The Dog Days of Summer

We have rounded the corner into hot humid weather like Usain Bolt running for Gold in the Olympics! It’s important to remember that with that heat comes risk for heat stroke and other heat-related injuries to our furry family members.

Here are some tips on ways to keep your dog both entertained and tired out when the mercury is rising:

Be smart with the timing of your walks. Get your dog out for his or her long walk in early morning or evening hours, when temperatures and the sun are lower. In addition to potential heat stroke that can strike during the hottest parts of the day, the pavement can also heat up quickly and paw pads can burn. Both of these issues are easy to avoid with some planning.

Play Games Indoors. While physical exercise is great, mental stimulation also tires out an active pooch – set up training games in the house.

Hide and seek is a great game. Have one owner with Fido while the other person hides in another room. Call Fido to come, and if needed encourage him along the way with some rapidly repeated notes like “pup pup pup”. Praise, pet and treat him when he finds you.
The Family Circle Game is one of our favorites. Have everyone in the family form a large circle. Have one person call Fido to come. Praise and treat (use very small, yummy treats!) as he gets to you. As soon as he does have another person call Fido to come, and continue to repeat. You can make the circle as large as you want. This is also a great training tool for recalls.
Obstacle courses are fun and easy too. Set up stations and plan to do certain exercises at each station. An example would be to set up four chairs in a parallel line. Heel with Fido to chair #1 and ask for a sit and down. Move to chair #2 and place your dog on a down stay while you move to chair #3, then call him to come. At chair #4 practice your “leave it” cue. Heel back to chair one while weaving between the chairs. Repeat several times and mix up the cues you practice at each chair…be creative!

Teach New Tricks. For many years, I found that when weather kept me indoors with my dogs I would take the time to teach new tricks. I was really surprised to see firsthand that even as little as ten minutes of training a new trick could tire my dog out as if we had taken a vigorous 20 minute walk outdoors. We teach a great Tricks Class where you can learn lots of new tricks to add to your repertoire.

Freeze those Kongs! It’s true – for dogs, chewing is a natural stress-busting activity. Chewing leads to the release of calming hormones, so simply put, chewing makes dogs feel good. Dogs that chew regularly have access to a great, natural way of self-soothing. Chew toys and Kongs are also a useful way to keep dogs busy, divert them into some quiet time or encourage them to stay on their bed or in a crate.

Once your dog is familiar with getting treats from his Kong, start to fill them with canned dog food and freeze them. It’s like a popsicle for dogs and it can take them quite a while to clean it out!

Learn a new skill you can practice at home. Consider taking a new class with Fido that will teach your new skill sets to add to your toolbox at home. Agility, Nose Games and Tricks are all great classes, and you can take what you learn and easily transition to practicing pieces of those dog sports at home to keep your dog busy and entertained.

So be sure to enjoy all these wonderful days of summer with you dog – and find ways to enjoy time outside (when the weather isn’t too hot) and as well as inside (on days when the weather isn’t fully cooperating). Be creative and have fun – and you will never run out of ideas or options!

Positive training with positive results!

"Dog's Best Friend Training is a tremendous resource for pet owners. My dogs and I have taken numerous classes and I've found the trainers to be very professional and understanding of the dogs' and owners' individual training needs. In addition, I've had several individual consultations with Chelse Wagner. She is an excellent trainer and animal behaviorist, and has a wonderful rapport with animals with varying temperaments. My dogs and I have greatly benefited from the expertise and training at Dogs Best Friend."

—Mary Sesto

"I've been attending classes at Dog's Best Friend with my dog, Rookie, for almost three years now. I started out in puppy socialization classes, obedience, and am now in the advanced competition agility class. I have only good things to say about the instructors at Dog's Best Friend. They are supportive and positive, tailoring the instruction to each dog/handler's needs. Because of their knowledge and experience, they do not have a one size fits all approach. They help each team build a solid relationship and foundation - no matter what your individual goals are. I also appreciate the fact that they stay abreast with emerging training methods and share that knowledge with their students. They are always progressing so that their students can also. Thank you Dogs Best Friend Training!"

—Diane Poole

"For more than 10 years Dog's Best Friend Training has been a meaningful part of life with our Berners – beginning with calm, beloved Healy and continuing with young,"spirited"(also beloved!) Cara! Positive reinforcement and individual guidance for both dog and human are integral to the many thoughtful and diverse classes offered. Together with indispensable one to one counsel from Chelse Wagner, DBF has provided the skills and confidence not only to raise well mannered and affectionate companions but to engage them with their humans in activities they love!"

—Peggy Lee

"Thirteen years, two dogs, and numerous classes later, I'm here to testify that the teachers at DBF are superb and compassionate, the courses are everything that a dog owner needs, and the results for me were one dog who was a masterful tricks performer and the other who went from the dog of many challenges to a focused, well-behaved, and loving K-9 citizen. We could not have done it without Aimee, Chelse, and the rest of the DBF staff!"

—Fran Breit and Frieda

"I owe all of you at Dog's Best Friend Training a great big THANK YOU for all you have taught me since I started attending your classes two years ago with my Lab Guiness. When I adopted Guiness he was 6 months old. He was an easy going, happy pup without a care in the world. Your classes were a wonderful way for Guiness and me to develop our bond and we both had a lot of fun. When Guiness turned 1 1/2 years old and went through a fear stage. I found myself faced with a situation I had never faced before, living with a dog that at times was very unpredictable. Trainers Chelse and Lisa came to my rescue and taught me so much more about training a dog than I could ever imagine. They gave me the confidence and taught me the skills so that I could help Guiness overcome some of his fears, all while providing him with a positive learning environment and loving home."

—Sue Williams