By now you all have seen numerous warnings about your pet and summer heat so I am hoping that message has been received. It seems like summer heat can be a party bummer when it comes to exercising and doing activities with your pet. So I thought I would list some fun activities you can do to beat the heat. I have scanned the internet and will list some of our favorites here… but just in case there are links for more ideas.



By now you all have seen numerous warnings about your pet and summer heat so I am hoping that message has been received. It seems like summer heat can be a party bummer when it comes to exercising and doing activities with your pet. So I thought I would list some fun activities you can do to beat the heat. I have scanned the internet and will list some of our favorites here… but just in case there are links for more ideas.

Puzzle Toys
Ok so I have bought a few of these and some … well juts not suitable for a dane who will just destroy it.. That said I have found a few that have held up great to the danes here. The three favorite in my house are the ones that you put food in and they have to bat it around so the food falls out.

Chew Time
Open my freezer and you will see a row of Kongs stuffed with assorted healthy stuff .. why freeze them.. simple.. takes a dane longer to clean it out. There are tons of great recipes on line but some of my favorite are found at Get Stuffed Recipes

Water Play
At the moment my dane is not interested in the baby pool. However I have had plenty of fosters who love it. I simply fill the baby pool with a few inches or water and splish splash. If you have a human pool it is a good idea to “pool safe” your dog .. basically train them that the only way out is to swim to the stairs. Regardless of what kind of pool play, remember the obvious..SUPERVISION. NO pool No Problem. Sprinklers or even just some time letting your dog run through the hose… remember don’t spray you dog if they don’t like it.

Ice Ice Baby
I have had fosters who have learned how to activate the ice maker in the freezer door… so make it fun… freeze their favorite ball, hard toy or even carrots. Pop it out and let them at it. I have even used low sodium broth to make it more interesting.

The Hunter
You can make your dog hunt for her meals by hiding stuffed food puzzle toys or small piles of her kibble around your house. This can be tricky if you have multiple dogs but for a single dog household why not make them work for their dinner. Most dogs love this game!

Hide and Seek aka the Recall Game
This is a good one to practice recall and get the kids involved. Let each human have a few treats and “go hide” take turns calling your pet so they come to you. ONce they find you yipoee, treat and ignore so the next person can call.

Brush up on your Training
Need to work on loose leash skills, sit or down.. why not work on it inside where there are less distractions and better focus.

Need more ideas… check these out.
PuppyLeaks Blog is just one source that lists 33 Simple Ways to Keep your Dog Busy Indoors
ASPA lists some activities you can do with your pet.
Agility Bits lists some easy exercise for beginers.