How to walk your dog in the summer: 10 helpful tips

There is a new useful thread on Twitter: it tells how not to harm the dog by walking it in the summer, as well as how to understand that the animal has become ill, and how you can help him. This is especially true for owners of brachycephalics (these include pugs, bulldogs, and other breeds with a flattened and shortened muzzle), but generally applies to any dog.

The first thing to remember is that you cannot shave the dog so that it “is not so hot”. By shaving off the undercoat, you deprive your dog of the insulating layer of air that protects him from overheating in summer and from hypothermia in winter. If the coat is too long and the dog is not show, it can be trimmed in summer - but not completely removed.

2. Do not walk your dogs for long periods of time in hot weather. Wake up earlier and go out before the heat, or walk for five minutes if you could not get up earlier, and leave the main walk for the evening. Never give untrained dogs any kind of exercise in hot weather.

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

3. Always take water with you!
You can also moisten the belly and legs to cool the dog down a bit.

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

4. Do not wear tight medical muzzles.
In general, never wear them, they are MEDICAL, not for ordinary walks. Buy a large, comfortable muzzle that is easy to breathe and won't chafe. Yes, they cost more than fabric or plastic, but

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

4.1 since you've got a dog, give it everything it needs

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

Also, do not forget that animals should not be left in a stuffy room or car without air conditioning.

6. Do not force your dog to bathe, do not throw him into the water, because the temperature difference can be bad for him. If the dog wants to swim, he will go into the water himself.

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

8. How do you know if your dog is hot?
If you are attentive, you will just understand everything right away. If not, pay special attention during the day to how the dog is breathing, how does it behave, does it react to commands? What are her mucous membranes?
If the dog is sluggish, it does not obey, and the mucous membranes

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

8.1 red or pale, then you need to help her.

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

9. How can I help my dog?
Take her to a cool place, give fresh water, you can cover her with a wet towel, moisten her paws and stomach with water. If the dog has lost consciousness, then run to the veterinarian.

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

10. The most important advice that will definitely help: love your dog, then you can almost always immediately understand that something is wrong and take action

- snake (@zmeitsssa) June 23, 2020

Other dog owners joined in the comments and started sharing tips.

I will add as the owner of an elderly pug.
Let the dog walk at its own pace and, if you have brachycephalic, WEAR A HARNESS, do not torture the dog with a collar
And then don't pull it hard, especially if the dog is old, you don't need to strangle it

- Hatsune Miku Stanite Carpenter (@buhanochka_dobr) June 23, 2020

it is also very important for black dogs: they overheat many times faster because of their coat color and you need to follow them very closely.
and you can't water the dog with water! here, as with plants, because of the water drops, the rays collect and heat more

- shrimp mar ⚢ I pass the exam🦐🦐🦐 #IStandWithJKRowling (@ g0sigmus) June 23, 2020

I also remembered an important thing! it's not really about drinking but about water
if there is a pond in the area where you go for a walk with the dog, do not let her touch the frogs, do not teach to hunt them, DO NOT ALLOW TO TAKE IN THE MOUTH

- shrimp mar ⚢ I pass the exam🦐🦐🦐 #IStandWithJKRowling (@ g0sigmus) June 23, 2020

do not drive hunters to such places because they doubly want to chip a toad out of the water
amphibians secrete musk which causes salivation, foam, in some cases edema, difficulty breathing and death in dogs

- shrimp mar ⚢ I pass the exam🦐🦐🦐 #IStandWithJKRowling (@ g0sigmus) June 23, 2020

by the way, hairless dogs (Xolo, Chinese Crested) can burn in the sun. therefore, it is better to walk them in general in light clothes

- - 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙣𝙖 ☩ (@akogaretoska) June 23, 2020

I think this is understandable, but if you still go out in the heat, try not to walk on the asphalt - it heats up terribly and burns the paw pads, because of what the dog pulls the leash to quickly get away from unpleasant sensations, later the owner gets nervous, screams, tugs, hits dog

- amadeo # tlou2spoilers! (@disperatoamadeo) June 23, 2020

Don't let the dog run away from you, watch it. A friend had a case when he let his dog run in the field in the heat, and did not notice how he lay unconscious in the sun. If you managed to save the dog.

- s̶o̶me̶t̶h̶in̶g̶ 🌿 (@somethiug) June 23, 2020