Now that summer is here taking your dog out for their daily exercise can be stressful for your beloved dog. If you plan to take your dog out for a walk, run or jog with you during these hot humid days it is best practice to follow these easy tips before heading out. Exercisemydog will provide a series of tips, fun exercises and advice on how to exercise your dog during the summer.

• It is best to walk your dog early in the morning or later in the evening preferably an hour after the sun has set. The temperature would be cooler for you and your pet and the sidewalks won’t be too hot for your pet’s paws.
• Bring a water bottle for you and your dog. Try to make frequent water stops for you and your pet. Like humans dogs do suffer from heat exhaustion, to avoid this always keep your dog hydrated when exercising them during the summer.
• Dogs can get sunburned. Dogs with a short coat or little hair on some parts of their bodies tend to get sunburned. It is best to walk your dog in shaded areas.
• Overweight and older dogs have more difficulty with heat. If you plan to exercise or take your dog out for a walk with these conditions it is best to keep a close eye on them.
• There are certain breeds of dogs that are very susceptible to heat stroke. Snub-nosed breeds like Shih Tzus, Bulldogs, Boxers, Pugs, Boston Terriers and Lhasa Apsos have poor panting mechanisms to cool off their bodies and are easily affected by heat. These types of dogs should be kept indoors during hot humid days to avoid heat stroke.
• During the summer avoid strenuous exercises for your dogs like running and cycling alongside your dog. Pets tend to tire more easily during the hot season.
• If you leave your pet in the backyard during these hot humid days make sure that they have plenty of clean water to keep them hydrated. A well ventilated dog house, play pen with a shade or cover is important for your dog to escape the blazing sun.

Summer can be a fun time for you and your dog to exercise but do remember to keep them cool and hydrated at all times to avoid heat stroke. Dogs are more susceptible to heat but with proper care and a basic knowledge of do’s and don’ts you and your pet will surely enjoy your summer together.

Pet owners like you and me tend to think that exercising your dog during the summer can be hazardous for your dog. A lot of people with pets don’t exercise their dogs during the summer because of this mentality. According to experts, dogs need all the exercise they can get each and every day for them to have a good temperament and a good and healthy body. I found a very interesting article that provides some helpful guides for exercising your dog during hot and humid days. Click here to read the article.

You run regularly – or are about to start running again – and you have a fairly active dog. The combination is obvious – run with your dog!

And a great combination it is. You get your workout on. Your dog gets to work off energy and see the sights. You and Rover are spending quality time together. But before you just take off with dog in tow, please, consider the weather! I saw a jogger the other day with a long-hair dog in 84+ degree heat. I swear if they were running next to a puddle, I would have been really temped to drive through it. But seriously, dogs love to run and should but we have to remember that they are not the same as us!

You really shouldn’t run your dog in very warm weather.

• Either run her very early in the day or leave her at home.
• Dogs do not get rid of heat the way we do. Sweat cools our skin–for the most part, dog do not sweat. They have a few sweat glands in their feet, but mostly they dissipate heat through their paws and mouths. This means that dogs do not dissipate heat as fast as we can either.
• And don’t think, “well, he’s willing to run, he must be OK with the heat”. No! Many dogs will run themselves, even to the point of collapse, while they are having fun. Many just don’t know when to stop. Dogs can die from heat stroke.
• Lastly, searing hot asphalt is no good for your dogs paws.

See a lot more about running with your dog including breeds, age, and starting a routine.

On a side note, you should consider running with your pooch. Here are my “undocumented” benefits to running with the dog, especially in warmer weather.

• He is my excuse for running through every sprinkler on the way there and back.

DaBronx is quite a game dog and a tugger (I don’t claim to be the world’s best trainer, exercise is our thing), so I get an upper body workout while running. I run faster. No I don’t let the dog lead me. Not on purpose, but I always find myself shaving a few minutes off the run. You just look cooler. Maybe because you have a running partner, maybe because this makes you a good owner, maybe because I run with a Pit Bull Terrier I don’t worry too much…I don’t know what it is, but I look cooler (in my mind at least).

Bronx and I on our twice weekly run. (Three times a week would ruin my rotator cuff.)