Idiot dog - hot dog

[lurchermummy]

My dog is an idiot, she is an older dog with a thick black coat, mongrel lurcher type. She is quite dim and does not seem to understand about staying cool! She hates water and really dislikes me wetting her or spraying her with water. She won’t stay near the fan, she won’t lay on her cooling mat, she hates having a cool towel or cloth on her neck. I’ve tried putting damp towels for her to lay on, but she won’t go on them. Trying to wet her or spray her just get her really agitated which I don’t think he’s very cooling. Anyone else have the same situation and any tips for keeping your dog cool?

No solutions just empathy. Also have a lurcher mongrel who looked totally betrayed when I gently sprinkled him with the hose pipe yesterday and ran off to the other side of the garden to stare reproachfully at me.

Ice cubes in her water? I made my boys some fruit ice cubes as well - turned their noses up at the mango ones but liked the strawberries!

This we site has some good suggestions

https://www.barkingmad.uk.com/blog/dog-fun-facts/10-easy-frozen-dog-treats/

If we open the door so ours can have a pee he'll just go and lie down in direct sun.

My dogs the same, I have frozen a small bandana and put that round his neck which seems to have helped a bit.

Honestly I would just leave her alone. Provided you are not doing anything to disrupt her rest and force her into activity, then she can be trusted to maintain her own equilibrium.

Any active steps you take to cool her are likely to stress her and have the opposite effect. Just trust her inbred survival instincts.

Have you got one of those plasticky gel filled mats? Mine won't use one of those, but loves the silky cool fabric ones.

Omg I read that as bananas!! 🍌

Mine is the same - hates all kinds of cooling mats, sprays, food etc. Loves sleeping on the sofa, out in the conservatory or on the steps in the garden - all in full sunlight. I chase him into cooler parts of the house but he's very huffy about it.

Ooh no I will look into those - glad to hear mine is not the only idiot. She’s nearly 11 and finding it all a bit of a challenge bless her.

Same! 🤣

My dog does like a bit of banana... 🤔

We’ve popped a few ice cubes into their bowls but otherwise just tried to keep the house cool and left them to it. Neither of our dogs took to the plastic mat thing we borrowed to try!

My dogs face if I’d put a frozen banana around his neck 🤨

Mine loves a sprinkler pool in the garden but he also LOVES the rain. To be honest, I think most dogs find cool places wherever. Mine loves to dig a hole in the garden and chill out on that so we just let him.

Some of mine are Greek. They laugh at the suggestion that currently it is “hot” here. They lay outside most of the day, rotating themselves like furry kebabs. I frequently offer them water, shade and they can always come inside, into the air con. Do they? Nope. And they’ve been that way for years. They appear to know what is best for them!

Exactly. If she’s well and not distressed, and is free to choose where to go, there’s no need to insist on cooling her down.