• Walk your dog before the heat of the day.   You should try to avoid the hottest part of the day which is the afternoon.

If you are walking your dog between 1pm and 6 pm, the heat of the day, here are some tips to safely walk your dog to avoid overheating and injuring the pads of his or her paws.

• Avoid hot pavement or asphalt
• Try to take walks on the grass or shaded portions of the streets and sidewalks.   If it is too hot for you to stand barefoot then it is too hot for your dog to stand.  If you cannot avoid the hot pavement then try to keep the time spent on it short.
• Take “paw checks” Before you go out for the walk check how your dog’s paw pads feel.   While you are walking stop in shaded areas or on grass check each of your dog’s paws.  It the pads of the paws are really warm or hot stay off the hot pavement and let the dogs paws cool down.  Once the pads are cool go home.
• Walk slowly and avoid going long distances.   It is best to stay close to your home.   This may mean walking up and down the street in front of your house.  Even though this may get boring  if your dog’s paw pads are getting hot or your dog needs to cool down it is easier to be near your house were you can help your dog if needed.   If you need to cool the paws you are closer to water and air conditioning.
• Keep the walk short.  If you and your dog normally walk for 30-40 minutes in mild weather/ temperatures of 70-89 degrees Fahrenheit then in heat of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter a 10 minute walk would be similar to the longer walk in the mild weather.