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The summer temps are starting to hit us here in Phoenix. Monday was 110! It has become the time of year when we have to work to keep the pups cool. Last summer Ceana had to get in the shower before she was allowed out the door. (Sometimes our low at night is 100) I tried this on Monday with both pups (we only go out at night or in the morning- day time is too much for them). Ceana did fine in the shower. When we got outside she walked down the stairs looked at me like- forget you I'll hold it :rolleyes: , and tried to go back inside.

Unfortunetly for her, holding it was not an option.

 

Poke on the other hand hated the shower. He acted like I was torturing him! The drama king was over it as soon as he stepped back out of the evil water. It will just be too hot to not soak him before we go out. Potty is one thing, but he will have to get wet to get some exercise. Any ideas on how to get him wet or assist the process of getting rid of the water phobia? I am trying to soak him before potty as well because I want him to realise that getting wet= going outside... and that boy loves to go outside.

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One thing, don't wet down the top coat and try not to get them wet through. Wet fur will just hold heat in. Wet down their undersides. Teach them to get in a kiddie pool - laying down wets them perfectly underneath - if you haven't already, you can shave down this area for even greater ability to radiate heat. I had one dog who hated getting wet so much, that I had to clicker train him to get in the water. Now he gets in with no problem. It didn't take long for him to realize it made him feel better! Smart dogs, these.

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One thing, don't wet down the top coat and try not to get them wet through. Wet fur will just hold heat in. Wet down their undersides. Teach them to get in a kiddie pool - laying down wets them perfectly underneath - if you haven't already, you can shave down this area for even greater ability to radiate heat. I had one dog who hated getting wet so much, that I had to clicker train him to get in the water. Now he gets in with no problem. It didn't take long for him to realize it made him feel better! Smart dogs, these.

 

That's the way to go. I use a kiddie pool for my dogs. They took to it by themselves after they figured out what it was. They lounge around, get their bellies wet, catch their breathe and they are ready to go again. They will be in and out of the pool 20 times a day. The pool is very important to them for just a dip or toy washing especially just before they go in the house. We have an area where they can dry off. We don't get 100's very often but we do get 80's and 90's

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Lucia is a kiddie pool and hose addict. It helps a lot!

 

Clean Run has an ad for "cool jackets". They work like the cool beds, where you fill them with cold water and it helps keep their core temp down. My Mom got me a cool mat at Xmas for agility trials and it works great. I'll bet the jackets would work really well in AZ heat.

 

Also, has anyone ever done a summer cut on their dog? It's where you shave the dog's belly and inner leg fur, but leave everything else alone. It's supposed to transfer the heat better when theylay in a kiddie pool, on one of those cool mats or even on cool grass.

 

Not ot rub it in or anything, but we are supposed to get 6-12" of snow tonight :rolleyes:

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The kiddie pool is a great idea. Does anyone know a good size that can be easily filled in an apartment, or any tricks for one in an apartment?

 

:D The way my dogs splash and play in theirs I couldn't even begin to imagine it being indoors :D Thunder will be in and out, in and out, laying down, getting out, streaming water everywhere and shaking all over. Rain digs and digs in the water, Storm will chase his tail in the middle of the pool until he catches it and falls over. All this, and more, in an apartment? :rolleyes: Most of mine love the water and most will swim, but they don't like baths either. Some of them will get in the bathtub to play though, they like to drink from the tub faucet if I turn it on slowly and will sometimes splash around in there a bit. Maybe that could be a start for you to get him more used to the water? When I'm in the bathroom I'll sometimes just turn the water on at the tub and kind of ignore the dogs. They'll try to reach it and usually end up standing with their front feet on the edge of the tub to get to it. It usually doesn't take long until they want to get right in to reach better. At first I might show them that the water coming out of the tap is cold and fresh by cupping a bit in my hand for them to drink, but I don't put them in the tub or even try to coerce them in (unless they really need a bath, then it's just up and in - other times I leave it up to them and they end up not minding the tub too much) Or if there's anywhere you could take him wading (river, lake, pond etc.) where maybe you could encourage him into the water to retrieve a toy?

