Ep 139 Summertime Struggles: Top Tips for Hot Dogs! - Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
Dogs don't know best when it comes to heat. In fact, they're not even physiologically equipped to cool their body temperature very well. So those are the four tips. Before we dive in, a warning. The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners. This is real life and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic. So listen on at your own peril. As a veterinarian, dog behaviorist, best selling author and trainer over the past decade, I've had an obsession with transformation, transforming the behavior of dogs, understanding their brains, and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home. I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality. In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog, Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size. And suddenly our life of stress free walks, a calm and cuddly household, and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner. I'm Dr. Tom. This is the Help My Dog podcast. And this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you, and having a few laughs along the way. Hello and welcome to this episode of the Help My Dog podcast. And today we are doing a special episode on Heat. Okay. And the hot summer that some of you may or may not be experiencing. And kind of the top tips that I think you don't hear anywhere else that I. So I'm not going to kind of bore you with the stuff that you're getting bombarded with on social media. Instead, the stuff that I wish every dog owner knew that nobody's talking about when it comes to dogs and heat. Okay. As a vet and behaviorist and trainer. And so number one, there's four of them, Number one, okay. Is you know how you probably heard me talk before about every dog has one of these stress buckets. And exciting things pay into the stress bucket. Scary things pay into the stress bucket. We've, you know, we're even aware that if your dog has, for example, itchy skin, then itchiness will pay into the stress bucket. If they've got a of sort sore joint or they've got a sore muscle, soreness and pain will pay into the stress bucket. Frustration might pay into the stress bucket. The bucket fills and fills and fills. And as it fills, what you might find is that their choices that they make might not be as appropriate. They might bark more, they might pull on lead more, they might become more reactive to the environment until it overflows and you get this big reactivity episode where you're like, they've never done that before. Where has that come from? Or they might say snap or bite or growl at something that they've normally been absolutely fine with. And you think they've never done that before. Where is that coming from? It's because of everything that came before it. Right? The filling stress bucket. Now, as I say, we've talked about emotions and physical illness filling that bucket, but what we've got to realize is as temperatures rise beyond kind of the comfort level temperature, and which I think any temperature where we're looking at, like, over 20 degrees and, you know, especially as we are in, like, as we hit, like, 30 degrees, definitely what we find is that heat will fill the stress bucket, and it can be a big filler of the stress bucket. And what we can find is that as temperatures rise, we can find our dogs getting more irritable. We can find our dogs getting less tolerant. And so my first tip for you is, be aware that heat is a filler of your dog's stress bucket. And that means that we need to be mindful of the situations that we put them in. Okay. When it is hot. And that might mean, for example, I don't know, like, with. I don't know, let's say the grandchildren are coming to visit and it is hot. It might be that actually we go, you know what? This is a time when grandchildren can't interact with. With our dog, because we know that their stress bucket is more full than usual. We know that they're gonna be more irritable. And the thing is, as humans, we can kind of relate to this, right? When it's hot, suddenly you're irritated by your clothes, right? It's like, oh, this is just like. Or you're like, you know, like, Little Delphine is 14 months old, and she wants to, like, you know, that's my human baby. She wants to climb on me all the time. And when it's hot, you're just like, oh, my God. Like, normally, this is very. This is lovely, but today, it's actually a bit much. Yeah. And so we can. Yeah, I'm sure we can all relate to our dogs, you know, struggling in the same way. So that's tip number one. Tip number two that we have to be aware of is that often heat will make our dogs more lethargic. And in making our dogs more lethargic, that can mean that they are less communicative, they give fewer signals that they're not comfortable with a Particular interaction, they're not maybe as clear about saying when they prefer if something was not happening. Yeah. Like an interaction with a visitor coming to the house or a grandchild or another dog. Right. Or maybe you've got multiple dogs in the household and actually maybe one of your dogs is not. Doesn't communicate quite as much to your younger dog or whatever. Actually they don't want to be pestered right now and bothered right now. Heat can create lethargy. Lethargy can reduce signaling. Okay. And that means that we have to be mindful of that as owners and be more perceptive to the few signals that our dogs might be giving us when the heat is high. Okay. And that means that then we can preempt and avoid situations from escalating. And because they've reduced their signaling because they're hot and bothered. Right. And again, as humans, we can kind of relate to it. Right. We might not be as quick to communicate because we all feel a little bit lethargic when it's hot, but that doesn't stop us losing our temper sometimes. Yeah. And it's the same with our dogs. The problem here is that with our dogs, when they maybe, you know, bucket overflows and they explode, that might look like snapping at a child. That might look like snapping at another dog. Right? And then what happens is that triggers a cascade of events where suddenly that dog gets labeled as a bad dog when actually they were just hot and bothered. They weren't signaling quite as much and they were in a situation. They were put in a situation that they weren't comfortable with or they didn't have the skills to deal with. Okay? So a really important message there. Tip number three. Hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in literally 10 emails today. And that is how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle? Whether that be reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding. Maybe you've got multi dog household struggle right now. Maybe your dog's just so over aroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you and they're chasing everything in sight. Like, can I get Tom's help? And the answer is that actually you can. And you can do that by booking a behavet behavior consultation. That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that made you get a dog in the first place. Right? Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller and actually it doesn't need to be that way. You Just need to reach out for help. Now, a couple of things to say on that. First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with Pet plan, Kennel Club, Agria or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance. So you don't pay out of your pocket. Your insurance covers that. And the second thing to say is that we have loads of options. If you're insured with another provider or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine. We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog. But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog. And we know we can get you there. So all you need to do is go to the BehaveVet website. And the way to do that is gonna B E H A V E T that's beh vet and it will take you there. Or just Google Behave Vet. Right? And you can get scheduled in and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible. We normally can accommodate it within a week. Right. So that you can be getting to your dream asap. Tip number three. So when I used to do more general practice work, in other words, be like a first opinion vet in a vet practice. What used to happen is it would get hot for a few days in the summer. Normally it's just three days in Devon, so it wasn't such an issue. This year is a little bit different. And suddenly the diary would be full of appointments being made by owners who were saying, my dog is not eating. Okay? And a lot of the time we'd examine those dogs and assess those dogs and investigate those dogs, and those dogs would be perfectly healthy. Healthy, Absolutely nothing wrong with them. Some of them, it was a true sign of something underlying and they were treated, but many of them were not. And the thing is that I think often we're not taught or told as dog owners is that a lot of the calories that our dogs consume on a daily basis actually go to what's called thermoregulation. In other words, keeping their body temperature between a set band of temperature. Okay? So when it's to and especially when heating their bodies up. Okay. Rather than cooling their bodies down, dogs aren't Very good at cooling their bodies down. They don't have that many options for cooling their bodies down. Yeah. And that's why dogs are especially vulnerable in hot cars. Yeah. And we all know not to leave dogs, you know, in cars for that very reason. But a lot of their calories go into getting their body temperature up to the, to the temperature that, you know, their internal body temperature that it needs to be. Now the problem is, and let's say that's like around 38 degrees, okay? The problem is, guys, that as the temperature approaches 30, suddenly or even, you know, like it has been quite, you know, quite a few times this year where we live, it's been like 33 degrees, right. Suddenly the body doesn't need to do that much to get their internal temperature up to 38 because it's 33 outside. Right. And so their requirement for the amount of calories that they need to consume in a day drastically reduces. Yeah. And so because their calorie requirement drastically reduces, often dogs will self select not to eat. Yeah. Now some dogs have a gene that where they're eating is irrelevant of need. And you'll know if you've got one of those because they won't be affected by this. But many dogs will go, actually I'm not as hungry, I don't want to consume as much. And they will drastically reduce their food intake by, you know, 60%, right, 70%. And that can be quite concerning until we understand like the physiology that is driving that. Okay, so that is tip number four. And interestingly, this is probably not for many reasons. When it's hot like that, it's probably not really a time to be training your dog because the value of food is reduced, because the need is reduced. Right. And so they're probably not going to be as engaged potentially aside from it being very hot. And they're probably lethargic and it's probably not a good idea to be getting them to be running around, but that's an aside. Now number five, and this is an important one, guys, it's really important to understand that dogs do not know best when it comes to surviving hot weather, okay? Not only do they not really have that many inbuilt cooling systems, as a, as a species, they actively don't make great choices when the weather is hot. Okay? So we've all seen dogs at the park on days when they should not even be out of the house chasing tennis balls and frisbees, haven't we? When it's 30 degrees outside. And we know that that is not safe or a good idea as an extreme. But then if we just zoom out a little bit further and think a little bit more kind of laterally. We also all know dogs that sunbathe, right? They get in that sun patch and they lie there. In fact, I've just seen Gorse doing it while we've been. While we've been doing filming, recording podcasts. And she's, you know, it's like it's 32 degrees today and she is lying in the sun patch in the office window. Right. And why did she do that? She did that because that's what she normally does in here. Yeah. But the difference is it's normally about 10 degrees outside, and so it's quite all right to do that. And because dogs are such creatures of habit and creatures of rehearsal, we have to realize that in the heat, our dogs will do often what they have always done, even when it is to their detriment and even when it potentially is life threatening. Right. And so just because your dog is choosing to sunbathe doesn't mean that they have some innate ability to understand when to stop sunbathing for their own safety. Quite the opposite. They're probably doing that because that's what they do. Right? That's what they've done previously. They are not adapting their behavior based on it being 15 degrees, 20 degrees, 25 degrees or 30 degrees. And that requires us to make choices for them. That requires us to go, you know what? I'm not giving you access to the sunbathing. I'm going to actually encourage you and build value in you hanging out in the coolest room of the house, which maybe isn't a room that you normally hang out in. And you wouldn't choose to hang out in it because, well, you previously haven't hung out in it. Right. And that's how dogs actually work. And when we do that and we're kind of say, you know what, I've got to be the decider in this situation. And I do know best, and you don't know best. Right. Then everybody stays safe. Okay? But I don't think enough people are talking about the fact that dogs do not make great choices when it is hard, hot. You know, there are dogs that we used to see at the vets that would come in with heat stroke, okay. And you know, they life threatening, like it was, it was touch and go as to whether they would make it. And the scenario would often be that the, their owner would have the garden, the doors open to the garden, like patio doors open and the dog could, in theory, freely move in and out, but dog had said dog had gone and decided to sunbathe in the middle of the garden for a few hours. Right. They could have come in. They could have come in and had a big drink of water. They could have gone and, you know, chilled in the coolest corner of the house. But they did not do that because that isn't what they normally do. And they're still making choices based on environmental characteristics that actually are no longer the case. Yeah, now it's 15 degrees warmer than it normally is when you do that on a Sunday morning. Right. And now we're in a situation where actually we're at the vets and it's touch and go and we've got heat stroke. So I know it all sounds really scary, but I'm just shouting about it because not enough people are talking about this. Dogs don't know best when it comes to heat. In fact, they don't. They're not even physiologically equipped to cool their body temperature very well. So those are the four tips. We had increase in irritability because of an increase in bucket fill. We had a decrease in signaling to other dogs and people because of being lethargic from the heat. We had the fact that their caloric intake will reduce, in other words, they will eat less, and the fact that they do not know best. And I think if you combine those four tips that you'll probably not hear anywhere else with the common tips that you're probably getting bombarded with on social media whenever it's hot, you are going to be the very best dog owner that your dog could ever wish for, regardless of the temperature. So with that, guys, hopefully you got tons of value. Please, please, please share this episode because I think these tips need to get out there because these ones, quite frankly, will save lives. And we will see you next time.

