8 Tips for when it's too hot to walk your dog

Summer Solstice was last week, and we're having yet another scorcher today. For the next couple of months there will be warm days, rainy days but also a fair few hot days when it's simply not safe to take your dog out for a walk. In fact, we're set for another heatwave this week! If you haven't read our previous blog, 10 tips to help keep your dog cool and safe this summer, have a read.

Here are 8 tips for when it's too hot to walk your dog:

1. Play with your dog! Not only is this fun for your dog, and they will love spending time with you doing something they love, it builds your bond, which is key for being able to train your dog in any way. Lots of dogs like to play tug because it appeals to their natural instincts (mimics the action of pulling at prey), and it's actually a really good workout for both of you! Check out these fantastic tug toys and enjoy 10% off your order. You can also use the same toy to play fetch, and in lots of other different games that help build different skills eg teaching recall, or a "leave it" cue.

2. Play scent games - If you've already started scent work with your dog, hot sunny days are ideal for having a practise. Scent work tires your dog's brain, which is key for encouraging them to relax on sunny days when you can't tire exercise them as much as usual. You can either set up a search in a shaded area in the garden or indeed indoors! If you're interested in getting involved with scent work, you can read more information and book your Scent Introduction here.

3. Search for food - If you haven't done any scent work with your dog yet, you can still work their nose by hiding food. Pop them in another room and hide a filled kong, or some treats, and then let them back in and watch them hunt! It'll tire their brain out much more than a walk would. Like with scent work, you can do this in a shaded area in the garden, or in your house.

4. Cardboard chaos - You don't have to hide food all over the house, you can use your recycling to tire your dog out before you chuck it in the bin. Put some of their food in cardboard boxes/paper bags and watch them hunt it out and get inside the boxes/bags. You can vary the size (it can be a confidence building game if you have them opening boxes of different sizes), and to make this more challenging once your dog has the hang of it, you can stuff boxes inside larger ones like a Russian doll effect! If this is new to you, check out my recent reel showing you how here. If you're worried about your dog swallowing the cardboard, you can do something similar with rolled up towels.

5. Teach an old dog a new trick! - When was the last time you taught your dog something new, just for the sake of it? Lots of people teach their puppies to sit, lie down, offer a paw etc, but then it doesn't continue. Dogs typically love to learn, and they love to work with you. Pick something that you haven't already taught them, like targeting something with their front or back paws, or how about teaching them to take a selfie by putting their front paws on your back?! Trick training can be super fun for both of you, is safe to do indoors, and then you can test your new trick outdoors when it's safe to walk again. And you can also show off to friends and family next time you see them!

6. Training - Is there something you've been meaning to work on, but just don't seem to find the time? Recall, loose lead walking, Now's the time! We save things for a rainy day, well consider this your hot day! If you need help figuring out what to work on/where to start, book a free call and let's have a chat!

7. Parkour - how about teaching your dog to be a ninja?! You can do parkour indoors or outside in the shade, and in short bursts when the weather is particularly hot. Tuition coming very soon to Lead & Follow Dog Training - join the waitlist if you'd like to know more.

8. Mantrailing - A fantastic way to replace a walk on hot, sunny days. Up to 15 minutes of scent sports is equivalent to an hour's walk, and you also work your dog's brain as well as their legs! Book on an Introduction and we will turn you and your dog into a search team, equipped to find "missing people" hiding with your dog's "reward" (tasty fun or fun toy). During hot periods, we can change the start time so we're trailing when it's cooler, and this will then tire your dog out so they find it easier to rest during the warmer hours of the day. Check out the Mantrailing pages and book your Introduction to Mantrailing soon, so you're prepared for warmer days! And if you're existing client and want an ad hoc mantrailing session outside group classes, to work your dog on sunnier days, check out the Bring Your Own Trail Layer option!

And finally, if there is anything in the list you'd like help getting started with, book a free call with

me to discuss, and we'll get you prepared for hotter days when you can't walk your dog.