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The summer temps are starting to hit us here in Phoenix. Monday was 110! It has become the time of year when we have to work to keep the pups cool. Last summer Ceana had to get in the shower before she was allowed out the door. (Sometimes our low at night is 100) I tried this on Monday with both pups (we only go out at night or in the morning- day time is too much for them). Ceana did fine in the shower. When we got outside she walked down the stairs looked at me like- forget you I'll hold it :rolleyes: , and tried to go back inside.

Unfortunetly for her, holding it was not an option.

 

Poke on the other hand hated the shower. He acted like I was torturing him! The drama king was over it as soon as he stepped back out of the evil water. It will just be too hot to not soak him before we go out. Potty is one thing, but he will have to get wet to get some exercise. Any ideas on how to get him wet or assist the process of getting rid of the water phobia? I am trying to soak him before potty as well because I want him to realise that getting wet= going outside... and that boy loves to go outside.

 

 

 

We live in Brownsville and the Dog just hangs around the AC.No problem.

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Sasha LOVES the kiddie pool. The only problem is that she tends to follow this pattern:

 

In pool. I LOVE THE POOL!

Hey, Look! Dirt! I LOVE DIRT!

Oh wait, there's a pool! Yay for the pool!

ZOOMIE

ZOOMIE

ZOOOOOMIE

Hey mom, look - I'm in the pool!

Time for dirt rolling!

Pool!

Dirt!

Pool!

Dirt!

 

And by the time she's done, she looks like this:

post-7752-1211510917_thumb.jpg

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PetsMart has some plastic kiddie pools - I looked at 'em and thought, wow, those must be for Yorkies, they are so small! Like silhouettestable, I can't imagine one indoors. If Poke won't get in a bathtub (seems like the best solutions), how about a spray bottle? Clicker train it to be a FUN thing. I'll second the "just wet down their undersides" vs. the whole dog. If all else fails....maybe a soaking wet rag or washcloth, to wet the underside.

 

I don't envy the 100 degrees already...

 

diane (where it's hot, but it ain't that hot yet...)

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Lucia is a kiddie pool and hose addict. It helps a lot!

 

Clean Run has an ad for "cool jackets". They work like the cool beds, where you fill them with cold water and it helps keep their core temp down. My Mom got me a cool mat at Xmas for agility trials and it works great. I'll bet the jackets would work really well in AZ heat.

 

Also, has anyone ever done a summer cut on their dog? It's where you shave the dog's belly and inner leg fur, but leave everything else alone. It's supposed to transfer the heat better when theylay in a kiddie pool, on one of those cool mats or even on cool grass.

 

Not ot rub it in or anything, but we are supposed to get 6-12" of snow tonight :rolleyes:

 

My BC's are almost bold on their belly in the summer natually. I have never heard of shaving a dogs belly. We try to get as much fur out as possible on the rest of the body before summer without interferring with the top coat. Have fun in the snow, my dogs love snow, especially frisbee in the powder.

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Well, here's a good illustration of what NOT to do:

 

Jack1.jpg

 

Went to eval and photograph this guy yesterday for rescue. Unfortunately, the well-meaning ( I hope) person who originally found him had him shaved "for the summer." Poor Jack. And he's such a nice boy.

 

Jack4.jpg

 

And judging from what's left on his neck, he is at least medium coat.

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If the cut is even, he should grow out until he looks like a smooth coat, in a few weeks. He appears to be a full rough coat, judging from the hobbit feet on his hind legs. If he gets into foster care, it would be nice to find a groomer who knows what they are doing, to complete the transformation into smooth coatness - shortening up the neck, behind the ears, feet, and tail. Ack. What were they thinking?

 

I was going to suggest a large feed pan. Do you have a balcony? We have lots of these large flat pans that we use for clinics and such, for dog dunking (their normal use is to hold mineral). They are about 24" wide and look like this: feedpans.jpg

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Sasha LOVES the kiddie pool. The only problem is that she tends to follow this pattern:

 

In pool. I LOVE THE POOL!

Hey, Look! Dirt! I LOVE DIRT!

Oh wait, there's a pool! Yay for the pool!

ZOOMIE

ZOOMIE

ZOOOOOMIE

Hey mom, look - I'm in the pool!

