HEAT TIPS

During the hot weather and high humidy, as we all know we should be very careful with our dogs. Some ways to help keep the dog cool will be listed below. There are fans available thru different catalogs that will attach to the doors of kennels and will run on batteries.

Another product that is available is a "gel" type pad or blanket that can be frozen. The blanket can be placed in the bottom of the kennel for the dog to lay on. Some people just get big plastic juice or soda bottles and after filling them with water let them freeze overnight. They then place these inside on kennel floor. These frozen bottles will help cool the space around the dog.

Other ideas are to have a spray bottle or mister with water in it and periodically mist the dog. You can carry your own shade, a sheet or one of the reflective blankets that are available on the market now.

The early signs of heat distress are:
Heavy panting, rapid breathing, excessive drooling, bright red tounge or gums, balance problems.

Items to have on hand for the early stages of heat distress:

• Water & A Water Bowl
• Thermometer
• Pedialyte (found in the baby section of grocery store)
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Ice

In the early signs of heat distress the proper thing to cool down the dog is:

• Rubbing Alcohol on the paw pads
• Ice packs to the groin area
• Give the dog ice chips and only small amounts of water
• Pedialyte (unflavored). This replaces electrolytes in the system.
• Take the dog's temperature every 10 minutes until it reaches between 100 & 102 degrees. You don't want to drop their temp below this.
• Call a vet right away.

From: Robert Milner [tips@fetchpup.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2001 9:48 AM
To: mhbice@aol.com
Subject: Dog Training Tip of The Week - 27 April 01
How to make a water dog with the magic dummy falling from the sky.

If you want a great water dog start early. Start with a young dog, shortly after he is swimming comfortably, and start in hot weather. Take pup for a walk around a lake. When he gets hot, he will go in the water. As soon as one foot is in the water, a dummy should fall out of the sky just out in the water. The next few times he ventures into the water a dummy should fall out of the sky into the water out in front of him, with the distance gradually increasing such that it is always a successful retrieve. Don't let pup see you throw the dummy. After a number of excursions like this, the pup will think that jumping in the water makes a dummy fall out in the lake, out of the sky. If you are observant and careful, pup will never see you throw the dummy and will not look to you as the producer of the fall. He will be convinced that jumping in the water makes the dummy fall out of the shy. That's the best way to produce a great water blind dog and you do it by starting before you do any water marks. When pup is convinced that jumping in the water magically produces a fall from the sky out in the lake, then you have the beginnings of a great water-blind dog.

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Any other suggestions you might have,
please email them to lchinson@mediaone.net
and be sure to protect yourself against the heat.