Woking With Dogs on Warm and Cold Days:

An excerpt from "The Dog Walker & Pet Sitter Bible"

The temperature on a given day might cause you to do the following as a dog walker or pet sitter:

o   Cold inside: If it’s too cold inside the apartments you might want to call the owners and ask them if you can turn up the heat. If a dog comes home wet it’s especially important to dry them off on a cold day.

o   Cold outside: When it’s very cold outside, snowing, cold rain, etc. you might want to recommend a jacket for the dog if the owners don’t already own one. In large cities they use a very abrasive salt to melt the snow on sidewalks. Once the snow melts it becomes absolutely brutal on a dogs’ paws. You will routinely find a dog raising its paws on a bad salt day and at a certain point it becomes impossible for them to walk. There is a product called “Mushers’ Wax” that can protect their paws from salt for the better part of the walk. You can also use traditional booties to protect their paws. Make sure to dry them off well with a towel when you get home.

o   Warm inside: When it’s too warm in the homes I’d ask the owners if it’s okay to lower the temperature. You need to be especially careful with dogs like Bull Dogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, etc. who have breathing problems. It can be a very serious problem if breeds such as this overheat. You also want to make sure dogs don’t overheat.

o   Warm outside: On a brutally warm or humid day you need to be very careful with dogs outside. You need to make sure they are hydrated and are not in direct contact with the sun too much. You also need to be aware of how warm the surface you’re walking is that day. How do you check? Simply put your hand on the ground. If you can’t keep your hand flat on the ground more than a few moments then it will also be hard for your dogs to put their paws on that surface. Again you need to be especially careful with Bull Dogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, etc. who have breathing problems. You want to make sure your dogs are not overly exerting themselves. If a dog’s tongue ever starts to turn purple you might have a major problem and should seek out medical attention. 


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