Cool Pups

[Aso]

Hi everyone!

My new puppy will be home in a little over a week and with Summer fast approaching, I'd like to share and learn as many "tricks" as I can on how to keep my darling cool during these warm months. He's a Dogue de Bordeaux and they're very sensitive to heat.

With my previous pup (also a Bordeaux):

* I had a couple of half shells in the backyard filled with water to splash around in.

* I also used to freeze water in 2L softdrink bottles and used them as "portable aircons" especially in his crate.

* Wet towels on crate and fan on low;

I found it a lot harder when we were on the move or out socialising at the park or something similar. How do you keep your pups cool? Do those "cooling mats" and coats do the job? I also saw a crate fan called "Proselect Crate Fan Cooling System" where a frozen attachment can be added to make it even cooler. Has anyone used this and does it make a difference?

Thank you everybody :)

[piper]

Cool coats are fantastic for when you are out and about but I wouldn't leave them on them all day at home when you are not around.

If you have any nice trees/bushes in you yard you could soak the soil under them in the morning. I do this under our 2 best shade trees when it is going to be hot and the soil stays nice and cool and damp for hours and they will go lay there if they want to cool off. We also do the clam shell of water too. I have never had any success with the cool mats - they would much rather lay on the cool ground than 1 of them.

You can also make doggie ice blocks - freeze ice cream container and have some treats hidden in it. I sometimes do this if we get an empty ice cream container but I don't rinse the container first - just fill it up so the ice is slightly flavoured and a bit interesting.

If you give raw meaty bones these can also be fed frozen in hot weather.

The sliver shade mesh that you can get for gazebo walls also work well hung from a pergola/verandah to add shade and decrease the heat.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

At the moment I make my dogs "icy poles" - chinese food container with a few chunkers or bits of liver, or whatever and then frozen (they love them!!!).

When out walking in the heat (or training) then I use cool coats, but you have to monitor that they don't get too cool. But I try not to walk too much in the heat as I don't want them getting burnt paws.

I find that my 2 both prefer to be able to dig a cool spot under the trees, they dig down a little bit til they get to the cooler dirt and then just lie in that. Or they like to be inside on the tiles or under the fan!

[Alyosha]

For our little one we are using a wet towel or sheet hanging over part of his puppy pen. It needs re-wetting several times during the day, but as he likes to go and hang out outside and run about (being young!) it is a life saver. So long as the cloth is damp it is very cool near it. And hanging it over one part of his pen means he can choose to sit near it or move away. I think this is important if they are confined from choosing the coolest or warmer spots according to their body heat.

In his inside bed which is a soft crate, he has sometimes needed a cool pack wrapped in a pillowcase - on one side so he can sit close or move away as needed. When he comes inside he runs amok a bit so needs a cool place to sit if it gets too much.

Going to shows in warm weather my big guys get wet sheets hung over their crates and pens, and regular spritzing with a spray bottle. They love it. Unless they are enjoying the aircon in the car that is! Far better than the one in the house!!

[Aso]

Oh thank you guys!

Such simple, practical completely do-able ideas! I'm going to start collecting some of the materials now. With these crazy weather we've been having in Sydney I don't want to caught off guard.

Thanks again :D

[noisymina]

I was told once that apart from the tongue, the next best places a dog loses heat are the paws and the belly areas. Wetting the belly/underneath and legs is better than trying to wet the whole dog.

I have clipped Woos belly hair right off for summer. :)

Have yet to convince her that the little pool will not bite her. :laugh:

[minimax]

www.k9pro.com.au are having a sale on cooling products!

edit: thread here with details

Edited November 28, 2012 by minimax

[megan_]

Another thing to remember is to never put a wet dog into a hot car - they heat up and the hot water gets trapped in their coat.

Mine hate water and any slightly wet feeling, so clam shells and cool mats are out - they refuse to use them, even when we had Black Saturday in Vic.

I give them frozen no fat youghart in kongs as a treat and then just leave them be during the day. I make sure I walk them very early on hot days (before 6.30am).

