admin answers:

Great question! Black dogs have trouble getting rid of the heat, especially since they usually love the sun!

Ensure your dog has a shady area to get out of the sun at all times of the day. Perhaps putting up a awning or tent, or plant a tree for this. Dog houses sitting directly in the sun get hot.

Providing a shallow kiddie pool (with toys) usually helps as his feet are what gets wet and this helps to keep him cool. Blood circulation to the feet helps cool him.

Also on really hot days or after exercise, I also wet down my dog’s head (to keep her brain cool), back (just for gneral evaporationa nd cooling) and the insides of her legs where the big arteries are.

I also give her ice cubes to play with/eat. I do this supervised as they can choke on them.

There are also lightweight blanket vests that hold water well that you can purchase to put on her. (Think of that TV commercial where the cloth holds up to 4 times its own weight-Shamwow! Type) As the water evaporates, it helps to cool her. Check out agility trials and websites for these. They were very popular in my city a few years ago. I am trying to get one for Jessie as her heat tolerance is very low.

Regular grooming helps to get rid of the undercoat that holds heat in. I use the “furminator” and its amazing how much comes out even rom a short-haired dog.

admin answers:

Mebbe it’s ‘What I Got’ by Sublime?

Early in the morning risin’ to the street
Light me up that cigarette and I strap shoes on my feet
Got to find a reason a reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money’s all gone
But I got a dalmatian and I can still get high
I can play the guitar like a mother fuckin riot
Life is too short so love the one you got cause you might get
runover or you might get shot
Never start no static
I just get it off my chest
Never had to battle with no bulletproof vest
Take a small example
A tip from me take all of your money and give it up to charity
Lovin’s what I got
It’s within my reach
And the sublime style’s still straight from long beach
It all comes back to you you’re gonna get what you deserve
Try and test that you’re bound to get served
Love’s what I got
Don’t start a riot
You feel it when the dance gets hot
That’s why I don’t cry when my dog runs away
I don’t get angry at the bills I have to pay
I don’t get angry when my Mom smokes pot, hits
the bottle and goes back to the rock
Fuckin and fighting it’s all the same
Livin’ with Louie dog’s the only way to stay sane
Let the lovin come back to me

admin answers:

Gaby…believe it or not, American Eskimos (Spitzes) come in three sizes:

Standard: 15″ to 19″ tall & 18 to 35 lbs.
Miniature: 12″ to 15″ tall & 10 to 20 lbs.
Toy: 9″ to 12″ tall & 6 to 10 lbs.

Normally for vest measurements you would need to measure the diameter of his chest at its deepest point (usually measured just behind his front legs and all the way around), his neck (as you would for a collar), and length (from his neck to the base of his tail).

Those measurements will dictate if he is an X-Small, a Small, or a Medium. (I can’t imagine a Spitz would run into either an XX-Small or a Large).

Once you have those numbers, you should be able to determine the appropriate size of vest to order for him.

Related to booties, typically (not always but usually) a dog’s paw size will run one size smaller than his clothing size…so if you determine that the right size of sweater or vest for your dog is a size Small, his booties will likely be an X-Small size. However, you should measure for it to be sure. Different manufacturers of booties measure differently. The safest thing to do is to get both a paw width AND a paw length measurement. Paw width is from side to side when weight is put on the paw, paw length is from toenail to end of pad. Those figures will then help you to determine the appropriate size of boot for your dog from the manufacturer of the product itself.

An example is: My Papillon is 7 pounds even. He’s 14″ from neck to base of his tail, 14″ girth at chest, and about 8″ around his neck. Depending on the brand I will often buy him X-Small clothing…however, if they run quite small I have opted to go with a size Small at times. He’s kind of at the very in-between range of X-Small and Small. His booties are X-Small.

I also have a Chihuahua…4.8 pounds. Her length is at 11″, her chest is at 11″, and her neck is slightly less than 7″. She gets an X-Small in her clothing. I have not yet tried to fit her for booties yet, but based on her paws she would likely need an XX-Small bootie.

Hope that helps.