Summary5 min read

Episode Overview

Podcast: Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!
Host: Dr Tom Mitchell
Episode: 139 – Summertime Struggles: Top Tips for Hot Dogs!
Date: July 29, 2026

This episode is a special deep dive into the lesser-known challenges dogs face during hot weather, focusing on crucial, often overlooked tips for keeping dogs both comfortable and safe as temperatures rise. Dr Tom Mitchell, an experienced vet, dog behaviorist, and trainer, shares unique, practical insights that go beyond common social media advice to help owners truly understand how heat affects their dogs—physically, emotionally, and behaviorally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Heat as a Major Filler of the "Stress Bucket"

Timestamp: 02:05 - 07:00

Dr Tom revisits the idea of each dog having a "stress bucket," with both exciting and scary experiences adding to it until it overflows, resulting in behavioral problems such as reactivity or aggression.
Heat is identified as a critical, underappreciated factor filling this bucket.
- Quote:
  
  "As temperatures rise beyond kind of the comfort level temperature ... heat will fill the stress bucket, and it can be a big filler of the stress bucket."
  — Dr Tom (03:40)
Dogs become more irritable and less tolerant as their stress buckets fill during hot weather; owners must be mindful of this when planning activities or visits.
Human analogy: Just as people can become quickly irritated by mild annoyances in the heat, so too can dogs.
- Example:
  Dr Tom mentions his daughter, Delphine, wanting to climb on him, which feels overwhelming during hot days even though it’s usually enjoyable.

