Hot Weather Exercise

My dogs are sooo bored. They can't go outside. I hear this in the very cold months of January (ah, those days look pretty good about now) and I am hearing it now as we are forced to "wring ourselves out" on our very short early morning walks. We walk early and not often, and we try to involve cold water in our play times. Here are some warm weather tips for being outside on these sweltering days.

Walk your dogs early in the morning before the sun starts to bake the ground. Black top can burn your dogs paws in no time at all. Let your pooch walk on the grass, earth or light concrete. If it's too hot for your feet, it's too hot for paws. Watch out for blacktop driveways, and try to walk around them. If an early morning walk is not enough, wait for the early evening when it starts to cool off. Many short walks are better than one long one.

Let your dog walk in clean water from sprinklers, to cool them off. Dogs don't sweat, so it's helpful if we keep their pads cool and wet in the heat. This will help keep them cool.

Carry collapsible water containers with you on walks or plan your route to include neighborhood fountains or stores that have clean fresh water in front of their stores.

Get a small kiddie pool and fill it when you play outside. Play fetch and throw the ball in the pool. Make sure there is shade in all the places your dog plays outside.

For your inside tips, I will refer you to an article I wrote over the winter months. Only do these indoor exercises if you have air conditioning and your dog is cool and ready to play. Otherwise keep to quiet games, quiet training and mind-engaging interactive toys.

Hot and Cold Weather Indoor Games