Here in Florida, we are no stranger to hot weather. In fact, during the summer it can get up to 100 degrees! But for dogs, exercise is a physiological requirement, and they need to keep in shape regardless of how hot it is outside. But exercising your dog in the heat can have some very negative effects. So to keep our fur babies safe, I’ve lined up some safe ways to exercise your dog in hot weather – plus some tips on how to spot overheating in your dog, and what to do about it!
Safe ways to exercise your dog in hot weather:
- Exercise in shaded areas
- Engage in water activities
- Walk shorter distances
- Exercise early or after sunset
- Carry clean water from home
- Decrease the intensity of the exercises
- Take lots of breaks
- Play fetch around sprinklers
- Keep an eye for overheating
- Hose your dog down before a walk
- Play indoor games
- Avoid hot surfaces
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Safe Ways to Exercise Your Dog in Hot Weather
According to the American Kennel Club, overheating in dogs has the potential to be life threatening and should be taken very seriously.
And because dogs cannot tell us what they need, us fur-parents need to be the ones to provide a safe environment for our dogs while still allowing them to get the much needed exercise for their physical and mental wellbeing!
Always look for signs of dehydration and overheating in your dog, and use the below list of safe ways to exercise your dog to ensure your pup is safe in the heat!
1) EXERCISE IN SHADED AREAS
Summer can be unforgivingly hot in some areas and because dogs don’t sweat, heat does not escape their bodies, causing them to overheat quickly.
Humans tend to think that because they don’t feel the extreme heat, their fur babies are fine with it too.
Big mistake.
Your canine pal may be baking in it, and because they don’t know how to tell you they’re in distress, they can easily suffer from heatstroke if you don’t know how to check for the signs.
Exercising in direct sun for a prolonged period of time is a sure-fire way for your pooch to overheat.
So to prevent your fur baby from overheating, which can cause heatstroke, exercise in shaded areas such as under a tree, at a covered dog park, or even at the beach where there’s usually a cool breeze in the air!
This helps your pooch keep fit and healthy without overheating.
2) ENGAGE IN WATER ACTIVITIES
When you want to exercise in hot weather, consider engaging in dog-friendly water activities!
This is the perfect way to spend some quality time with your pup while still escaping the summer heat!
Plus, dogs love to play with water.
But the notion that all dogs are natural swimmers is not true. Some don’t know how to swim and can easily drown.
For example, Milo loves to play in the shallow end of the pool, but won’t get in the water for anything!
So if you have a non-swimmer like I do, getting a kiddie pool or taking a ride down to the doggie beach for some water time is a great idea!
Being around water cools them down, which reduces the risk of overheating. So go ahead and let your fur baby play in the water and splash around!
3) TAKE SHORT WALKS
Have you trained your fur baby to walk longer distances?
Good for him. It means that he’s keeping healthy and fit.
But when it is hot outside, walking long distances can cause more harm than good to your pooch.
Dogs get tired faster in the heat – just like people.
But unlike people, they can’t just turn around and go back inside.
Your pooch wants to please you, and will keep walking along next to you until the collapse of heatstroke.
So even if you’re used to walking five blocks in cooler weather, consider walking two when the weather is hot. And always look for signs of dehydration and fatigue!
4) EXERCISE EARLY IN THE MORNING OR LATE IN THE AFTERNOON
Hot weather can dampen your spirits and make you want to stay indoors. But your fur baby needs his daily exercise to keep him healthy.
And since Milo loves his walks, I try to fit them in daily – even though he has a whole backyard to play in!
I walk him in the morning before it gets too hot. Or we take our walk late in the afternoon when the heat cools down a little.
I’ve noticed that Milo stays way more alert during those times and we can walk for longer too.
And, walking during these off hours also helps to keep his paws from blistering!
Plus, your pooch may not want to go out if it is too hot – and who can blame them?
Taking a walk earlier in the day when the sun is still down, or late in the evening when the air is cooler is a much better option and it’s a safe way to exercise your dog in hot weather!
Staying away from peak-temperature hours helps your pooch stay healthy, hydrated, and keep fit.
5) CARRY CLEAN WATER FROM HOME
Summer activities often take us to the lake, beach, or park.
And even though playing in the water will keep your dog cool, drinking from a lake or ocean can be dangerous.
So relying on the stream, lake, or ocean water is not good for quenching your dog’s thirst.
This is because these water sources can carry parasites and chemicals that can harm your pooch.
Lake water has a parasite that sets up shop in your fur baby’s intestines and causes giardiasis, an infection of the small intestines – think vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, among other problems.
Ocean water contains salt, which is not safe for dogs.
A high intake of salt interferes with fluid balance and can leave your fur baby severely dehydrated.
And dehydration can cause fainting, kidney failure, and in extreme cases, death.
So carrying enough clean water from home helps keep your pooch hydrated and safe from waterborne diseases – and dehydration!
In addition to clean water, you can carry frozen treats or ice cubes with you to the park or the place where you’re exercising with your pooch.
Frozen treats help cool them down and stay hydrated – plus, they think they’re getting a treat!
Freezing fruits such as watermelon and apples also provide healthy nutrients to your pooch while keeping them hydrated.
With enough water, summer activities with your pooch will be safe and fun!
6) GO LIGHT ON THE EXERCISE
Your pooch loves to play with you. It doesn’t matter what time of day, or how hot the weather is, he will want to please you.
But sometimes that comes with a heavy price. Some dogs are fragile, and participating in intense workouts during the hot summer months can cause additional health issues.
In hot weather, exercises that don’t seem that intense to start with become dangerous – fast!
So to keep your dog safe from overheating and possible heatstroke, find less strenuous exercises for them to enjoy without working twice as hard to keep up.
