Summers finally started and we can spend a lot more time out and about with our 4 legged friends

But before we do I thought I’d share a little advice on how your dog and you can enjoy the summer sun without worry . .

 

Best Time to Walk your dog

With the Summer here the best times to walk your dog are in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening.
These are the parts of the day when everythings just a bit cooler, the suns either just coming up or going down, this will make the walk more comfortable for both you and your dog.

But just because it’s cooler don’t think you can exercise them too much as they can still get dehydrated very quickly, which takes me to our next bit of advice :

How to spot if your dog is suffering from dehydration:

Remember unlike you and me, dogs don’t sweat

Your dog cools off by panting . .

If you notice your dog panting heavily and drooling excessively, and they may also appear lethargic, these are warning signs that they are dehydrated.

Also remember that different dogs can suffer from dehydration a lot quicker, dogs with darker coats will absorb more heat from the sun than dogs with lighter coats, so be sure to stay in the shade when you can to help them stay cool.

Another thing to watch is if your dog is overweight as they will also be more prone to suffer from dehydration.

The best way to ensure that your dog stays hydrated and doesn’t suffer due to dehydration is to always have a bottle of water at hand, if your dog appears to be suffering from the heat move into the shade and let him have some water and cool down a bit, even dogs need to rest in the summer heat.

Other things you can do at home for your dog is go to somehere like Toys R Us or BM Bargains, Poundland and see if they have any kiddies paddling pools in, they are not all that expensive and provide a fun and cheap way for your dog to cool down in the garden, nothing like watching a dog playing in water.

Where not to leave your dog in summer

First up is the obvious one, that every dog owner should know:  The Car

You should never leave a dog in a car in hot weather, no matter how much the windows are open or how shaded it is, as a car will still retain heat even if it’s in the shade.

The second one might not be so obvious: Conservatories

Leaving your dog in a conservatory all day or even for an hour is  similar to leaving your dog in a car on a hot day.

All a conservatory is just a posh word for a greenhouse that’s attached to your house, it’s mostly made of glass and when the sun’s beating down on it, it’s heating up all that air trapped in the conservatory and any dogs left in there going to start to dehydrate very quickly.

So please don’t leave your dog alone in either a car or a conservatory in the summer sun, it could kill and will most likely kill them..

Pavements

Also remember to be aware of Pavements and Tarmacked roads in the heat, as these warm up extremely quickly under the summer sun and can be very hot to the touch, remember your dogs not wearing shoes, all he had are his pads to protect him and these can be very easily burnt from walking on Hot Pavements.

So my advice for a hot day is to walk your dog on the grass where and if you can, your dog will love you more for it

Ticks and Fleas

With the warmer weather, we also get all those nasty little pests that seem to think dogs are a walking restaurant and will at any to dine there.

Fleas, ticks and mites love Summer, this is the time when your dog will be out most, meeting, playing rolling in the grass and making new doggy friend’s, all of which are ample opportunities for them to pick up some of these uninvited diners.

For fleas and mites there are a lot of off the shelf natural and shop bought remedies such as drops, sprays and collars.

Ticks though are a very different story, these tend to be the ones that a lot of people don’t seem to know how to get rid of/remove safely.

If your dog picks up a tick from walking in long grass or wooded areas, removal must be done correctly as if you don’t, you could end up leaving part of the tick inside your dog, which can lead to serious issues.

Here’s a link to a website that details and shows how to remove a tick correctly : Removing Ticks