When it comes to fun in the sun and your beloved dogs, size does not matter! Big or small, every pooch can have a dogtastic day in hot weather. Since summer is finally here, why not get some of that Vitamin D whilst having a great time with your four-legged friend? What’s the difference between big and small dogs when it comes to hot days? Well, for starters, they can get pretty hot pretty quickly, so choosing the right activities is a smart way to prevent that.
Nick Cave sings, “dig Lazarus, dig!”, and you say “dig puppy, dig!” It is no secret that dogs love to dig stuff, no surprise there. But, why not combine the love of digging with the necessary cooling off activity in the hot summer days? You will need some sand, a bone or a plastic toy, some water, and the place to put all of this in, preferably a backyard. Wet the sand, make a big pile, and bury the toy or a bone somewhere in it, and have your pup dig it out. To amplify the fun, bury several toys or bones in the sand.
Remember when you were a kid and you did apple bobbing around Halloween? Well, this one is pretty similar, only instead of apples you’ll use other water-resistant dog treats, and instead of you, your dog will be the bobbing champion of the day. Small doggos will have loads of fun bobbing for cut up hot dogs in the cold water, and you will enjoy watching them try to fetch them all. You can use other treats as well, just make sure they don’t dissolve in the water. Since your dog is small, using a kiddie pool might be too much, so an average laundry washbowl will do just fine.
To prevent heat stroke both for yourself and your small doggo, why not have some backyard fun with the sprinklers, or, alternatively, a garden hose? This game is as old as time, as you probably remember playing with sprinklers when you were a kid, running around the backyard with your siblings and cousins and trying to run away from the water. Therefore, you will probably enjoy it as much, if not more, when you do this with your beloved pup. All you need is a garden hose or sprinklers installed in your backyard, running water, and the dog! After that, it is just a matter of running, sprinkling, and cooling off!
As you can see, summertime does not have to mean boring time. You can have a lot of fun with your small dog even when it is scorching hot outside and being mindful of keeping your dog cool during the hot summer days will combine the fun with the necessary. Try some of these games out and develop an even stronger bond with your little munchkin, all while helping them keep the temperature nice and low