Last week, we talked about a few ways to keep your bully semi-cool when you’re outdoors on a walk. Today, we’ll go over some ways to keep them cool inside. Our apartment has an AC Unit that just isn’t powerful enough to keep our place below 70 degrees (if we’re lucky) so Winston has to go from blazing heat outdoors, to lukewarm air in the apartment. Poor guy. Anyway, here are some ways we help get Winston cooled off:

1. Frosty Paws $4, local grocery store

We don’t give this to Winston after every walk, just on those days where it’s so incredibly hot that he’s basically soaked half of the fur on his body with his own dripping tongue. They come in individual cups, and you just tear back the lid and place it on the floor (some people like to take it out of the cup and scoop it into a bowl), then stand back, your pup will be occupied for the next ten to fifteen minutes. This “dog ice cream” really does get them nice and cool, you can find these right next to the people ice cream in the frozen section of your grocery store.

2. Ice / Ice Water

Nothing beats ice cold water after a grueling walk. Winston’s favorite treat, hands down, are ice cubes. It’s so funny watching him play with one, he starts out in the kitchen and then somehow ends up in the living room licking ice off the carpet. For another spin, you can dilute chicken or beef stock with water and freeze it in an ice tray, chicken flavored ice is going to blow your dog’s mind.

3. Frozen Fruit

Bananas, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries and even watermelon are great treats for your dog! Avoid grapes or raisins as they can be toxic—- also, any time you give your pet “people” food, do so in moderation. Dogs will eat what you give them all day if you let them, and because dogs process food differently than humans, what might not bother our tummies may cause issues for your dog if they’re given too much. Don’t be afraid to give them people food (especially fruit & veggies!), but give it to them sparingly.

4. Honeywell Tabletop Air Circulator, $15 target.com

We love this fan, actually, we own three—- two in our bedroom and one stays in the living room for Winston. It was cheap, it works great and it does the job. At first, Winston didn’t like the air blowing on him (I guess it scared him), but now he will basically stand in front of it to get cooled down, nevermind the rest of us in the room trying to catch some air.

5. Canine Cooler Dog Bed, $59-119 sitstay.com

Now, we haven’t actually tried one of these out yet, but we’ve been looking into getting one. When dogs are hot, one of the ways they cool themselves off is to lay on their bellies on top of something cool. In Winnie’s case, we have cool tile in the foyer and the kitchen, and he basically collapses there most times. Something like this would be great for him since it does take him an incredibly long time to recover from being outside, this cooling bed (and others like it) pull the heat away from the body and cool them down very quickly. From this company’s website, they claim that the bed: Eases heat discomfort, joint problems, skin disorders, hip problems, and more. Sounds good to us! Has anyone tried a cooling bed? Is there a brand we should go for or avoid?

Last but not least, you can use a cool (never cold) wash cloth and gently wipe them down starting from their paws moving upwards to their back. I also like to keep an ice pack on standby as well. You can cover it with a tshirt and then move it slowly around on the body (especially the tummy!) to assist in the cool down process.

I hope any of these tips are helpful! As always, please email us with any questions, or even suggestions of your own! Stay cool out there!

-M