With the first of what is sure to be many heat waves on the way, we are running a huge 20% off sale on our ENTIRE range of cooling products for this week only! Now is the time to stock up for Summer. With some 40 degree days predicted this week we also put together a list of tips we feel are important to make sure your dog stays nice and cool when it’s super hot outside.

Hydrate

Don’t underestimate the importance of providing your dog with plenty of clean water and lots of it! Many dogs also like to use their front paws to ‘paddle’ in water bowls, if your dog does this it may be worthwhile investing in a clam shell pool so they can easily lie in it to help cool themselves. We also recommend leaving a spare non-spill water bowl out for dogs who may try to paddle or dig in their water bowls, sometimes when dogs do this they can tip the water out leaving them with nothing to drink.

Dogs that are working or exercising in the heat should be given water but not excessive amounts. Dogs when hot will often drink excess water to cool themselves. If your dog does this it would be better to have a coat than the dog consuming too much water, and then throwing it up.

Leaving your dog with interactive toys such as Everlasting Toys filled with water or frozen chicken stock can also be a great way to assist them with getting extra hydration and cooling. You can also try fun ideas like putting raw chicken wings or necks in an ice cream container, filling it up with water and freezing it to make a ‘puppy icy pole’. It will keep your dog entertained and help keep them cool!

We have a new product on test called Go Dog that is a high tech sports drink for dogs that provide energy burst and maintain electrolytes, this is proving to be an excellent drink for our working dogs. Keep your eyes peeled for it’s release on our online store soon!

Shade and bedding

Make sure your dog has adequate shade if you leave them in the yard on hot days. If you are leaving your dog outside it can also be a good idea to hose them down with water before you leave. Dog crates, kennels and pens can become super hot as the weather warms up so it can be worthwhile considering adding a cool mat to your dogs bedding. Our Hyperkewl Cooling Mats can help keep provide cooling for up to 10 hours!

If you crate your dog or keep it in the car when the weather warms up it is worth investing in a crate fan to help keep your dog cool and comfortable. Crates are really a great way to house your dog but crates can really multiply the heat. A dog panting in the crate will increase the crate temperature fast and this can cause a dog to overheat in minutes.

Many people transport their dog in a crate in their car. Again this is a good idea but crates can get hot, even when it isn’t that warm for us. Remember the car air conditioning is designed to cool the passenger area not the cargo area where crates often are.

A Hyperkewl mat inside the crate and one of our cooling fans on the crate is pretty much essential on days over about 18 degrees. A crate fan, especially our Pro Select fan with cooling system can make your dogs crate feel air conditioned!

Watch for signs of overheating

Are your dog’s ears red inside and warm to touch? Is their tongue hanging out on the side of their mouth while they pant? These are all signs your dogs are probably overheating and may be becoming dehydrated, if they haven’t already. Make sure you watch for signs your dog is becoming too hot and keep plenty of water on hand for them to drink and so you can wet them down behind the ears and over their coat if they are becoming too hot.

Dogs that have short dark or black coats will not reflect heat as well light coloured dogs, which means that darker dogs will suffer from the sun?s rays almost instantly. Some light / white coated dogs with light skin pigments can also suffer sunburn. These dogs will really benefit from wearing a Hyperkewl coat. These provide shade for your dog and also through evaporative cooling will keep your dog cool for many hours. Just like we may put on a hat, our dogs could use some help against the heat and UV rays.

Performance in hot weather

If you work or compete with your dog in the warmer months, you are probably aware of how heat can affect a dog’s performance, just like we can be adversely affected by hot weather ourselves.

Aside from looking out for signs your dog is becoming over heated and dehydrated and ensuring they have plenty of shade and access to water, our competitor clients have had huge success using our range of Techkewl Cooling Vests. These are professional grade vests used by police and military in extremely hot conditions, the Cool Pax that come with the vest keep your dog feeling like it’s in 14 degree Celsius weather.

We find that when dogs wear the Techkewl vest before going in the ring or when working, it gives them an edge in their performance because they haven?t been affected by the hot weather. It is by far the most effective cooling vest or coat we have found on the market, and is definitely worth considering if you are serious about keeping your dog cool in hot weather!

We advise our competitive clients who have dogs that suffer in the heat to make sure they have on hand a crate with a reflective cover, with a Pro Select Fan and cooling system attached, HyperKewl Mat inside and dog wearing a TechKewl coat will mean that you will pull your dog out of the crate on a 40 degree day, and your dog will be feeling drivey and ready to go!

As we knows dogs aren’t the only ones who suffer in hot weather, Steve here would get out of his bite suit ringing wet and totally exhausted when doing bite work training for only 45 minutes on a 25 degree day. Face glowing red and feeling like he was melting. He bought a Techkewl Elite Sports Vest, which has the same cooling pax as the Techkewl dog vest.

Steve says, “This vest is the bomb, I have tried a few other ideas and products including ice packs in the suit. The problem is that the ice pack s are very cold and uncomfortable and seem to limit the cooling to the immediate skin. These cool packs are cool, not freezing and not at all uncomfortable on your skin. I put the vest on the suit on and go to work; it stops me from getting fatigued and lethargic. So far the hottest day I have worked in with the suit is 34 degrees. I would have previously had a lifespan of about 7 – 10 minutes in the bite suit in 34 degree weather. But I was still going after an hour! I also wear the neck band now and the skull cap on hot days when I am not wearing a bite suit.”

You can view our range of human cooling products on our website here. Don’t forget to make the most of our massive 20% sale which applies to our ENTIRE cooling product range! Just enter the code COOL20 to score the discount. Valid only until this Sunday 2/12/12.