Lilly the Dog Trainer: Cooling pads and cooling vests

In this article, Lilly Norfeldt shares her tips for hot summer days. Lilly is an H-marked dog instructor and dog behaviorist.

Read more about Lilly Norfeldt at lillyshundkurser.seIf it's a really hot day and you don't have much control over the environment, you can still help your dog cool down. The spontaneous thing many people do is to put shower the dog on the back, but it is actually not very effective. Here's my thoughts:

• Dogs sweat through their mouths and paws, so in addition to water in a bowl, we can let the paws cool in shallow water or with a wet towel

• The wet towel you can also advantageously dab in the groin and armpits of the dog, where they have thinner fur

• Pouring water on the back and head and then continuing to let it be in the sun can actually give the opposite effect, the water has time to get hot and evaporate before it even reaches the skin and provides no cooling at all

If you want to use cooling products, I generally recommend a pad (like a blanket, but cold) rather than a vest. On my previous dog, who was a flat-nosed dog and also loved to lie and grill himself in the sun, I wore a vest because that was what was required. But on a more normal-nosed dog, I think the smartest thing is that it is allowed to choose a little more freely to the extent possible.

If the dog feels that it is nice to lie on the cooling pad (or the bathroom floor, for that matter), she does it, if it gets too cool, she can easily get out of there. I find it hard to believe that we ourselves as adults would like to have a cooling pad against our backs... And maybe the dog doesn't think it's very funny either.