We have had a few warm days this year for sure and Summer can always be a challenge for some dog owners – especially the ones who own dogs with multiple coats or a dark in colour – like the dark browns and blacks – who just soak up the sunshine and go from chilly to warm in what seems like just a few seconds. This is not a list of things to do to keep your dog cool, but more a discussion to raise awareness your dogs environment and experience on hot Summer days.
Direct Sunshine
Sunshine can be a nice addition to a chilly Autumn or Winter day and can make an early Spring day feeling like the middle of Summer. It’s good for all of us in general, giving us much needed vitamins and a much needed boost to our mood, this is also true for our dogs.
In the Summer months though, the direct sunshine can cause our dogs to get extremely hot extremely quickly and coupled with the warmer air and heat, they can struggle to cool down and this can lead to serious issues such as heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke and sometimes even death.
In Search for Shade
It’s always a good idea, especially if your dog has a darker colour coat that soaks up the sun heat quickly, to keep in the shade as much as possible, as prolonged sunshine can very quickly make you dog overheat in such a short space of time. It can be nice to pass away the time in the park in the shade of an old oak tree, with a picnic and a few friends and the coolness of a nice steady breeze.
When walking, plan to go places where you can keep your dog in the shade, such as a woodland or a field that has a line of trees that provides enough shade to sit under after your dog has had a quick run around, or places that are naturally shady and cooler.
One of my favourite things to do to take advantage of the hot weather, is to go somewhere that is out of the sunshine and do some environmental training with the dog, by hanging around sitting and drinking coffee and watching the world go by. A covered train station is good for this, where the air is much cooler, there is plenty of space and somewhere that sells coffee, where you and your dog can just chill for an hour or so and watch as the trains come in and out of the platforms and people rush around.
If you can’t plan a walk or activity that can keep them out of the sunshine when you are out, then seriously consider staying indoors on really hot days.
Pavements and Roads
Some dog owners seem to never take the time to consider our dogs feet, and how walking on the hot pavement can very quickly lead to their dogs paws becoming burnt and sore. But this isn’t the only issue with pavements and roads that have been exposed to the sunshine and soaked up the heat of the day and there are other consideration to be aware of that can lead your dog to quickly overheat, even if the sky clouds over and the breeze cools down.
Heat Transference
Although probably not the correct scientific term, heat transference is good way to describe how the Sun uses thermal energy to transfer its heat to objects. Depending on the type of material that is being heated up and if it’s a good conductor of this heat energy and also its colour, this will determine how hot an object gets and how quickly it heats up.
So why is this important to us dog owners?
Well, quite simple put, we need to be aware of how quickly pavements and road can heat up and subject our dogs feet to something akin to fire-walking – not good.
Light colour pavements will heat up less quickly, especially if they are made from stone, whereas black tarmac pavements and road will heat up in minutes and become very hot very quickly.
Radiant Heat
Radiant heat describes the heat that an object gives off, such as a radiator in your home. Depending on how long an object has been soaking up the heat from the sun, it’s radiant heat – the heat that it gives off – can last for hours.
Pavements, roads, buildings, walls and anything made from concrete or stone that is subjected to being battered by the suns rays during the day, it highly likely to radiate heat out even over night. This is how electric storage heaters work in the home, by heating up brick-type material and then letting it radiate out all day long.
Becoming Aware of Heat
Now that we have explored the very basics of heat, how the sunshine can heat up objects on hot Summer days and the types of heat, we can begin to understand what our dogs experience and why they seem to overheat fairly quickly, even after the sun in about to set.
Firstly, become aware of the heat of the pavement, the various colours and materials and how they are warmer or cooler than each other at various times for the day. Do this by feeling the pavement or road with the palm of your hand. Better yet, take off your shoes and socks and walk around for a day or two with bare feet. If it’s too hot for you to touch or to walk on, then it’s too hot for your dog too!
Secondly, become aware of the radiant heat that the pavements, buildings and brickwork give off after the sun has moved off them or has set for the day. Although it isn’t being heated up anymore, it is still giving off a large amount of heat.
