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Summertime has kicked in for many of us, and soon enough it will be in full swing. Depending upon where you live, a summer day can get mighty warm and you’ll need to take extra precautions in ensuring that your pooch stays safely cool and comfortable during those warm weather days. This is a particular issue if you have an older dog or an overweight dog. It’s also critical if you have a dog with a flattened shout, called a brachycephalic dogs. These dogs include breeds such as Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and Shih Tzus.

Some helpful hints to keep your dog safely cool:

• Keep your dog indoors during daytime when temperatures are at their peak.
• Make sure your dog always has access to plenty of fresh, cool drinking water.
• When your dog is outside, make sure he has access to a well-shaded area or doghouse to seek refuge from the sun.
• Always walk or exercise your dog in the morning or evening hours when it is cooler. Avoid these activities during the full heat of the day.
• If your dog has long hair, you could consider shaving your dog to a shorter length coat for the summer. Always leave at least 1inch of hair to protect your pooch from the sun.
• Do not bring your dog with you on car rides in warm weather. In the event you have to leave your car, your dog could suffer from sweltering temperatures inside the car.
• If your dog is inside the house and it’s still uncomfortably warm, try wrapping a large ice pack pack in a towel and placing this in your dog’s bed.
• If you will be out in the sun with your dog, consider applying sunscreen, especially to dogs with thin coats or fair skin.

Just a reminder- even thouigh you may not feel too hot, dogs are not able to cool themselves as efficiently as humans, and they run the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke earlier than humans do. Brachycephalic breeds are much more sensitive to heat than breeds with longer muzzles (Boxers, Bulldogs, Pekignese, Bullmastiffs, etc).