Your pooch will still have fun playing with you, and he’ll thank you for keeping him cool and safe.
7) TAKE LOTS OF BREAKS
If you start to notice your pup panting more than normal, drooling a lot, or just looking very very tired – it’s best to take a break from whatever activity you’re doing.
My rule of thumb is whenever Milo wants to lay down, I let him.
That’s usually a pretty good indicator that he’s feeling hot and tired.
So to prevent any issues, we both take a break.
Then when I see him starting to get up again and isn’t panting anymore, we resume playing or taking a walk.
It’s really important to listen to your dog and allow them to rest when they need it. This could really prevent an emergency situation from developing!
8) PLAY FETCH IN THE SPRINKLERS
This activity was actually not meant for Milo – it was meant for the kids.
Playing in the sprinklers, I mean – not fetch!
For the little one’s birthday we got her a splash pad that you hook up to the water hose – you know, the kind that shoots water everywhere and you get to slide around on.
Of course, one look at that and Milo was all in.
And between the kids chasing Milo, and him chasing them, fetch was the last thing on his mind!
But from then on, whenever it’s super hot out and Milo’s dying to play outside – I turn on the sprinklers and toss the ball around.
This is an easy way to keep your baby cool, while still making sure they get plenty of exercise.
And on a side note – It’s also a great way to tire him out before giving him a bath!
9) KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR OVERHEATING
Even when your pooch wants to bond with you through exercises and games, hot weather can affect his energy levels.
And if you stay in the heat for too long, your dog may overheat, which comes with a myriad of other problems such as dehydration and heatstroke.
Knowing the signs of overheating is information every fur parent should have. It may save your pooch – or someone else’s.
Keeping an eye on him while you’re playing helps you notice the signs early on and put a cap on the exercises.
It also helps you take quick measures to ensure your fur baby’s health is not affected.
Check out the signs below to be aware when your dog might be overheating!
10) HOSE YOUR DOG DOWN BEFORE A WALK
If for some reason you absolutely have to go outside in the middle of a hot summer day with your dog, then consider hosing them down first!
Gently wet them down while you’re outside – you don’t want them tracking water through the whole house!
This ensures that your pup will stay cooler for longer during your outdoor activities and you can always take extra water with you and keep wetting them when they dry out!
11) AVOID HOT SURFACES
Just because you have shoes on and don’t feel the heat on the pavement doesn’t mean your pooch shares your comfort.
When the weather is too hot, surfaces tend to overheat, which burns your fur baby’s paw pads.
So walking on the concrete or asphalt may be torture for your pooch even when they don’t show it.
To test the surface, place your hand on the area. If you can’t hold it for five seconds without burning, the surface is too hot for your pooch.
And because dogs don’t speak, it might be difficult to notice their distress unless you’re keen on their behavioral patterns.
The first time I noticed this in Milo was one very hot summer day on vacation – he started doing what I call the “donkey kick” where he’s trying to get the burning sensation off his paws.
I had no idea the pavement was so hot!
So always be sure to check the pavement! And, check out this post on protecting your dog’s paws in the summer!
12) PLAY INDOOR GAMES
Sometimes the heat is just too extreme and it’s out of the question to leave the nice indoor A/C.
In this case, there is no need to put your pooch at risk. You can always play indoor games and save the walk for when the pavement won’t burn their paws!
To allow for indoor playtime with your pup, it’s a good idea to move the furniture away and put away any breakables.
Give them as much space as you can to run and play – hopefully without breaking anything!
And instead of playing fetch with hard bones or other things that will damage the walls, choose a soft tennis ball, a stuffed toy, or even practice some basic commands with treats!
SIGNS OF OVERHEATING
Summer is the perfect time to get outdoors and play in the sun! But hot weather may cause some undesired results if you keep your fur baby out for too long.
So aside from keeping in mind these safe ways to exercise your dog in hot weather, knowing these signs of overheating in dogs is an important step to prevent any emergency trips to the vet during your summer activities!
- Shortness of breath. One sign of overheating is being unable to breathe normally. Your pooch may let out short spurts of breath while struggling to breathe air into his lungs.
- Excessive drooling. While dogs naturally drool, too much of it especially when out in the heat can be a sign of overheating. Hyper-salivation occurs when your pooch gets nervous and agitated.
- Extreme panting. Dogs pant to allow the moisture to escape their bodies through the mouth. This is because dogs don’t have a sweating mechanism, and panting is a way of cooling them.
- Dehydration. This occurs when dogs have used up all the fluids in the body. Your dog will appear fatigued and may even collapse!
- Bright red or blue gums. When your pooch overheats, his gums turn bright red. Having blue gums is a more serious sign of lack of enough oxygen.
- Diarrhea and vomiting. These are also signs of overheating if your fur baby has been out in the heat. And because they take fluids out of the body, they quickly intensify the dehydration, which can cause irreversible damage.
- Disorientation. Overheated dogs may become weak and disoriented, which causes them to walk in circles.
- Seizures. Heatstroke occurs when your dog’s temperature reaches the highs of 106 degrees and over. It causes brain damage as the brain swells, and causes your pooch to seizure.
HOW TO COOL DOWN YOUR DOG
- Give your dog a cool place to rest in. This could be in a shaded area, indoors, or front of a fan.
- Place a cool, damp towel on them. The best place to put them is on the neck, armpits, and hind legs.
- Give him small sips of water. If your pooch can drink, give him small sips of water but don’t force it on him.
- In case of seizures or unconsciousness, do not waste time and take your dog to the vet immediately!
Using the above safety tips can go a long way in keeping your pooch safe from the damaging effects of the heat. Plus, use these safe ways to exercise your dog in hot weather to keep your dog in shape and enjoying the amazing summer weather!
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