My house is relatively cool and I have floor boards which are cooler than carpet, but if we have a run of super hot days then I just leave the air con blasting to cool them down.

I have cool coats but it is not safe to leave these on unattended. Besides getting caught up in them, for most brands if they dry out they will make your dog much, much hotter.

I think one of the most important aspects to cooling a dog is letting them choose where it is most comfortable for them - a lot of dogs like digging a hole under a tree as the soil is nice and cool.

[Aso]

www.k9pro.com.au are having a sale on cooling products!

edit: thread here with details

Just received the K9Pro "Top Tips for Keeping Your Dog Cool", excellent read as well. I'm going to look into those cooling coats, it should solve my on-the-go concerns. I've ordered the crate fan and cooling system with a few extra cartridges so will see how that goes with the soft crate. Not from K9Pro though but I think they're the same brand ...

[megan_]

If it is very hot it is best to just not take the dog out - they can burn their paws on a hot pavement.

[Aso]

If it is very hot it is best to just not take the dog out - they can burn their paws on a hot pavement.

Of course, if I can't walk on it barefoot, I won't let a pup walk on it. Also, what may be comfortable for myself and other dogs could very well be quite uncomfortable for my pup, with his squashed face and all :laugh: .

Our summer weather can be quite funny too, a day that may be quite cool from my place can be up to 10 degrees warmer by the time I get to my mom's place further west 30 minutes later. I'm just glad there are stuff out there that I can do and buy to make it bearable for the little monster :) .

[disintegratus]

Well, today I've closed all the critters in the house with me and turned the air con on. Because I've closed up all the doors, they can't get in and out to go to the toilet if they need to. I took them out for a toilet break about 5 minutes ago, and by god you would have thought that I was asking them to set themselves on fire. Lazy so-and-so's, acting like they're dying when they're asked to go outside for 5 minutes to relieve their bladders!! Life is so hard for a dog at my house :laugh: Meanwhile, I've been working up a sweat despite the air con cleaning the house (which is mostly the mess that those grotty sods have made) while they've been lounging on the couches, but they're the ones having a hard time of it!

In the past when I haven't had air con, I've given them ice blocks (sometimes just plain 5l ice blocks, or sometimes with bits of food or frozen weak chicken or beef stock), shallow pools kept in the shade (otherwise the water gets warm and gross), if they have access to inside they get frozen towels laid on the tiles.

If I'm making them a frozen treat block (which I didn't do for today because I'm terrible at planning ahead), I freeze a container full of their kibble, and freeze the treat cubes in layers, otherwise the kibble gets mushy and awful. They don't care, but I do. Frozen bones are a favourite, as are frozen treat blocks with a couple of chicken wings in the middle. I gave up on frozen kongs, they don't seem to last long enough. If I've got enough warning of a really hot day, I re-shuffle my freezer so I can fit a bucket in there, fill it with water and freeze it solid, and chuck that in the shallow pool to keep it cooler for longer.

[Aso]

Well, today I've closed all the critters in the house with me and turned the air con on. Because I've closed up all the doors, they can't get in and out to go to the toilet if they need to. I took them out for a toilet break about 5 minutes ago, and by god you would have thought that I was asking them to set themselves on fire. Lazy so-and-so's, acting like they're dying when they're asked to go outside for 5 minutes to relieve their bladders!! Life is so hard for a dog at my house :laugh: Meanwhile, I've been working up a sweat despite the air con cleaning the house (which is mostly the mess that those grotty sods have made) while they've been lounging on the couches, but they're the ones having a hard time of it!

Something I can look forward to :laugh: !

[JulesP]

I got up early so I could get the dog walk done before it got too hot. We are all inside enjoying the aircon! One of the cheeky critters barked to come in a couple of hours ago. They have heaps of shade outside too.

[Alkhe]

I wish mine got the memo about needing to try and stay cool! My older girl keeps going outside to lie in the sun - I've got no idea how she can stand it, because I can't even walk on the ground out there. I went to pick her up and bring her in and had to run back and hyperventilate from the pain! How her belly stands it, I'll never know.. she's totally uninterested in anything I try and do to cool her down!