Hot Weather Ideas

It's hard to have a young, rambunctious dog when the weather is hot.  It's just as hard to have an older dog, puppy, or a middle aged one!  Sure, you can try and do some short exercise sessions early in the day and again in the evening but, for some dogs, it isn't nearly enough.  Here's a few ideas to keep your dog busy when it's hot out.

OUTSIDE GAMES:

• FISHING
  
• Get a couple of extra ice cube trays
• Put one piece of dog food in each section of one tray - freeze
• Put a piece of carrot in each section of another tray - freeze
• Put a small piece of apple in each section of a third tray - freeze
• Take all three trays, remove the cubes and fill a plastic bag with the mix
• Fill a child's wading pool with a couple inches of water
• Put a handful of ice cubes in and let your dog go fishing!

• LICK 'EM

• Find a small bucket and fill 1/3 of the way with water
• Freeze
• Put a couple of green beans on top of the ice and fill 1/3 of the way with water
• Freeze
• Put a couple of pieces of carrot and fill the rest of the way with water
• Freeze
• Take the block of ice out by plunging the bucket into warm water for a few seconds
• Put it outside on a tray or crate pan and let your dog lick the ice block to get the treats!
  
• COOL BALL CHASE
  
• Fill a wading pool with a couple of inches of water
• Put an Indestructible(tm) ball, large enough your dog cannot fit it in her mouth, into the pool
• Let your dog chase it around and try and remove it from the pool!

INSIDE GAMES:

• FIND IT

• Put a piece of dog food under a paper cup and encourage your dog to get the treat out from under the cup
• Once he's good at it, add a second cup with no treat under it - two cups, one treat.
• With practice your dog will become very accurate at getting the treat out from under the cup without having to touch both cups
• Once he's accurate, add more cups!  Ten or twenty cups add to the fun! 

•  KONG(tm) AND SEEK

• Soak some of your dog's regular food in warm water
• Stuff a Kong(tm) and freeze it overnight
• Hide the Kong(tm) somewhere in your house and let your dog find it and enjoy!
  Remember to deduct the amount of food you used in the Kong(tm) from your dog's daily food ration.

Please remember, when it is hot outside, to monitor your dog and keep outside sessions short - even with the wading pools.  Try and do all outdoor activities in the shade.  Dogs only sweat through the pads of their feet and by panting so they can overheat easily and quickly.  Remember, dogs can suffer from heat exhaustion and heat stroke too.


Your dog should have unlimited access to clean, cool water and should spend the hottest times of day inside, preferably with air conditioning. And, of course, never leave your dog in the car unattended in hot weather - even with the air conditioning on.

Enjoy your summer and enjoy your dog!