Doggone Etiquette—

A Horse Down

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:

All right, you’ve told us you don’t like getting wet when you are put in the tub, at home or at the groomer’s. It could be because a tub is confining, or maybe you don’t care for the shampoo, or you don’t like standing in warm water. Well, just wait until you try out what your VIPeople are going to spring on you. You’ll change your mind in a hurry and I bet you’ll ask for more!

A Word to the Dog’s Owner:

For all you dog owners who unfortunately do not have a swimming pool, there are lots of other solutions on hot summer days for Rufus. Even when the heat is at the top of the thermometer, Rufus still has to go out, and when he does, there’s the problem of cooling him off without rushing him back into your air conditioning. Previously, we’ve discussed the “dog daze” and it bears repeating. Dogs get overheated far more quickly than we do, and as all of you know, there’s no sweat running down his muzzle to indicate the problem. There are several ways you can avoid letting Rufus suffer in the heat, however.

When you are watering the lawn, water Rufus! For starters, use a gentle spray so he won’t be frightened or hurt, and aim for his feet, not his head. Let him call the shots on how quickly you can progress toward thoroughly wetting him down. All you’re trying to do is to soak the dog so he cools off, not scare the daylights out of him.

Another way that intrigues almost every dog is to get out the rotating sprinkler. Don’t let it go full force at first. And when it’s off, be sure not to turn it on while the dog is investigating this strange object for the first time. It’s amazing how often people traumatize their dogs by such simple oversights. The sprinkler offers a close-to-the ground challenge chase particularly suitable for small dogs, although even the “biggies” enjoy the fun.

Then there’s the dog that could play any form of this water polo nonsense all day. That dog will chase water coming from the hose at “flood” setting. It’s good interplay because someone has to be handling the hose and moving it for the dog to chase safely and not be hit. Once into the game, even when caught by a bit of flood force, a keen Rufus will skip aside and come right back for more.

Here are a couple of tips to save a few problems that might come up. When using a sprinkler, set it where the dog will have plenty of room to run away from the spray without demolishing a flower bed. And if you are using the hose at full force, watch it that you don’t hose down the garden out of existence while you try to keep up with Rufus! Use caution and accept the fact that any such calamity would be strictly your fault, not the dear dog’s.

No doubt your dog will add bits of humor to this crazy hose-down — snapping at the stream of water, trying to catch it with his paws, or merely lying in wait (chin on paws) for the sprinkler to come around again. All of which makes cooling off the dog a lot of fun for everyone.

Rufus can’t change the hot outdoor temperature, and I trust he won’t be given the opportunity to turn up your a/c, but he’ll thoroughly enjoy making a wet mess on the lawn with only you to blame for it!

Until next time — BE GOOD!

—Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh terriers for 30 years, during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog Fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me!, which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award in 2008.