4 Dog Summer Safety Tips To Keep Your Dog Cool This Summer

I don’t know about you, but this summer has been hot hot hot! I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, and so I’m used to the humidity and high temperatures that greet us every summer. However, that doesn’t mean that it gets easier every year! Ha!

I know that if I’m feeling super hot, then my best furry friend is too. Keeping our dogs cool in the summer can prevent unwanted emergencies like heat stroke, dehydration and more. In this post, I walk through four dog summer safety tips to keep your dogs cool this summer that are easy and super fun for both you and your pup!

P.S. Check out my blog post about How To Prevent Burnt Paw Pads to keep your dog’s paws safe from the summer heat!

1. Keep Your Dog Hydrated

Just like us, our dogs need to stay hydrated too. When they’re inside, make sure they have plenty of access to water (Diesel likes a few ice cubes in his!) with corresponding bathroom breaks. I mention bathroom breaks because this piece of information is so important. I know that whenever I drink a ton of water, I have to go to the bathroom a lot more; this is the same with your dog! Be sure to add more time for bathroom breaks since your dog will need them.

Tip: Every night we try to cut off Diesel’s water around 8pm (he’s usually tired at that time anyways) in order to prevent any accidents in the house, as well as one more bathroom break right before we go to bed.

In addition to keeping a good source of water inside, if you take your dog to a dog park, make sure that they have access to water! Many dog parks will have some sort of hose that your dogs can drink out of but some don’t! Our newer apartment complex’s dog park doesn’t have any water in it and so we always bring our favorite portable dog water bottle (link to review below!) with us so that he can stay hydrated while he plays!

P.S. Read my full review of The Best Dog Water Bottle: Highwave Growler AutoDogMug!

2. Play In The Water

Unfortunately this tip won’t work for Diesel because he HATES water, but for many dogs this tip will be a favorite for your furry friend! My mom’s dog Remi is a Labrador Retriever and a true one at that! She loves to be in the water as much as possible, especially in the summer!

Here are a few ways to incorporate water into your summer playtime routine!

Purchase a dog swimming pool. We always have one of these for our backyard and fill it up for our dogs for them to play in in the summer and they just love it! Make sure to get the plastic version and not one that has to be inflated…it might pop ha!

P.S. Check out my blog post: Keep Your Dog Cool In The Summer With This Foldable Extra Large Dog Pool to learn more about an awesome, collapsible dog pool!

Take your dog to the lake. Growing up we would do this all the time! We would stay by the shore and bring a ball with us and let the dogs fetch the ball and have a good swim. The only thing to note is to know the lake your going to and what’s inside!
Turn on the sprinklers! When I was little we had a crazy daisy (any 90’s kids in the house?!) and every time I would play with it, the dogs would go wild! They just loved it! For some quick summer fun, simply turn on the sprinklers or move the hose around in the air and watch your dogs have a blast!

3. Avoid The Hottest Parts Of The Day

Unless I’m at the beach with access to the ocean or enjoying a day at the pool, the last thing I want to do is be outside from noon until about 3pm. It’s the hottest part of the day and can honestly be absolutely miserable! Also, depending on where you live, the added humidity can make it feel even hotter than it really is.

Avoid taking your dog outside to play at this time of the day at all times. Similar to humans, dogs can be exposed to risks of heat stroke and dehydration from getting too hot.

The best times to play are early in the morning or later in the evening. And of course if possible, try to find somewhere with some shady areas to make play time even more enjoyable!

4. NEVER Leave Your Dog In A Parked Car

This last tip should go without saying but unfortunately I still hear horror stories of this happening. Never, and I repeat never, leave your dog inside of a parked car with the windows rolled up.

Have you ever looked at the temperature your car says when you get in and it’s way hotter than your weather app says? That’s because when your car sits in the sun, it’s absorbing that heat from the top, the sides, all around, making it hotter than it really is. Cars can get as hot as 120 degrees and higher during the summer temps.

Always remember to keep the air on in your car when bringing your furry friend with you, or if you have to run into a gas station really quickly let’s say, make sure to roll your windows down in order to keep fresh air and a breeze for your dog.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post about four dog summer safety tips to keep your dog cool this summer.

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Photography: Nikki B Photography