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How do you keep your dogs busy and happy in the heat?

In the more intense heat, how do you keep your dogs from getting overheated/cooped up inside? I like to take everyone on a minimum of two walks a day, but sometimes it's just not possible when it's hot. Our huskies aren't water dogs at all, so they want absolutely nothing to do with a kiddie pool in the backyard. It's not much fun for everyone when we're cooped up inside either! What are your best tips for hot dog days?

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I like to walk the dogs first thing in the morning before it gets too warm and try to wear them out then! I may do multiple laps of my normal route, or run instead of walk, because I know we won't be able to get out much for the rest of the day. Then I do another walk at dusk when hopefully it's cooled down again. If it's still warm at that point though I'll limit the walk. If it's really warm at my house, I'll even take them to the coast where it's typically cooler and we can get more of a walk in - but of course this is dependent on your location!

For the in-between time, I do frozen treats. If the dog is toy or treat motivated, you can freeze some water or watered-down chicken stock with toys or treats inside. Depending on your set up, this could be inside of a container (less mess) or just give them a big ice cube. I'll also freeze some of their food or treats inside of a Kong - adding wet food solidifies things and for big chewers, this can be a good time consuming activity. For my senior dog, I'll make pup-sicles in a cupcake tray. I puree baked sweet potato, unsweetened apple sauce and peanut butter, pour it into the cupcake tin, freeze then put it in his bowl. He'll lick at this for a long time!

In my experience so far this summer, most dogs just want to sleep when it's warm out. I'll encourage them outside a few times to at least stretch their legs a bit, but many want nothing to do with the heat, so I follow their cues!

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There are lots of recipes on pintrest for frozen dog snacks and toys. I make pup-cycles with beef broth, green beans and ground beef. or treats with watered down peanut butter. I freeze them in cupcake tins and the dogs love them! They are like a toy, a treat and a cool sip to drink all in one

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I bought a treadmill on Craigslist for $150. It helps in my desert heat, sidewalks too hot to walk on, etc. I'm still getting used to it with various breeds, but working breeds definitely like it. I had a Staffordshire walking on it without a leash. He would go sit on it, wanting it to start moving. (I worried he might become OCD about it. But, after 5 minutes he was content to lay around chewing on a Nylabone.).

It may not be suitable for all dogs. It depends on how much work you want to put into gradually introduce the dog to it, baby steps. It takes me 2-3 days, but I don't want to rush it and cause a bad experience.

Big dogs, I have them stand on it a few times (praise and treat for doing it). Then turn the power on at 1mph. They are startled and jump off. The hardier dogs will stand there eager to do it again. After 2-3 startles, they'll start walking (with the help of a leash keeping them on the belt). After 6-12 walking sessions (30-90 seconds) they'll walk without the leash.

Small dogs, I can hold them above the belt and lower them onto it so they get more of a feel for what's happening (without it happening all of a sudden). It depends on the dog's temperament. You can google "how to introduce a dog to a treadmill" to read various ideas.

1.3mph seems to be the minimum speed. Otherwise they just stand there and watch the room move until they're deposited onto the carpet. 1.5-1.8 seems good. At 2.0-2.3, it's a bit fast (for more than 30 seconds). I'll stand there and vary the speed to keep it interesting. I'll let them walk as long as they want (within reason. I might stop after 10 minutes. But, they usually start looking for an exit before then. I'll encourage them to walk a bit more, then end with lots of praise so they look forward to doing it again.

It's a bit of a learning curve. Some treadmills are 22x65" long. Some are 18x50. I got a 20x55. I think 18 wide is fine for dogs. But, I'd stay at 55 long because they will drift forward and backward.

It's a lot of work finding the right one on CL.

  • Most ads are light on information. You're lucky if you get a brand and model. Often I had to look at the photos to figure out what the model was. Then a lot of google to find the specs. You could contact the seller and ask them to measure the belt.

  • Some brands are out of business and/or hard to get parts for. Safe brands seemed to be NordicTrack, Weslo, ProForm (which I think come from the same company).

  • Not all fold up. That may be important ...

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