What do you do to help with the heat?

[abcdefamily]

My husband and I are discussing the possibility of a move to Tampa/St. Pete... is it too hot there? or will the dog love it?

The homes we are looking at all have trees/shade, and central air...

and if we don't have a pool then I'm willing to have a kiddie pool for the dog as well...

Do we have other members in FL? how do your dogs cope with the heat?

Thanks -

Carolyn and Victoria

 

[Bar B]

Not from Fl. but have some really hot days in NC. What I do for heat is early morning walks and late evening walks. Water sprinklers and kiddie pools in the heat of the day for fun and plenty of AC. I have a few Boxers that have shorter noses than others and the heat really makes it difficult for them to breath sometimes so to make things fair for all of them and for their safety from heat exhaustion, we do the above with plenty of cool water.

 

[jynyowens]

We recently moved from Washington State to Oklahoma. The weather is drastically different here with the humidity. Our boy who is normally very "boxer" is very slow in the spring and summer. We just really watch how much he and his sister play during the heat. Like BarB we walk either early morning or late at night and they will play for a couple of times during the day but it only last about 10 minutes then its nap time for an hour or so just to recover. Lots of water, ice cubes for treats, and A/C all the time and if we do go to the dog park later in the day we make sure to hose them down alot. Good Luck to you! Keep us posted.

 

[Boxer_21]

I do the early morning and late evening walks with my boys. It's much cooler and easier for them to walk in. I also take a bottle of water for them. They get foamy mouths while we're walking so I always make sure to offer them water frequently.

One thing to watch out for with the evening walks though is the sidewalk/street surfaces. We normally go for our evening walks at around 8ish. By then the pavement has cooled enough to walk on, but other days it just gets far to hot to bring a dog walking on. I always hate seeing dogs at the beach walking down the streets. I can't handle walking barefoot because it burns, I'd hate to feel what they're feeling. :(

- Mandy

 

[D'sMom]

Although it doesnt get extremely hot in Seattle, we do get our fair share of hot weather once or twice in a great while.

To keep my girls, especially Bianca (the white wonder) from getting too hot or burnt (SPF 45 for that) we got them an A/C unit for their bedroom. Also we try not to go out during the day when it is the hottest so later in the evening when it is cooler is when they get their walks or trip to the dog park.

 

[totallyhip]

We take Luke for longer walks in the morning and in the evening too, and short ones during the day. I did hear that although their feet pads are pretty tough they are still very sensitive to very hot or very cold as well. So you have to be careful that the sidewalk is not too hot for them in the summer. Booties probably in the winter if you live in a cold climate. Luke gets foamy mouth too when we do the short walks in the afternoon. I take a bottle of water for him but he has a hard time drinking out of it. So I have to pour it into my hand. I've seen travel drink containers for dogs at the petstore. Their canteens that have a dish attachment to them so your dog can drink out of it. I'm thinking of getting one for us.

 

[ladyluck_t]

I've seen travel drink containers for dogs at the petstore. Their canteens that have a dish attachment to them so your dog can drink out of it. I'm thinking of getting one for us.

I bought one of those for katie, she wont drink out of the container, so i jsut squirt the water into her mouth......She looks like such an athelete that way! of course, i am the one that looks like the dork!

Katie prefers to stay in during the day. and it gets D*&^* hot here! i just keep a close watch on her and have plenty of water.

Congrats on your move

Carolyn and Katie

 

[felicity35]

We live in west virginia and it gets hot here .I noticed that if it get above 70 my girl gets hot and doesn't tolerate it well she loves to be outside. we have a pool but she doesn't swim well.. we bring her in and out all day. she begs to go out so i watch her closely lots of water and ice cubes.sprinklers are a good idea. we also thought about putting a fan outside under the canopy where she cant reach it.pointing where she rests..in the swing. she doesn't seem to tolerate weather above 70 or below 68. thats about all we do... just in and out...lots of water.

 

[angray]

If you are concerned about the heat, you could get a cooling blanket. Petsmart sells them and you can find them online. My sister recently bought one for her pug since she doesn't have ac, and pugs have difficulty breathing in hot humid climates. he loves the cooling blanket. It is a great buy. I ordered one for Mugsy. You can take it in the car, outside, in a crate, or just wherever.

 

[rygolf25]

Two words, KIDDIE POOL. In Nebraska, we usually get 90 and up temps with 75% and higher humidity in the summer. If you aren't from a humid area, you probably can't understand how sticky and hot it really is. We've really worried about our kids playing outside in the summer but they love it so much. About a year ago on a whim, we went to WalMart and bought a 6' kiddie pool that we filled half way up. It took them both a day or two but they realized that laying in the pool will cool them off (as well as double as a huge drinking bowl!). They now both love the pool and it keeps them very cool and happy during the hot months here.