2. Reduced Communication ("Signaling") When Hot and Lethargic

Timestamp: 07:00 - 12:15

High temperatures cause lethargy in dogs, leading them to communicate less clearly or frequently about discomfort.
Reduced signaling means dogs might not warn as obviously before snapping or reacting suddenly.
- Quote:
  
  "Heat can create lethargy. Lethargy can reduce signaling. Okay. And that means that we have to be mindful ... be more perceptive to the few signals our dogs might be giving us."
  — Dr Tom (09:10)
This blunted communication can result in escalated situations (e.g., dog snapping at a child or another dog) simply because subtle warnings were missed.
Owners need to "preempt and avoid situations from escalating" by being extra observant for less obvious cues.

3. Decreased Food Intake is Normal — and Not Necessarily Alarming

Timestamp: 14:50 - 19:30

During hot spells, many dogs drastically reduce their food intake, sometimes by as much as 60-70%. This is because they require fewer calories for thermoregulation—especially since keeping warm is less of an issue.
- Quote:
  
  "As the temperature approaches 30, suddenly ... the body doesn't need to do that much to get their internal temperature up. ... Because their calorie requirement drastically reduces, often dogs will self select not to eat."
  — Dr Tom (17:10)
Some dogs with a strong genetic drive to eat may not show this, but most will naturally eat less.
Owners often worry and visit the vet, but in most cases, this is a healthy response to the environment—not a sign of illness.
Very hot weather is also not a good time for food-motivated training, as the reward value of food is low and the dogs are less engaged.

4. Dogs Don’t Know Best: Poor Choices and the Need for Owner Intervention

Timestamp: 19:30 - 27:00

Myth-busting: Dogs often do not make safe choices during hot weather, due to limited physiological cooling mechanisms and ingrained habits.
- Quote:
  
  "Dogs do not know best when it comes to surviving hot weather. ... They actively don't make great choices when the weather is hot."
  — Dr Tom (21:00)
Examples:
- Dogs chasing balls in extreme heat.
- Dogs sunbathing out of habit, even on dangerously hot days.
- Dogs staying outside for hours despite open access to cooler areas.
Many heatstroke cases occur despite dogs having the option to move to shade or drink water—they simply stick to their routines.
- Quote:
  
  "Just because your dog is choosing to sunbathe doesn't mean that they have some innate ability to understand when to stop for their own safety. Quite the opposite."
  — Dr Tom (23:10)
Owners must override their dog's choices, restrict access to hot areas, and actively encourage staying in the coolest rooms.
Dr Tom stresses:
- Quote:
  
  "I'm just shouting about it because not enough people are talking about this. Dogs don't know best when it comes to heat."
  — Dr Tom (25:00)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

Personal Touch: Dr Tom shares a traumatic story of his own dog, Gorse, being attacked, providing a relatable example of how sudden stressors can upend the calm routines owners hope for. (01:20)
Vivid Human-Parallels:

"When it's hot, suddenly you're irritated by your clothes, right? ... I'm sure we can all relate to our dogs, you know, struggling in the same way."
— Dr Tom (05:25)
Life-Saving Warning:

"These tips ... will save lives."
— Dr Tom (27:05)

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:05] — Introduction to the “stress bucket” concept and how heat is a major contributor.
[07:00] — How lethargy in heat leads to less communication from dogs and greater risk of incidents.
[14:50] — Why it’s normal for hot dogs to eat less and how this impacts training plans.
[19:30] — Dogs’ poor choices during hot weather; why human intervention is crucial.
[25:00] — Real-life cases of heatstroke in dogs who had access to shade but stayed in the sun.

