[BMORTS]

It was really hot here today 92 with high humidity. My 9 week old puppy was panting and panting. So I decided because she like to play with her water dish and dump it and roll around in the water I would try to hose her down and cool her off. Bad Idea she absolutely FREAKED out. Now I have a Shower setting on the nozzle, so the water was not blasting her, it was basically like the shower in your home. Was this a bad idea or do other pups absolutely freak out and hate being cooled off and hosed down with low pressure water? I made sure not to get any in her ears or on her head. Any idea how to do this without stressing her out? Or should I just not do it?

 

[ToFree24]

Hose water is too cold for a pup that young

Better to have a small plastic or metal dish with cool not cold temp. water she could play with, instead of making her afraid of water.


Also I would not have her out in the sun, only to do her business, too hot and again she is just a baby with a fur coat -

My girl in laying in the house with AC & ceiling fan - not moving in this heat

 

[3K9Mom]

Yeah, she's pretty young for that. My 2 y/o GSD is a total goofball around the hose. I mean "hose" is one of his favorite words; he stands there, and lets us blast him in the face, and jumps around chasing the water. (It's pretty amusing, but we have to lock him in the house to do any basic yard watering stuff.) My 10 week old puppy watches from the sidelines, and zooms around the perimeters, but the water scares her, and as ToFree says, it's almost certainly too cold for the water itself.

We have a kiddie pool (again, for the big guy), and we only put a couple inches of water in it, so it warms up pretty well. Then I place her gently in it. She walks around in it, splashes around a bit, then jumps out (last week, she whined to get out. This week, she hops out by herself). Be super careful with any pans or pools of water. No more than about 2-3 inches of water. You may not think so, but a young puppy can drown in water that's deeper that that. If they hop in and hurt a leg and can't stand, they have to be able to lie in the pool (until you find her), and still keep her head above water.

I do let my pups out in warm weather. We don't have A/C up here, and it gets hot and humid inside as well as out. I want my dogs to build tolerance to heat, but I keep them in the shade as much as possible. And I'm outside with them all the time to ensure they're not overheating. During the hottest times of the day (about 3pm to 6pm here. 2pm to 4pm in lower latitudes), I do keep ALL the furry kids in the house with fans blasting (that's when wet fur is nice). But I don't direct fans directly on young puppies. Indirect air movement only

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted By: BMORTSIt was really hot here today 92 with high humidity. My 9 week old puppy was panting and panting. So I decided because she like to play with her water dish and dump it and roll around in the water I would try to hose her down and cool her off. Bad Idea she absolutely FREAKED out. Now I have a Shower setting on the nozzle, so the water was not blasting her, it was basically like the shower in your home. Was this a bad idea or do other pups absolutely freak out and hate being cooled off and hosed down with low pressure water? I made sure not to get any in her ears or on her head. Any idea how to do this without stressing her out? Or should I just not do it?

It's toally new to her. So far water only comes in a dish or is on the ground. Coming out of a hose is totally weird!!

I would get her a small pool (at her size it could even be just a large roasting pan) and fill that with water. She if she likes playing in that.

Then dump it and let her watch you fill it with the hose. Don't force her to investigate - just let her go at her own pace.

You could also try a little sprinkler - like the ones for kids - to see if she likes that.

 

[ToFree24]

Hope we all helped you and ha how about some photos of that little one -- we love looking at those puppies

 

[BMORTS]

Just to make something clear, she was in the house all day and not exposed to the harsh sunlight for any periods of time. We do not have A/C so it was even hot in the house. I used the water that was in the hose and it was a warmer water as I did not want to shock her with the real cold stuff. Great suggestions on the pool and all the advice is appreciated. Here are her 8 week photos. I have not had time to shoot anymore this week but will try to get a few more. She is growing like a weed.

Greta 8 weeks

 

[BMORTS]

Greta now Loves Water took her to the Lake today and she absolutely loved it.

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