Hot summers/winter dogs!

[shibamom]

Just curious what all doggie parents of winter dogs (ie. very thick coat, Spitz-types, etc) do in the summer? Kiddie pools? Spray with hoses? Dunk in the river? Just looking for ideas I'm thinking of getting a kiddie pool for my Shiba Inu! Last summer, I did all his exercise & brought him inside before 9am just because he was so exhausted from the heat. This summer, I'm not working anymore and would like to spend more time outside with him!

[t.pettet]

Be sure to get rid of all their undercoats but don't have them shaved, they need the outer hair to protect them from the sun and it acts to keep out the heat but do rake out the undercoat atleast once a week as this is what can over-heat them. My poms have a kiddie pool and spend alot of time in it on hot humid days and also get to swim in the river.

[Frenchy]

I do same as t.pettet. I use the rake to get red of the undercoat. I also trim them but not too short so they will be protected from the sun. I used to have a kiddie pool but none of the goldens ever used it. I will buy another one this year and see if the "new gang" like it.

Your best bet would be the kiddie pool. Although I always heard that once wet , they loose their protection from the sun.

[luckypenny]

Penny the only one here who loves, loves, loves her kiddie pool . And for an all black dog, she's forever laying right in the sun . Lucky and Ava insist on staying indoors during the hottest of summer days, and rest in the shade when it's not so scorching. We do go out just as the sun begins to come up but head for indoors by 9am.

Forest walks are great for those hot days when it's not so humid...bring the mosquito repellent though (the high humidity in Qc sucks during the summer ).

[Gail P]

Only one of my dogs is really heavy coated, but mine are all used to spending a lot of time outside in the winter since we dogsled. Once the warm weather comes I put a kiddie pool out in the backyard for them and they love it. Some of mine like to soak themselves as soon as they can break ice on the puddles in my fields and will lay down in the water after running around playing. A couple will also jump into the horse trough and lay down in it. I take them out in the fields to run and play in the mornings and evenings in the hot weather, before the sun is really up over the trees and when it's going down, and then after that they have the choice of staying in the backyard with their kiddie pool and shade, or coming inside the house. Depending on the temperature and if it's breezy or not, I may have the windows open or the air conditioning on in the house and I keep the curtains pulled across the front where the sun really shines in. I also like to take the dogs swimming at some nearby lakes and rivers.

[Sib.HuskyMom]

During the week, DH and I are at work and the dogs (both huskies) spend their time inside, in the basement, in the air conditioning.
We're then fortunate enough to spend most weekends up at the cottage where they can jump in the lake anytime they want.
Neither of them are big on swimming, but they love to walk around in the water, and I got them a few floating toys so we can play games and make it fun.

Jasper is great at staying in the shade on hot days, but for some reason, Timber likes to sunbathe. So I have to watch him close to make sure he doesn't get too hot, and keep moving him to the shade.

As others stated, I also remove as much undercoat as I can, but NEVER shave them, as that can actually cause heat stroke.

For really hot days, one of their favorite treats is a water kong. I can't remember what they toy is called, but it's basically like a kong, just blue and slightly more hour glass shapped then a regular kong.
Anyway, I just fill it with water, freeze it, and then let them play with it outside.
They can lick the frozen ice, and then it dribbles out cold water as it slowly melts.

If you google online, you can also find lots of ideas for making "puppy popsicles". And some human ones too!

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by Sib.HuskyMom

If you google online, you can also find lots of ideas for making "puppy popsicles". And some human ones too!

I make those I fill up ice cube trays with organic plain yogourt. Sometimes I put blueberries in them , or pieces of carrots.

[FlamesGirl]

I don't have a winter breed but my guy is very susceptible to heat. He's a flattie X so while he has no undercoat, his coat colour soaks up all the sunshine. Last summer, we went for our long walk early in the morning before work and before the sidewalk got too hot for him to walk on comfortably. I live in a basement suite with AC so during the day he lays on the kitchen tile downstairs to cool off after playing outside. When I'm outside reading or doing gardening work, he either lays down on the shaded concrete, under the tree on the grass, or in a little dirt hole to stay cool. On the REALLY hot days/evenings, I give him frozen kongs while we're outside - the kind that make big puddles as they melt. Most importantly, I try to keep him inside as much possible and restrict walks and heavy play sessions to the cooler parts of the day.

[Gail P]

Ice cubes! How could I have forgotten to mention those? I give my guys ice cubes to eat/play with when it's hot out. Sometimes one cube at a time per dog, sometimes I just empty out the ice cube trays into their food bowls or into their water. If they are in the water they go bobbing for ice cubes.

[t.pettet]

Ice cubes, 2 trays dumped in their pool provides loads of fun.

[otter]

Nolie has her favourite mud hole, dug under the picnic table I sprayed it down with water a couple of times a day, leaving a puddle if it will hold it. I let her dig down to fresh cool soil as she needs to and I fill the hole up with dirt at the end of the day and wet it down again. The soil gets cool over night. Seemed to keep her happy and cool.

We have a kiddy pool but Nolie is terrified of it

When it's hot we try and go for walks at the beach or in the woods, just remember to bring lots of water for you and your doggy. Try and teach your doggy to drink from a water bottle, or bring a bowl.

We don't have air conditioning so if it's hot in the house i'll put an ice pack or bowl full of ice in front of a fan and put it in front of doggies. The air blowing over the ice creates a cool breeze.

[shibamom]

Thank you for all the great ideas

He loves ice cubes, I will try the kiddie pool. As a Shiba Inu, he is supposed to hate water (I've never met one that would even touch it), but so far he goes up to his belly in lakes/rivers (it took a long time to work up to that ) so we'll give it a try.

For those who need to brush out the undercoat, how often do you do it in the summer? Once a week? Once every other day?

As you can see from this previous post of mine, his coat is quite thick:
http://pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=69392

I will try and do the forest walks too, it's just a bit difficult with the newborn but we'll find a way!!!

[t.pettet]

Once you have got rid of all the winter coat then a once a week brushout should be enough.

[clm]

None of my dogs have ever done terribly well in summer. Freddie and Yogi would out and out refuse to go for walks. They'd get to the bottom of the driveway and sit. Nothing no how was going to make them go any further. Once you turned around and started back towards the house, they got up and followed very obediently. If you do walk your dog in summer, after dark or early, early morning are the best times.
These two are a bit different. Baxter won't go out in direct sun at all. We call him the vampire dog. He'll burn up if the sun hits him. He will also fight you about going outside if he feels it's warm out there when you open the door. He doesn't like getting wet, so a pool isn't going to do anything for him. We keep him well brushed in summer and he drinks a lot of water out there in summer as well. His best times to get outside are very early morning, I mean like before 6am and after dark when it's cooler although I do make him go out midday to relieve himself whether he wants to go out or not.
Bentley on the other hand hops into the pond when he's hot. We tried a kiddy pool for him when he was little, but he prefers the pond. He doesn't know when to quit in the heat and we have to watch him because I can see him getting heat stroke if he's not watched.
Smaller meals in summer are important too, as they don't get the same exercise in most cases. If you have a sunny yard, make sure there is shade for them if you're going to keep them outside with you for any length of time as well.

clm