Actionable Summertime Tips (as outlined by Dr Tom)

Recognize heat as a behavioral stressor.
Plan calm, low-stress activities and limit stimulating or social situations on hot days.
Watch for subtle signs of discomfort.
Be extra attentive to reduced warnings/signals, and proactively manage interactions.
Expect—and accept—reduced appetite.
Don’t panic if your dog skips meals in the heat; consider postponing food-based training.
Don’t trust dogs’ decision-making on heat.
Prevent access to sunbathing or high-heat areas; make cool areas inviting and enforce rest.

Final Thoughts

Dr Tom’s warm but urgent tone and vivid analogies bring a vital, lesser-discussed perspective to summer dog care. His core message is clear: responsible owners must understand dog physiology and behavior in the heat, anticipate their dogs’ needs, and be proactive—even when it goes against the dog’s instincts or habits. Adopting these tips, he stresses, can genuinely be life-saving.

Share this episode to spread these potentially life-saving summer tips to other dog owners!

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
Dogs don't know best when it comes to heat. In fact, they're not even physiologically equipped to cool their body temperature very well. So those are the four tips. Before we dive in, a warning. The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners. This is real life and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic. So listen on at your own peril. As a veterinarian, dog behaviorist, best selling author and trainer over the past decade, I've had an obsession with transformation, transforming the behavior of dogs, understanding their brains, and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home. I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality. In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog, Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size. And suddenly our life of stress free walks, a calm and cuddly household, and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner. I'm Dr. Tom. This is the Help My Dog podcast. And this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you, and having a few laughs along the way. Hello and welcome to this episode of the Help My Dog podcast. And today we are doing a special episode on Heat. Okay. And the hot summer that some of you may or may not be experiencing. And kind of the top tips that I think you don't hear anywhere else that I. So I'm not going to kind of bore you with the stuff that you're getting bombarded with on social media. Instead, the stuff that I wish every dog owner knew that nobody's talking about when it comes to dogs and heat. Okay. As a vet and behaviorist and trainer. And so number one, there's four of them, Number one, okay. Is you know how you probably heard me talk before about every dog has one of these stress buckets. And exciting things pay into the stress bucket. Scary things pay into the stress bucket. We've, you know, we're even aware that if your dog has, for example, itchy skin, then itchiness will pay into the stress bucket. If they've got a of sort sore joint or they've got a sore muscle, soreness and pain will pay into the stress bucket. Frustration might pay into the stress bucket. The bucket fills and fills and fills. And as it fills, what you might find is that their choices that they make might not be as appropriate. They might bark more, they might pull on lead more, they might become more reactive to the environment until it overflows and you get this big reactivity episode where you're like, they've never done that before. Where has that come from? Or they might say snap or bite or growl at something that they've normally been absolutely fine with. And you think they've never done that before. Where is that coming from? It's because of everything that came before it. Right? The filling stress bucket. Now, as I say, we've talked about emotions and physical illness filling that bucket, but what we've got to realize is as temperatures rise beyond kind of the comfort level temperature, and which I think any temperature where we're looking at, like, over 20 degrees and, you know, especially as we are in, like, as we hit, like, 30 degrees, definitely what we find is that heat will fill the stress bucket, and it can be a big filler of the stress bucket. And what we can find is that as temperatures rise, we can find our dogs getting more irritable. We can find our dogs getting less tolerant. And so my first tip for you is, be aware that heat is a filler of your dog's stress bucket. And that means that we need to be mindful of the situations that we put them in. Okay. When it is hot. And that might mean, for example, I don't know, like, with. I don't know, let's say the grandchildren are coming to visit and it is hot. It might be that actually we go, you know what? This is a time when grandchildren can't interact with. With our dog, because we know that their stress bucket is more full than usual. We know that they're gonna be more irritable. And the thing is, as humans, we can kind of relate to this, right? When it's hot, suddenly you're irritated by your clothes, right? It's like, oh, this is just like. Or you're like, you know, like, Little Delphine is 14 months old, and she wants to, like, you know, that's my human baby. She wants to climb on me all the time. And when it's hot, you're just like, oh, my God. Like, normally, this is very. This is lovely, but today, it's actually a bit much. Yeah. And so we can. Yeah, I'm sure we can all relate to our dogs, you know, struggling in the same way. So that's tip number one. Tip number two that we have to