You are currently viewing 6 Tips: How to help your dog endure the summer heat

6 Tips: How to help your dog endure the summer heat

It’s such a beautiful season right now. Light green, fresh, light, flowering and fragrant. I enjoy every second of it. My dogs also enjoy that all the doors are open so they can walk in and out of the house freely.

But if the Danish summer shows itself from its good side with high temperatures, then I know that it will be hard for my dogs. They get it very hot and they have a hard time getting cooled down again.

DOGS DO NOT SWEAT LIKE PEOPLE

We humans have sweat glands all over the body and we therefore get rid of a lot of heat. But our dogs (and cats for that matter) only have sweat glands on their paws. It is an extremely limited surface for transporting sweat from the entire body. The dog (and cat) also use their tongues to cool off. You have probably noticed that our dogs throat a lot if they feel hot. They do this to make the water on the tongue evaporate as it has a cooling effect.

In fact, the dog’s tongue is a great tool for you too. Because if the tongue is dry, your dog can no longer cool down and is close to dehydration. If this happens, first and foremost make sure you give the dog fresh cool water. Next, you can take a damp towel and wrap it around the dog.

GOOD IDEAS TO HELP YOUR DOG IN THE SUMMER HEAT

So if our dogs are to get through the summer heat well, then we should help them along the way.

Here are a few easy steps that will help your dog get through the summer heat:

  • Make sure there is a good shade in the garden or on the terrace where your dog can lie down
  • If necessary, give them access to lie down on a floor with cool tiles in your home
  • Offer them a tub of water in the garden where they can cool their paws down
  • Avoid the long walks when the temperatures are highest. It can be an advantage to take the walks early in the morning and / or in the evening
  • Avoid having your dog in the car – here it is almost impossible to keep the temperature down, at least when the car is parked
  • Always make sure your dog has access to fresh water so it does not dehydrate