Top tips for keeping your dog cool

Ensuring your dog is kept at a safe temperature during summer is crucial. Unlike humans dogs cannot just tell us they are too hot, so it is up to us to notice when they are struggling, and prevent it from happening.

1. Cold wet towels

Soak a towel or dog drying robe in cool water and lay over your dog. This really helps in steadily cooling your dog down, and is an extremely useful tool for dogs suffering from heatstroke, before taking them to the vets. Once the towel has warmed up and is no longer cool, make sure you take it off as it can start to have the reverse effect and start making the dog hot again.

2. Get a garden sprinkler

If you dog loves water, then why not treat them to a garden sprinkler?! It can give them hours of fun whilst watering the grass at the same time, and cooling them down!

3. Don’t walk in the heat of the day

If it is set to be a hot day, make sure you plan to go for your walks early in the morning before the sun is too hot and later in the evening. This way you are avoiding the heat of the day, and the chances of your dog getting heatstroke.

4. Take your dog for a swim

Swimming is also a great form of exercise other than walking, and will keep your dog nice and cool.

5. Keep them well hydrated

Make sure there is plenty of fresh, cool water available at all times . You can even make it more interesting for them by adding ice cubes to their water bowl to play with. Keep a bowl outside in the shade too, so if they are out playing they have somewhere to get a refreshing drink!