When I lived in Maryland, I would wake up early, around 6am, to walk my dogs every single day. Once I moved to Massachusetts, I was able to walk my dog a bit later, around 8am, but even like that I always have to remember the following:
- I need to walk Abby early in the morning. I will probably have to start waking up at 6am again because the weather is hitting 90 degrees as of late.
- I have to make sure to take water with me.
- I need to pay attention to Abby’s body language. If she starts panting too much, I will stop the walk, find a shaded area, give her water, not cold water for this can shock her instead of helping her, and wet her chest and head.
- Once we come back, I always check her paws, brush her, and wipe her off. This way I keep her clean but at the same time I check to make sure that she is ok.
My last 3 dogs, pit bull mixes, were mostly white therefore they were able to handle the heat better than other dogs. In the above picture, the white pit bull will probably handle the heat and humidity better than the dark one. Please keep in mind that dogs of dark color overheat very easy. Abby is a perfect example of that and that is why I need to pay attention to her body language.
Go out and enjoy a nice walk with your dog, but try to make your walks early in the morning and/or late in the afternoon and pay attention to your dog’s body language.
AllMyCanineCompanions 
I guess this goes for riding with your dog too!
Yes, it does:-) I used to get my pit bull mix, Alex, to run alongside my bike and she loved it.
Reblogged this on Little Lord Oscar Dandelion Books and commented:
Safe + sound advice for walking your canine friend 🙂
Sound advice 🙂
Thanks Oscar. Enjoy your weekend:-)
You too, Marcela 🙂
Ecellent advice for summer walks. It’s been hot in Seattle, and it has taken its toll on 6 year old Mongo.
Thanks. The last few days, here in Stoughton, MA have been a bit hot. Today, Monday, is supposed to be the last day of 90 something temperature. After that 80’s are on their way. Poor Mongo. I can only walk Abby for 20 minutes at a time, and that is in the morning.
We are relegated to early morning and after sundown. Forecast calls for lower 80’s through the week. That should help.
Same here. Abby seems to enjoy her naps as long as I have the fan on:-)
Mongo thinks I don’t notice, but when it gets really hot in the house, he sneaks downstairs to my son’s room, where there is air conditioning. 😉
Lol. Smart Mongo.
Living in Florida we live with heat. Great tips and be careful with your short snoot pups also.
Excellent advice.
Living in Arizona it’s very important to pay attention to the weather in regards to the animals. Since I’m not a morning person I’ve been walking the dogs later in the evening (daytime temps have been over 100!). I can tell when Dewey Dude is ready for his walk because after just laying around for most of the day he’s suddenly up and active (sometimes racing around the property like a lunatic- LOL). Both dogs are mostly black, but Ziggi’s got a much shorter, thinner coat and he seems to like the heat. He’ll lay right in the sun even on the hottest days! I literally have to force him to come into the house to cool off in the AC. Dewey Dude, on the other hand, has that thick double layer coat and just can’t handle the heat, so I make sure he’s inside with me keeping cool until the evening. He has no desire to roast his furry little butt in that heat!
100? Wow! Lol. As you see with your own furry kids, even if they are the same color the type of hair they have also determines who will get hot easier:-)
Great advice – I am enjoying our early walks. Thankfully, our heat broke and we can take a late afternoon one again as well!
Yay!
Excellent advice for summer walks.