dogs and hot weather

[lauradickson]

My dog won't stay in the house while I work in the garden, she has to be with me.  I feel bad because I know she's too hot.  What do I do?

[orange-gnome]

Bless her heart!! I have a dog just like it, I call him my shadow!
You have two choices, either shut her in the house and ignore her whimpering or wet her down before you go out, make sure she has water to drink and maybe even make sure that there is somewhere shady for her to sit by you, like a big garden umbrella on a stand that you can move around the garden with you.

[shaneystar]

Mine is the same.He does like to be sprayed very gently with the garden hose on that fine spray bit .I put a bowl of cold water in a shady corner and try and make him lay down there.
Eventually he will clear off to somewhere cooler but only if he can see me.He puffs and blows like a broken winded horse.If I make him stay indoors he just whinges to come outside with me.It's a no win situation!!

[PurplePixie]

Mine has a little plastic paddling pool that she likes to go & stand in to cool off. It's just one of those blue shell ones from Argos....the neighbours all come & watch over the fence cos it's so funny!

[scubadiver]

I agree with purple pixie - our two retrievers, especially the one with the incredibly thick coat, love to take it in turns to lie in their paddling pool - it only takes a couple of inches of water to keep them cool

[shaneystar]

What a brilliant idea.Off post haste to buy one !

[Robinia]

I have a King Charles spaniel & he's the same, but it's too hot outside for him today so I think we'll both have to stay inside until later.  I think we're in for some storms but luckily he isn't afraid of them.  He loves a bath, I wonder whether he'd like a paddling pool?  I can always use it to put my poor hot feet in!!

Aha, I've just though of something! He'll get wet & then come inside & have a mad fit all over the furniture & carpets!! 

[callisto]

good advice here ....i have two std poodles ones a 15 week old pup in full puppy coat , the kids were in the big 12ft pool at weekend and thje dogs couldnt get in but seemed desperate so went and bought a cheap pool and they loved it x

[callisto]

oh word of advice lock the dogs in the house when emptying pool , i didnt and they splashed in the garden and rolled in the mud pool and put muddy paw prints all over tiled conservatory floor.......AAAAAAAh wheres the pool !!!!!

[Trillipse]

i've got two huge retreivers, and we too have some of those blue shell paddling pools for them, as well as spraying them with the hose/sprinkler. one word of CAUTION though, we left our paddling pools with water in for a while, (bad weather, laziness, forgetfulness, etc) and are convinced that the dogs - who had become accustomed to drinking from the pools as well as their bowl, became a little ill as a result of ingesting some of the stagnant contents therein... the build-up of algae is also ugly...