Heat can be very dangerous to our pets. Last month, I repeated an essay by Dawn Rexroad on the “Hidden Dangers of Summer,” which included information on parasites that are common, as well as how to recognize and, more importantly, prevent, heat stroke. This month, let\u2019s address how to safely exercise your dog so that he doesn\u2019t go stir crazy during the summer months we should all enjoy!<\/p>\n
Especially during these months, when I ask clients the question I always ask \u201cHow much exercise does your dog get?\u201d The answer is often \u201cPlenty, her tongue is hanging on the ground by the time we\u2019re done!\u201d While panting can be a sign that the dog is winded, it can also be a sign that the dog is hot, or even stressed. Panting alone cannot be an indicator of adequate exercise. However, if you notice a fat, swollen tongue, that is probably a sign that you need to make an effort to cool your dog down.<\/p>\n
So, how do we safely ensure that the dogs get the amount of exercise that they need? I don\u2019t recall a summer where we\u2019ve had this<\/em> many days over 100 degrees in a row, but it\u2019s time to start getting creative! Personally, I\u2019ve been making an effort to go to bed early and wake up to walk dogs at a safe time. I learned that even 8am is too late to walk the dogs the distance they need to go for proper exercise. So, we\u2019ve been getting up and walking at 7am. Late night walks are an option for those that are night owls, as well. Swimming can be a GREAT way to exercise dogs and keep them cool, if your dog is inclined to like the water. Fortunately, swimming is also an activity that we can join them in, staying cool ourselves! Last, indoor activities can suffice in some cases. For some dogs that I normally walk in the afternoon, I\u2019ll give them a quick potty break, and then give them a run on a treadmill (if one is available and when the dog has been introduced to it properly).<\/p>\n While there is no substitute for proper exercise, other activities such as teaching new commands using target training (watch: teaching touch<\/a>), playing hide and seek, and having interactive toys and puzzles for your dog to play with are good ideas. These will all burn some mental energy, which can help keep them entertained during the day when it\u2019s not safe to play outside.<\/p>\n Be creative; exercise and train safely. Enjoy your summer!<\/p>\n Please visit Mutt Magic online: www.muttmagic.com<\/a> AND The Crate Escape: http:\/\/crateescape.muttmagic.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Heat can be very dangerous to our pets. Last month, I repeated an essay by Dawn Rexroad on the “Hidden Dangers of Summer,” which included information on parasites that are common, as well as how to recognize and, more importantly, prevent, heat stroke. This month,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[111,16,4,112,39,83,3,113],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog_posts","tag-aja-harris-brown","tag-amber-stacy","tag-crate-escape","tag-dog-exercise","tag-enrichment","tag-heat","tag-mutt-magic","tag-summer-exercise"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muttmagic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}