keeping the dog cool.

Between-grooms know-how from scruffyboy

A dog handles heat with a system that is honestly not great: panting, a little sweat through the paws, and blind faith in his humans. He cannot take his coat off, cannot reach the tap, and will chase a ball in heat that is actively harming him, because enthusiasm is not a thermometer. Summer safety is therefore your job, and the rules are few and boring and worth taking seriously, because the serious version of this subject is an emergency.

the everyday rules

• Walk at the cool ends of the day. Dawn and late evening in a heatwave, and on the genuinely hot days, a shorter sniffy walk or a skipped one is fine. No dog was ever harmed by one quiet day; plenty are harmed every summer by a loyal noon walk.
• The tarmac test. Back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot hold it there, his pads cannot walk on it: burnt pads are a real summer injury. Grass routes and shade beat pavements all summer.
• Water everywhere. Bowl at home, bottle and bowl on every outing. Wet food, ice cubes to chase and a paddling pool all add water to the day.
• Shade he can choose. In the garden and on walks, he needs somewhere cooler to opt into. Dogs are good at self-managing heat when given the option; the trouble comes when there is no option, which is also why the parked car rule in the road-trip guide has no exceptions.
• Exercise dialled down. Ball-obsessed dogs and running partners are the high-risk group, because drive overrides sense. You set the limit, not him.

cooling that actually works

Water on the dog beats air on the dog: a swim, a hose-down, a soaked towel he lies on (not draped over him, which traps heat), wet paws and belly. Cool mats work; fans work better on a damp coat. Do not use ice-cold water for general cooling, cool is the target. And do not shave the double-coated breeds: the coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and raking the dead undercoat out does what the clippers cannot. After any swim, the usual aftercare still applies, ears included.

know your dog's risk band

Flat-faced breeds (bulldogs, pugs, boxers and friends) are the headline risk: their airways make panting inefficient, and warm-plus-excited can be enough. Overweight dogs, thick-coated breeds, seniors, puppies and dogs with heart or breathing issues fill out the high-risk list. If yours is on it, run every rule above at half the temperature you would for a fit young collie.

heatstroke: the bit to actually memorise

Early signs: frantic heavy panting, thick drool, very red gums, agitation or wobbliness. Worse: vomiting, diarrhoea, staggering, glassy eyes, collapse, seizures. If you see the early signs, stop everything, get him to shade, pour cool (not iced) water over him, especially belly, armpits and groin, offer small drinks, and get airflow on him. If he is not visibly recovering within a few minutes, or any of the worse signs appear, go to a vet immediately and cool him on the way; heatstroke kills dogs in under an hour, and vets universally say the same thing: they would always rather see a dog who turned out fine than the alternative. One phone call is never the wrong move.

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scruffyboy is built for dogs who live outdoors-first lives, and summer is when the shade, the water bowl and the boring rules earn their keep. Join the list for first dibs, or read the other guides.