Time for dirt rolling!

Pool!

Dirt!

Pool!

Dirt!

 

And by the time she's done, she looks like this:

 

Well, at least she's just doing that with a KIDDIE pool. Nearly every foster dog that I've had has felt the need to do that with my swimming pool. My one foster now is so obsessed with my pool (he's obsessed with lots of things) that I have now rigged up something using chicken wire and lawn furniture to try to block the stairs and keep him out. My own dogs pretty much stay out of the pool, though, unless I'm purposely encouraging them to go swimming. It's just those dang foster dogs!

 

My bc that does agility doesn't like baths and such, but when we are doing agility, he's more than happy to stand in a kiddie pool and let me hose his undersides. It's really the only time that he doesn't object to being hosed. I guess he realizes that it helps him to cool off.

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My bc HATED water, he'd yelp if I got him wet... Well then he became a tennis ball and frisbee fanatic. He watched our friends dog run into the water to fetch the ball when we camp...he soon learned that if he dared the water (started with just a couple inches) he could totally outrun that stinkin' shorthair (I'm sure he was thinking this he he he) and after a few more throws...he is all about the water now.

post-8009-1211549837_thumb.jpg

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Not ot rub it in or anything, but we are supposed to get 6-12" of snow tonight :D

 

Oh, my gosh! Better you than me! I'll take hot temps over winter anyday.

 

(I'm looking forward to getting a kiddie pool for Lewie this summer, IF the weather ever warms up here. :rolleyes: )

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The summer temps are starting to hit us here in Phoenix. Monday was 110!

 

Yes, it was hot for a couple of days; a brutal start to summer. We cope by getting the morning walk done early (before 5) and when we go to the park in the evening, I carry a cooler of ice water. Cosmo park has a lake and Senneca goes in and paddles (but never swims) to cool down. A plastic kiddie pool on the balcony would work too. She's inside during the day; even the dirt in our back yard gets too hot for comfort. Don't forget that the concrete and asphalt are way too hot for a dog to walk on for most of the day.

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When we take Cody for day hikes, the temperatures are often in the 90's and sometimes higher in the summer, here in NorthCarolina. Also very humid!

 

We have found that one of those "cold neckbands" that we humans also use work really well for him.

 

They're made of fabric, and come in many neat patterns. You soak them in cold ice water for about 10 minutes and they get puffy, then you tie around the neck. Stays cool for about 3-4 hours. As they dry out (takes several days, actually) they go back to being flat with some type of crystals sewn inside.

 

No, we don't share them with Cody. We each have our own! :rolleyes:

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how about a spray bottle
--- Poke thinks that spray bottles are evil. He got squirted at obedience class once and now he will have nothing to do with them! LOL I actually keep a bottle as an empty threat- litterally. If he starts barking like crazy at the neighbor (who in my opinion deserves it, & I cannot blame Poke because he has been teased- but we still need to control his urges to flip out) I just have to say "do you want a squirt?" and be near the bottle and he will stop barking and come over by me and sit.

 

I think the bath tub is going to be our best option. Poke will climb in the tub when there is no water, so i think I can coax him in with water. Ceana can't jump into the tub, so she will still be a shower girl. She loves the shower any way, I wouldn't want to take that from her.

 

We only take the dogs out very early or very late in the summer to keep them off hot pavement. There is a lot of grass at our complex, and there is a grass dog park in the complex that we play at every day. We may get a pool and stick it on the patio, but I am not sure how to fill it.

 

When we get a house I have decided there has to be a pool for ourselves and the dogs. Swimming will keep everyone cool & will be very easy on people and dog joints.

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Clyde is a hose monster. I can't even get near it before he's going nuts. Wet me, wet me... He will jump, snap, get soaked, drink so much water that he will get sick, be right back in it. I have a cheap round plastic sprinkler, Clyde will bite it, pick it up and wrestle with it. I picked up a kiddie pool Sat. I got him to get in it, he just stood there. I tried to get him to lay down, no way. I'm going to work with him on laying in it more. It gets hot down here in FL. He did start using the pool as a big water dish tho. I went to refill his water bowl, and when I got back outside, he was getting a drink from the pool...LOL

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