be aware of is that often heat will make our dogs more lethargic. And in making our dogs more lethargic, that can mean that they are less communicative, they give fewer signals that they're not comfortable with a Particular interaction, they're not maybe as clear about saying when they prefer if something was not happening. Yeah. Like an interaction with a visitor coming to the house or a grandchild or another dog. Right. Or maybe you've got multiple dogs in the household and actually maybe one of your dogs is not. Doesn't communicate quite as much to your younger dog or whatever. Actually they don't want to be pestered right now and bothered right now. Heat can create lethargy. Lethargy can reduce signaling. Okay. And that means that we have to be mindful of that as owners and be more perceptive to the few signals that our dogs might be giving us when the heat is high. Okay. And that means that then we can preempt and avoid situations from escalating. And because they've reduced their signaling because they're hot and bothered. Right. And again, as humans, we can kind of relate to it. Right. We might not be as quick to communicate because we all feel a little bit lethargic when it's hot, but that doesn't stop us losing our temper sometimes. Yeah. And it's the same with our dogs. The problem here is that with our dogs, when they maybe, you know, bucket overflows and they explode, that might look like snapping at a child. That might look like snapping at another dog. Right? And then what happens is that triggers a cascade of events where suddenly that dog gets labeled as a bad dog when actually they were just hot and bothered. They weren't signaling quite as much and they were in a situation. They were put in a situation that they weren't comfortable with or they didn't have the skills to deal with. Okay? So a really important message there. Tip number three. Hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in literally 10 emails today. And that is how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle? Whether that be reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding. Maybe you've got multi dog household struggle right now. Maybe your dog's just so over aroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you and they're chasing everything in sight. Like, can I get Tom's help? And the answer is that actually you can. And you can do that by booking a behavet behavior consultation. That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that made you get a dog in the first place. Right? Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller and actually it doesn't need to be that way. You Just need to reach out for help. Now, a couple of things to say on that. First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with Pet plan, Kennel Club, Agria or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance. So you don't pay out of your pocket. Your insurance covers that. And the second thing to say is that we have loads of options. If you're insured with another provider or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine. We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog. But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog. And we know we can get you there. So all you need to do is go to the BehaveVet website. And the way to do that is gonna B E H A V E T that's beh vet and it will take you there. Or just Google Behave Vet. Right? And you can get scheduled in and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible. We normally can accommodate it within a week. Right. So that you can be getting to your dream asap. Tip number three. So when I used to do more general practice work, in other words, be like a first opinion vet in a vet practice. What used to happen is it would get hot for a few days in the summer. Normally it's just three days in Devon, so it wasn't such an issue. This year is a little bit different. And suddenly the diary would be full of appointments being made by owners who were saying, my dog is not eating. Okay? And a lot of the time we'd examine those dogs and assess those dogs and investigate those dogs, and those dogs would be perfectly healthy. Healthy, Absolutely nothing wrong with them. Some of them, it was a true sign of something underlying and they were treated, but many of them were not. And the thing is that I think often we're not taught or told as dog owners is that a lot of the calories that our dogs consume on a daily basis actually go to what's called thermoregulation. In other words, keeping their body temperature between a set band of temperature. Okay? So when it's to and especially when heating their bodies up. Okay. Rather than cooling their bodies down, dogs aren't Very good at cooling their bodies down. They don't have that many options for cooling their bodies down. Yeah. And that's why dogs are especially vulnerable in hot cars. Yeah. And we all know not to leave dogs, you know, in cars for that very reason. But a lot of their calories go into getting their body temperature up to the, to the temperature that, you know, their internal body temperature that it needs to be. Now the problem is, and let's say that's like around 38 degrees, okay? The problem is, guys, that as the temperature approaches 30, suddenly or even, you know, like it has been quite, you know, quite a few times this year where we live, it's been like 33 degrees, right. Suddenly the body doesn't need to do that much to get their internal temperature up to 38 because it's 33 outside. Right. And so their requirement for the amount of calories that they need to consume in a day drastically reduces. Yeah. And so