Taking puppy out and about in the summer

[Meeko86]

Hi everyone

I have a beautiful 4 month old pomapug she’s amazing (I’m boast as she’s mine 🤣)
obviously walks have been a little scarce due to the heat wave!

it’s now slightly cooler but still mid 20Cs where I am but with the kids summer holidays starting later this week our routine is going to change.

at the moment she’s been having a walk on the morning school run around a shaded park (we can still get up and do this) but after that I work from home I’m a beauty therapist so she is in her crate when I have clients so used to being left happily sleeping in there for a couple of hours.

i will not be working as much in the holidays and we live near beaches and countryside and generally get out and about for walks and picnics, so just getting opinions on if other owners like bring the pup along to a beach with plenty of water and shaded area so we can spend longer out and good for puppy’s socialisation or is mid 20s still too hot?

and country side if we went for a picnic by a stream with shade in this weather opinions on this?

just want to include her as much as possible and get the balence right that the kids (9 and 7) get some fun days out too.

if it helps her mix is fab for a small dog she has the pointy nose of a Pomeranian and shorter coat of a pug so no breathing concerns

I really don't want to rain on your parade OP, but pugs are incredibly prone to heart issues...which are exacerbated by the heat. So it's not just her having a flat face, it's far more complicated than that and unless her pug parent was fully health tested for those relevant checks, as were the grandparents, I wouldn't risk it. Her age is a factor as well - puppies can't properly regulate themselves temperature wise in some cases until they are well over 6 months old.

Personally, I wouldn't have her out and about in the sun in hot weather given her age and her breed. I definitely wouldn't have her on a beach, even in the shade as sand heats up far more than grass or the inside of a house. Cafes, pubs etc all fine, assuming you can sit inside, but I really wouldn't risk it.

She’s been out in the garden lots in it her choice and likes water so will paddle, as I say it seems to be averaging mid 20s now.
also something I’m going to ask the vet as need to pick up her flea and worm stuff later but interested to hear others opinions;
as this warm weather has now been consistent for weeks do dogs climatise? I was thinking about this as when you’re abroad in countries that have the climate we seem to have adopted this year you do see people out and about with dogs so it has made me wonder how it works in Spain and Italy etc?

I’m more than happy to keep her in and chill at home and just do early park walk and then head out for a picnic tea someday at the beach if it’s cooler to mix it up ☺️ but hearing so much about how our summers are likely to continue like this find it interesting to compare how dog owners in hotter countries get on.

It really depends on the dog. I have the same breed as a friend and her dog seems much more comfortable in hot weather than mine. Mid 20's isn't too bad if you're careful. I'd even think about getting a dog pram. You could walk her in the morning when its cooler, and then pop her in a pram with hood over for shade and a cooling mat to lie on while its the hottest part of the day and then get her out again later on.

I think they do acclimatise to some extent. My dog was struggling a lot more at the start of summer than she is now.

Love this idea, my sister actually has one for her elderly puggle so will look to borrow this and look for our own! 😂 my husband will think I’m even more bonkers but never mind him she’s my baby he’s just the spare human!

I find it interesting as my little one hasn’t been to bothered by it, albeit she hasn’t been out loads yet as only just finished her jabs before the heat wave, but as she was born into it feel she may be a bit more acclimatised

It is hard. I have a 5 month old and it feels a bit like lockdown as she is not getting out and about as much as I would like.

Puppies are rubbish at regulating their temperature.So she may not look like she is hot, may not pant etc but he can stil be finding it hard going which is why puppies are so vunerable to heat stroke and heat illnesses.

I would be very cautious but stilll balance this with geting her out and about. Could you do early beach sessions then back home for sleep etc between the hot part of the day?

Personaly I would think being in a pram would actually be hotter for the puppy.

She is still a baby and only needs short sessions out and about even without the heat.

It really doesn't work that way...

And puppies, in particular, very rarely show how much pain or discomfort they are in until it's too late.

It's why if a puppy gets Parvo or any other serious illness...it's pretty much guaranteed it's going to die even though early intervention could save it. Why? Because even though it will be in immense pain, it won't show it and by the time most owners realise what has happened - because the dog has masked it's distress for so long - it's too late.

Puppies at 4 months should not be getting huge walks anyway. I’d personally only ‘walk’ at cooler times of the day but may take a puppy with us to a cafe/picnic to sit and watch the world in the shade as long as it’s not heatwave conditions

That mix of breeds are at huge risk of heatstroke. Add in age and you need to be extremely cautious. Dogs don’t have self awareness. My own dog is young, fit and not at risk but most days she’s not been out after 10 am this summer. It’s just been too hot to do the long walks she needs. Puppies also have to sleep a lot. 20 hours a day in a lot of cases so you are going to limited this year.