My dog absolutely adores being outside. She loves the air, the wind, "tanning" in the sun, all the scents... but when the weather gets a little hotter than normal for summer, I worry she's suffering. Most pets (such as cats and dogs) tend to wear a "winter coat" all year long. This can cause problems when it starts getting humid and unbearable outside. That's why, after years of just observing and doing my best to make my dog comfortable, I composed some tips and tricks to help your furry friend be comfortable.
1. Booties
PAWZ Dog Boots
As ridiculous as this dog may look, typically any sort of dog booties can help them with extreme weather. Some are used to keep their paws dry during rain storms but others are useful to keep their paws from hurting on the extremely hot pavement. I have noticed with my dog, some warning signs includes her continuously picking up her paws is standing around for too long.
2. Ice Cubes
This one might be an obvious one but it can do wonders for your pet. If you are lucky enough to have a pet who willingly eats ice cubes, congratulations. You are one of the lucky ones so please take advantage of that and give your best friend a couple of ice cubes to cool them down. Some of us, however, have to work a little harder to give their pet some cold, refreshing water. Now, it isn't rocket science, but the easiest way is to just throw a few ice cubes into their water dish. It's super simple but helps them when their water gets to be room temperature.
3. Sprinklers/Kiddie Pool
Dog in water
Personally, my dog is not a fan of water. She despises when we sprinkle water on her but sometimes I need her to run through the sprinkler to cool down her heavy coat. Another similar idea is setting up a kiddie pool. Drawing inspiration from a Jenna Marbles' video, why not just throw your pets a pool party to cool them down. I hope some dogs out there will appreciate it more than my dog ever will.
4. Basement
Right off the bat let me say: no, do not lock your dogs in a basement. Not exactly what I mean with this next idea. If you are luck enough to have a lounge area in your basement, why not just hang out there with your pet? My dog loves to follow me around when I am the only person home so a nice trick I have to make her comfortable is to sit in my basement watching Netflix. She curls up right next to me and takes a little nap. Pretty soon, she is so cooled off she wants a blanket. It is a lot better than keeping them on a higher level where the heat will rise.
5. Cold Treats
Dog eating ice cream
I think this one is the cutest idea on this list. What do humans like to eat in summer? Ice cream. So, why not give that to your furry friend? Recently, companies have been coming out with dog-safe ice cream! It looks like normal ice cream but your pet can enjoy the frozen treat without having any issues. They can enjoy two different flavors: original and peanut butter.
