Dog-Friendly Summer Tips With A Twist
Summer is here and animal lovers are being inundated with important safety tips such as how to keep your dog cool, symptoms of heat stroke, and reminders not to leave dogs in parked cars – especially with the window up! This information is terribly important and I implore you to read all of the tips you come across on the topic even if they seem redundant because it’s info that could save a life.
However, that is not what my post is about today. I’m going to talk about what to do with your dog this summer. Summer is full of unique challenges for dog owners. It’s, hot and that makes it harder to safely exercise your dog, so you’ll need ways to keep Fido busy, his brain active. Also, summer extra social activities and vacations may keep you away from your dog for longer hours than in the chilly indoor months. For those of you who can’t bear to part with your furry friend for too long there is the constant concern of finding dog-friendly places.
Let’s start with a cheap and easy double-whammy. The Kongsicle or cool as a cucumber Busy Buddy toys. Cool your kibble and other dog treats to give your dog a challenging activity that will not only take hours to devour, but also keep his temperature tepid on toasty summer days. This kind of activity is excellent for days that are either too hot for a romp in the park or when your summer schedule keeps you away from home longer than usual.
How to do it? Be as creative as you like, but, the easiest way to do this is to soak your dogs daily ration is a bit of flavored water for a few hours and then stuff the mixture into all sorts of fun food dispensing toys and freeze them over night. To flavor the water use a dollop of peanut butter, canned food, freeze-dried liver treats crushed to a fine powder, baby food… you get the idea.
Another activity to consider when it’s too hot to hike is dock diving. Soooo much fun and with a little bit of coaxing just about any dog can do it. If your dog is not naturally designed for water work use a doggy floatation device to keep things safe and give her a bit of extra confidence.
And yet another way to keep your dog busy while beating the heat is to frequent restaurants and cafes with dog-friendly outdoor seating. It’s not the same as a day of play, but it’s the perfect time and place to socialize your pup and work on a stupendous down-stay as well. Ah, the distractions! The mental stimulation and focus required will still poop your pup out. Watching the world go by and learning to chill in the presence of such activity is really good for dogs. Not to mention it’s important to support dog-friendly businesses whenever possible.
Speaking of dog-friendly places… The Dog Travel Company can help you sort out all of your travel needs for you and your canine companion. It’s a full service travel club for people who like to take their dog along for the ride. Now that’s pretty cool news on a hot summer’s day.
*By the way, these endorsements are not paid for, just things that I think are good or interesting. Same goes for all Puppy Bite and Monthy Woof links!
What are your favortite beat the heat tips and resources? Please share on behalf of cool canines everywhere!
