Advice on how dogs handle the heat please

Hi Mick,

Dogs don't handle the heat we have to manage it for them.

Walking them is fine, just choose the time wisely. As is the beach, however we always have an umbrella for ours to lie under. 

A good idea is a cheap purchase of a 'cool coat' available at all good pet stores, you soak it in water and it fits over the back of the dog keeping the fur damp, therefore cool. You can also buy a cool blanket for them to lie on. 

A few things we always do is never leave them in a car, even when under shade, avoid any daytime direct sunlight, always have water with you or available for them. 

Hi Mick,

October will be fine for your woof, but in the summer, kick off your flipflop and hold your foot on the tarmac - if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for your woof's paws to walk.  We take our dog out before 10am during July and August, and after 7pm in the evening.  Buy a 'cool mat' for him to lie on at home.  

The nearest dog beach to Gran Alacant is at Santa Pola.  You can't take your dog on any beach during the summer months, but you will be able to do so in October.

Kind regards, 

Kim

Thanks a million for your detailed replies guys, very helpful.

The cool coat sounds like a great idea, I’ll definitely get one of those for her and will look into the dog socks also.  Spraying her with water is also a good idea and I’ll be sure to rinse her with fresh water after she’s been in the sea😃

So basically, once we are careful, she should be fine if we have an early morning walk and a late evening walk and maybe a swim in the sea some afternoons, as long as we keep her out of the sun before and after her swim?

Thanks Kim, just saw this after writing the previous response I made….that’s a good idea to check how hot the tarmac is.

Just to clarify, is the dog beach in Santa pola open to dogs all year round?

In October, are all beaches open to dogs?

Hi Michael,

No, not all beaches are open to dogs out of season.  You can take dogs on designated beaches out of season and, as I said, your nearest to Gran Alacant is Santa Pola (north).

Kind regards, 

Kim

Thanks Kim😃

It's 07:30 here and the temp is 21c my wife is currently on the dog walk.

We have a chocolate lab retriever despite being short haired her coat is designed to keep her warm and dry in a UK like climate. She also weighs just under 30kg. We are resigned to the fact that, mostly during summer remembering Spain's summer is long, that our dog needs to be protected from the worst excesses of the heat. 

Your dog will quickly learn the command "go into the shade" and if sensible will likely enjoy her visits. We've taken ours to another official dog beach closer to La Zenia and as far as I am aware that is open all year - if we go it's either on a cooler or rainy day and we get there before 07:30 because of the heat and the fact it can get busy.

Getting off topic assuming you are from the UK you might need to get a Spanish pet passport in order to get back into the UK and you should look at the additional drugs/ treatments your dog will need here because of localized illnesses/ parasite etc. I am sure others will specify what they are as my wife deals with most of that with the vet.

There is a youtube video of the Santa Pola beach which gives a good insight into what to expect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJR7QkzGh0g&t=77s

Great video, Lancelot, thanks for that, especially as I couldn't remember the name of Santa Pola's dog beach👍 

Lovely to see all the dogs playing, but I was alarmed to see, at the end of the video, a couple of dogs being walked back to the car on sand, as that gets even hotter than tarmac 🤔

Kind regards, 

Kim