because their calorie requirement drastically reduces, often dogs will self select not to eat. Yeah. Now some dogs have a gene that where they're eating is irrelevant of need. And you'll know if you've got one of those because they won't be affected by this. But many dogs will go, actually I'm not as hungry, I don't want to consume as much. And they will drastically reduce their food intake by, you know, 60%, right, 70%. And that can be quite concerning until we understand like the physiology that is driving that. Okay, so that is tip number four. And interestingly, this is probably not for many reasons. When it's hot like that, it's probably not really a time to be training your dog because the value of food is reduced, because the need is reduced. Right. And so they're probably not going to be as engaged potentially aside from it being very hot. And they're probably lethargic and it's probably not a good idea to be getting them to be running around, but that's an aside. Now number five, and this is an important one, guys, it's really important to understand that dogs do not know best when it comes to surviving hot weather, okay? Not only do they not really have that many inbuilt cooling systems, as a, as a species, they actively don't make great choices when the weather is hot. Okay? So we've all seen dogs at the park on days when they should not even be out of the house chasing tennis balls and frisbees, haven't we? When it's 30 degrees outside. And we know that that is not safe or a good idea as an extreme. But then if we just zoom out a little bit further and think a little bit more kind of laterally. We also all know dogs that sunbathe, right? They get in that sun patch and they lie there. In fact, I've just seen Gorse doing it while we've been. While we've been doing filming, recording podcasts. And she's, you know, it's like it's 32 degrees today and she is lying in the sun patch in the office window. Right. And why did she do that? She did that because that's what she normally does in here. Yeah. But the difference is it's normally about 10 degrees outside, and so it's quite all right to do that. And because dogs are such creatures of habit and creatures of rehearsal, we have to realize that in the heat, our dogs will do often what they have always done, even when it is to their detriment and even when it potentially is life threatening. Right. And so just because your dog is choosing to sunbathe doesn't mean that they have some innate ability to understand when to stop sunbathing for their own safety. Quite the opposite. They're probably doing that because that's what they do. Right? That's what they've done previously. They are not adapting their behavior based on it being 15 degrees, 20 degrees, 25 degrees or 30 degrees. And that requires us to make choices for them. That requires us to go, you know what? I'm not giving you access to the sunbathing. I'm going to actually encourage you and build value in you hanging out in the coolest room of the house, which maybe isn't a room that you normally hang out in. And you wouldn't choose to hang out in it because, well, you previously haven't hung out in it. Right. And that's how dogs actually work. And when we do that and we're kind of say, you know what, I've got to be the decider in this situation. And I do know best, and you don't know best. Right. Then everybody stays safe. Okay? But I don't think enough people are talking about the fact that dogs do not make great choices when it is hard, hot. You know, there are dogs that we used to see at the vets that would come in with heat stroke, okay. And you know, they life threatening, like it was, it was touch and go as to whether they would make it. And the scenario would often be that the, their owner would have the garden, the doors open to the garden, like patio doors open and the dog could, in theory, freely move in and out, but dog had said dog had gone and decided to sunbathe in the middle of the garden for a few hours. Right. They could have come in. They could have come in and had a big drink of water. They could have gone and, you know, chilled in the coolest corner of the house. But they did not do that because that isn't what they normally do. And they're still making choices based on environmental characteristics that actually are no longer the case. Yeah, now it's 15 degrees warmer than it normally is when you do that on a Sunday morning. Right. And now we're in a situation where actually we're at the vets and it's touch and go and we've got heat stroke. So I know it all sounds really scary, but I'm just shouting about it because not enough people are talking about this. Dogs don't know best when it comes to heat. In fact, they don't. They're not even physiologically equipped to cool their body temperature very well. So those are the four tips. We had increase in irritability because of an increase in bucket fill. We had a decrease in signaling to other dogs and people because of being lethargic from the heat. We had the fact that their caloric intake will reduce, in other words, they will eat less, and the fact that they do not know best. And I think if you combine those four tips that you'll probably not hear anywhere else with the common tips that you're probably getting bombarded with on social media whenever it's hot, you are going to be the very best dog owner that your dog could ever wish for, regardless of the temperature. So with that, guys, hopefully you got tons of value. Please, please, please share this episode because I think these tips need to get out there because these ones, quite frankly, will save lives. And we will see you next time.