Welcome to new decade of training, we hope you have all had a festive season and we wish you lots of success with your training schedule with your dogs for this year. For those of you that we haven't seen for a while please check out our website for further classes or contact us if unsure of what class to continue with. Regards Dee Scott.
 
 

 

Summer is a wonderful time of year to get out and about, enjoy the Great Outdoors and enjoy being with our family, including our dogs. However this time of year also posses certain dangers, dogs suffer from heat stress just like us, we all know about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars but do we know the signs of heat stress in our dogs while we are doing other activities?

Signs of heat stress include:

·         Excessive panting

·         Salivating

·         Coughing

·         Vomiting

·         Overly red or purple gums

·         Seizures or strange behaviour

If you notice any of the above signs, get your dog to a cool place and use either wet towels or a hose to start bringing your dogs temperature down gradually. Start with the feet and work your way up to the arm pits, groin and under belly, using cool water, not cold. DO NOT throw water over your dogs back, this can send your dog into shock. Contact your vet in serious cases as complications, including death can occur quite quickly.

·         Tips For Preventing Heat Stress

·         Have plenty of fresh, cool water available at all times

·         Avoid the midday sun – keep walks and high energy games to the cooler times of the day (early morning and late afternoon/evening)

·         Be extra careful with longhaired, overweight, dark coloured or short nosed dogs

·         Groom your dog regularly to avoid matted coats or better yet have your dog clipped during summer

·         Be aware of the type of ground that you are on and what the possible temperature of it is

·         Put some ice cubes into their water bowls

·         Hose down concrete

 

Basically if it is too hot for you than it is too hot for your dog, so take action accordingly. Remember you chose to own your dog and your dog depends on you for its survival. Be a kind and considerate guardian and look after your dog.

Lastly enjoy your summer and your faithful mate.