Tips for keeping your pup out of HEATS way

With summer fast approaching, a few tips that will help keep your dog comfortable and safe. A few things to think about is that your dog has a fur coat on AND they don’t wear shoes! It is imperative to remember that your dog does not sweat like we do.  They cool themselves by panting and through sweating a tiny bit through the pads in their feet. When they get extremely hot and dehydrated, these systems shut down and they can suffer heat stroke. Heat stroke is a dangerous situation that requires immediate treatment or your dog may die! It is nothing to take lightly.

A few ways to prevent your dog from suffering in the heat:   

1. When walking your dog, please remember that they do not have shoes on.  Make sure that the pavement is not too hot for their feet. It is better to take your dog out early in the morning or later in the evening when it is cooler.  
2. Never leave your dog in your car in the summer.  The temperature can rise quickly even with the windows down.
3. While hiking, exercising or walking long distance, remember your dog has a fur coat on.  Take a lot of water and plan these outings in the early morning or later in the evening. In San Diego, the inland areas get MUCH hotter than the beach.
4. Consider getting your dog a “summer cut”. This will help keep him/ her cooler during the hot weather.
5. When leaving your dog at your house, make sure that they have a cool spot to relax in and plenty of water to drink.

These tips are ESPECIALLY important if your dog has a short nose.  Examples of these breeds are pugs, bulldogs, boxers, pekingese, etc.  These breeds already have a tough time breathing under stress and the added heat will make it much worse.  

We at Leash Your Fitness take our dogs health very seriously. If during class, the heat rises we turn on the sprinklers and let the dogs get cooled off! We also plan class where there is shade and the dogs can rest.  Another thing that we do is shorten our “cardio” intervals so that the dogs are not running very long.  Summer is a great time to take your dog to the beach or lake!! Swimming is a GREAT way to cross train and tire fido!