dogs and heat

[SRRB2008]

Originally Posted by xtine

Dogs always tend to shed more in warmer climates due to undercoat releasing more often. It's just something you have to get used to. A good omega3 & fatty acid supplement can help with this though.

Also, since you have made a move recently and he may not be fully acclimated and experiencing some stress. So he may be mildly "blowing his coat".

THANKS xtine!

It's good to know that the heat can have a big factor with the shedding. I don't think he is that stressed though. He isn't acting any different and he seems to like it here.

[SRRB2008]

Originally Posted by rossc

I second the Furminator. We do our saint with a rake which gets the thick undercoat. When nothing more comes out with the rake, we get another small trash bag full using the Furminator. Saints are famous for shedding bags full of hair weekly so your mileage may vary with the Furminator. We came from the North indirectly. We were in NH, but spent two years in DE on our way to TN. The temp in DE is about the same, but more humidity.

What is a Furminator and where can I get one? Are they expensive???

[rossc]

It's a sort of rake that they just came out with. It's like a rake with teeth that are closer together. PetSmart has them. They aren't cheap. Depending on the size, $30 - $60. It's worth it if you have a shedding dog.

[LeavingSoCal]

We set up a plastic (hard plastic, not blow up) kiddie pool and our dogs just lounge around in it all day. pool party

[Mike in TN]

I bought one of those plastic kiddie pools but my dog won't go in it. He's not afraid of water, but I have yet to get him into any body of water.

[Eescapes]

I have two JRT's. They are 11 and 12 yrs old. But, when I take them out everyone thinks that they are about 2! They still have loads of energy (oh, if you could only bottle it and sell it, you would never have to work again!) and look young as they are primarily white.

But, if I take them out during the day longer than just a potty break they show the effects of the heat/humidity instantly. I was living in NC until June and we had a really nice spring there. I walked them for about 45 minutes a little after lunch time some days (I normally would walk them late at night) and they did well until the temperature got to 75 and above. Then just one round of the apartment complex left them panting and really slowed them down. And this would be in pretty low humidity as I would wait until night to walk if the humidity was high.

Here, we walk late at night for about 45 minutes. Just within our apartment complex. It is well lit and I feel very safe here. I do take mace with me, just in case of coyotes (which they say is rare here). However, we did have a buck jump out at us one night and few days later a doe came out to see us. Haven't seen either one again.

Mike in TN - Try throwing a ball into the pool and see if your dog will fetch. Maybe that will help him get used to it. My dogs loved the pool - we had one when I lived in SC and kept it on our deck. My littlest Jack loved playing with his golf ball in the pool. He could entertain himself by bobbing it up and down all day!