Helping Your Dog In Hot Weather

Heat affects us all, the difference is that humans can do something about the extra heat and dogs are left to depend on human care. There are several different things you need to consider when the temperature begins to increase. The summer months are going to be the hottest for a dog, whether they are inside or out in the backyard. Remember taking care of your dog is extremely important at all times of the year, but especially when the temperature begins to rise.

When you leave for work for the day follow a checklist. If the dog is going to be left out of doors you need to make sure they have a constant water source. Just having a food dish or two full of water is not going to help them keep cool. You may want to have a fountain in the yard that you turn on. This way the dog can get a constant stream of cool water running through the fountain. Also if it is large enough they can take a little dip and cool their entire bodies down with a little water.

If your dog is going to be outside you will need to make sure that a proper amount of shade is available. You may have a doghouse or you can have a shaded tree area that the dog will be comfortable lying in. Wherever the area is you need to make sure it will be shaded the entire day or that they can find shade the entire day. You dog is not going to be comfortable if the sun is beating down on their thick coat all day.

When you leave your dog inside during the day you may feel that since no one is home you can turn down the air conditioning if you have one. If you don't you may feel secure only when the windows are locked. Keep in mind the dog needs air and to be kept cool. You do not want to turn down the air conditioner too much. You should keep the house around seventy to seventy- five degrees Fahrenheit during the day when you have a dog at home. If you do not have an air condition for dog care you will need to leave a window open. During the summer heat a house can get extremely hot when the blinds are open, and the windows are closed. Even if you have the blinds closed the home can get above eighty degrees Fahrenheit making it really uncomfortable. Again inside a home a dog will need to have a source of water. You may feel a large bowl of water is enough, but having a toilet left open can help just in case they run out of water.

Another point for dog care when it gets hot is making sure to keep your dog groomed. You can ask the person grooming your dog to keep the hair short during the summer. Your dogs will also shed a lot of hair so keeping them bathed at least once a month and brushing them out can get that excess hair off their bodies.

When walking your dog in the summer heat you should have a source of water with you. You may feel that a quarter mile walk or less is not going to require some form of refreshment, but your dog is going to differ. They need to have a source of water, whether you carry it with you or you stop off at a creek. You will definitely need water for longer treks.

A source of problems has always been leaving a dog in a car while you are running your errands. While your dog needs the company the heat in the car can be so extreme even with the windows cracked that they can suffer. If you must bring your dog along see if you can't leave them outside the store, or at least leave water in the car.