such as tarseal. Remember that bitumen and concrete can be hot enough to burn the pads on their feet, if you can’t hold your hand on the bitumen comfortably for seven seconds, don’t walk your dog on it. Temperatures of 32 degrees Celsius and over are potentially life threatening for dogs - read more on this vet site.

Cars

Dogs die in hot cars every year. If your dog is in a car in summer, you must keep the air conditioner running. We set the car temperature at 18 degrees when dogs are inside. 

Swimming

Our dogs usually love water and will enjoy swimming with you. For easy coat care, get a blast dryer after beach trips. It will remove any sand and dry your dog in a matter of a few minutes. It also keeps the coat from matting and looking beautiful!