As humans we are fairly tall creatures compared to our dogs. Our bodies are raised from the ground by our long legs and our heads are quite high up, can catch the breeze and keep them away from the heat being radiated from the ground. The only parts of us that are really subject to radiant heat are our feet and lower legs, we can also notice it on out bodies when walking past a building.
It’s a completely different story for our dog though. Their body is much closer to the ground and positioned in such a way that they will easily be made warm, or hot, by the radiant heat from the pavements, roads and buildings that they walk on or near. And be warned about drain and inspection hole covers made of metal that are embedded in the pavements – they truly will the the equivalent of walking on a boiling hot radiator!
Cars & Vehicles
Most people have cars these days and are well-versed in how quickly they can heat up inside when exposed to prolonged full sunshine, were even opening all of the windows doesn’t always provide relief from the relentless heat.
It goes without saying then that it may not be a good idea to put your dog in the car during the hot weather, unless of course it is nice and chilled due to the air-conditioning being on and the car being adequately cooled prior to asking our dog to jump inside.
Being made of metal and glass, a car will heat up rapidly and become like a greenhouse – and although I wouldn’t recommend growing tomatoes in the back seat, I would recommend keeping your dog away from the inside of it if you can’t keep it cool.
General Things to Do to Keep Cool
Be aware that the hot weather can be a tough time for your dog and although this post isn’t about things to do to keep your dog cool, there are a few things you can do to make their day more comfortable:
Exercise When It’s Cooler
Rather than keep to your usual routine, take your walks out with your dog at cooler times of the day, such as early morning or later evening/night.
If you live in a house or flat and need to go out with your dog so that it can go to the loo, then keep it as short as possible, keep off the pavements as much as possible and keep on the grassy areas as much as possible.
Keep a Bottle of Water in the Fridge
Putting a large bottle of water in the fridge can be a great resource for a warm dog. Change their water throughout the day with the cold water and they’ll love you, put a few ice cubes in the water too that they can munch on and they’ll love you forever!
Take a Cold Shower
Well, your dog that is! Plonking your dog in the bath, or taking them in the garden for a quick soak, can be a great way to cool them down – be warned though, they may not like it!
Go For a Swim
If you live near the sea of the river, take the time to go for a swim. It can keep both of you cool on the warmer days. If there is access to shade and you have a family (or not), then why not arrange to spend the day down by the river with a picnic, a bone and a good book?
Keep Your House Cool
If you are going to stay at home then it is important to try and keep your house as cool as it can be. Close curtains to keep out the sunshine and open windows only if you are able to get a breeze through the house. If the air outside is warm, then only the windows overnight to cool the house (remember radiant heat?) and keep them closed during the day to keep the warmer air coming in. If you can get a breeze through the house though be sure to open them.
Find Somewhere Cool
If your living situation means that you can’t make your place cool enough for your dog, then start thinking outside of the box and go out with your dog to places that can be cooler.
As I mentioned earlier, sometimes I like to go to the train station to keep cool and do environmental training so that the time isn’t wasted. Other places to go are dog-friendly bars and cafe’s, especially if they are air-conditioned and are close to a patch of grass so that you can quickly nip out to the loo! What’s the cost of a few cups of coffee or a beer or two to keep your dog cool?
Finally, take your dog round a friends house if they are able to keep their house cool, or have a cool back garden.
Playing with your dog when it’s hot may not be a great idea when it’s hot outside, especially if they get over-enthusiastic, as they get soon get too hot.
Keep Cool and Enjoy the Day
Hopefully now that you may to be able to better consider your dogs perspective when it comes to the warmer weather and you can set your day up so that you can both be comfortable and enjoy the time together.
It doesn’t take too much effort to plan a different day, going somewhere different and doing something different is good for both us and our dog. Although routine is great, being put in a position where we absolutely need to do something different because of a situation that we cannot control, can lead to a different experience and one that you may enjoy.
I remember when my white German Shepherd and I used to spend the day in the sea as we literally lived a two minute walk from the local park and seaside, so it was a dip in the sea then back to the park for an ice-cream and relax with friends under the trees.
Whatever you get up to in the hot weather, we hope you can find a way to keep cool.