Well, it’s officially summer in DC — temps were in the 90s for most of the weekend. We don’t have a pool, and the last time I took Batman to the local creek, he got Giardia, so we’ll have to make do with land resources for now. Luckily, Batman is full of ideas and wanted to share some tips with his fellow hot dawgs:
1. Start the day EARLY. Here we are, playing tug in the park this morning. We started our day at 5:30 am to beat the sun. I ‘ve never gotten up so early on a weekend, except maybe to catch a flight. But Batman has made me a morning person. “You’re welcome,” he says.
2. Go shopping. Did you know the Apple Store is dog-friendly? I had to go in to get my laptop repaired on Saturday. Batman chilled out on the nice, cool cement floor for almost an hour, stopping only to accept pets and love from Apple staff and customers.
Other dog-friendly businesses in my area include Anthropologie, Lululemon, J.Crew and the local hardware store. I prefer the Apple Store because it’s light and airy inside, and it’s harder for Batman to get into a counter of iPads vs. a rack of swingy clothes.
He’s wearing an Ex-officio bandana with natural (no chemical) bug repellant woven into the fabric because we had 2 hours of training in Virginia that day, and I didn’t want his ears to get bitten. It worked! Of course, I got bug bites all over my legs and ankles, but at least my dog is bite-free.
3. Rock the Swamp Cooler. The Swamp Cooler is a cooling vest, another great Ruff Wear product. You soak it in cold water, wring it out, and put it on your dog to keep him cool outdoors. It works great. I’ve only used it for 30 minute intervals, but the website says it stays cool for up to 2 hours. Here’s Batman, modeling the Large size. He’s almost 9 months old and about 80 lbs. He will probably need the XL next year.
4. Work indoors. Hot weather means lots of indoor time, which for us means more training! I taught Batman two new commands today: backing up and clockwise turns. I taped the turn command. It’s a variation of the touch tub/perch exercise — basically, it teaches him to swing his big ol’ butt clockwise while in heel position with me. Despite my confusing body language and limited training ability, he caught on very fast!
Batman, you have da best momma EVER!!
Great tips Jennie! WHo knew about the Apple store…gotta love Apple.
Good footwork on Batty and he did catch on very quickly.
Thanks for sharing!
Great tips! Didn’t know about the Apple Store 🙂
A few more….
1. I avoid ice/ice water. The extreme temp difference I think can cramp a dog, and ice water has been known to cramp the dog’s insides and cause problems.
2. My MO is shade and water. This weekend we had a Schutzhund trial one day and then a flyball tournament the next day and both days were HOT (90s). If I can’t park in the shade, I make shade with lightweight sheets or screens. I also keep water pails in the dog’s crates. If they want to, they are allowed to dunk in a pool before and after their turn. If it seems exceptionally hot I sometimes place a damp towel in their crate (but again I don’t use cold water or ice). When it comes to staying cool I tend to offer my dogs choices, like they have the choice of jumping in the pool before/after a turn, they always have the choice to drink from their pails, they have the choice to sleep on the wet towel in their crate or sleep on the dry side (I don’t soak the whole crate). I’ve never used fans or jackets and we haven’t had a problem even at SchH in 90-100. Often I find the tailgate of the van a nice place to be and will sit there under the shade sheets next to my dog kennels. GSDs have double coats which insulate them both from cold and heat so I give them options of staying wet and cool and let their own coats do their job.
3. If the dog has exerted a lot of energy, we do a walking cool-down just like humans do after a race. I walked the dog around in the shade for a few minutes instead of popping them directly into the crate. I also make sure they aren’t immediately gulping tons of water before or after any activity. To me there’s a difference between heaving and panting and if the dog is heaving I make sure we walk around a bit until he’s just panting before putting him back into the crate. Often the cool-down takes longer than whatever activity the dog did.
Thanks so much, Lies. You always have the best comments!
Batman is getting so big. You always find the coolest and greatest stuff! Carole is right, you are da best mama evah!
Batman, you are a very handsome model. One day you will be famous!
Nice to see the training video.