Effective activities to keep your dog cool and entertained this summer.
Listed below are some of my go-to activities to help keep my dogs entertained and cool during the summer months. I plan enrichment into my dogs daily routine anyway. However, during summer ,when they have less walks and the walks that they do have are shorter, I add additional activities to their days.
LICK MATS/KONGS ETC
Lick mats are a simple and effective way to keep your dog engaged. To make it last that little bit longer why not freeze them? Your dog will be ready for a snooze after this.
Not sure what your dog would prefer? Try different things, is there something your dog is drawn to more or finishes it in its entirety - this is likely to be something they enjoy. If they disengage or don’t lick the mat/kong clean they’re probably not that fussed, try something else.
PADDLING POOL
If your dog enjoys being in water, why not pop a paddling pool in the shade and allow them to paddle about to their hearts content. My GSD absolutely loved a hose. She would adore being sprayed with the water and trying to catch it.
WET TOWELS/COOLING MATS
My garden in the summer has wet towels and cooling mats dotted all around, predominantly in shaded areas close to where I’m sunbathing (my dogs would choose to be right next to me sunbathing so I have to give them a sensible option) Although as both of my dogs are little sun bunnies, I do also have towels that I put in spots I know they generally like to lie.
SCATTER FEED/SNUFFLE BLANKETS
This is a fun way of giving your dog their meals. It engages their noses and brains, which in turn, is an effective way of helping them to tire. If this isn’t an option for you due to resource guarding, take your dog somewhere away from the house, in shaded spot at a cooler time of the day.
BALL PIT
You could scatter feed their meals/some additional treats into a ball pit (in a shaded area or indoors) - I do have a caveat to this one. If your dog is likely to get over excited and run around to show their happiness perhaps keeps this one for the winter months. For resource guarding dogs, I would advise separate areas so they can fully relax and engage in the activity.
NATURAL CHEWS
These can be anything from a pigs ear, (prior warning they absolutely stink but your dog will likely LOVE them) to a deer antler, to a whole carrot. I would even freeze the carrot for longevity. If you have resource guarding dogs, again create separate areas where they can engage with the chew for as long as they like.
TEACH A NEW TRICK
Learning helps to tire your dog your mentally, if there’s a new trick or behaviour you’ve been wanting to teach them now is the perfect time. Start indoors where there’s limited distractions and will likely be cooler. By the end of the summer you’ll have kept your dog cool and safe and will have a new behaviour to show for it!
Until Next Time
Gem
xoxo