I apologize if this has been posted and answered about a million times, but my husband and I are first time Husky owners! We got our girl, Django, back in March and we think this will be her first summer. Long story short, she was basically a stray that I took in from a guy at work who was talking about dropping her. Probably she's about 6 to 8 months old and while she's shedding she hasn't blown her coat yet. Which I understand they may skip their first year.

ANYWAY, as I ramble on, we live in Tennessee and the summers are plenty warm and humid. What are some ways I can keep her cool? We can't actually bring her in the house because she loves our cats just a little too much but she's got a kiddie pool outside, shade, and we just built a sandbox for her to dig in. Any other tricks you guys know of? Its only June and she's already panting something terrible.

Provide plenty of water. She's going to pant but that's normal, as dogs don't have sweat glands. The way my vet tech explained it to my hubby (because his father had him under the impression she would die in hot weather) is that huskies fur not only insulates them from the cold but also from the heat. So your pup will be fine. Heck, we have several huskies in warmer climates on here and they all apparently love to sun bathe!!

There is a cooling vest you can get for her..
http://www.amazon.com/Ruffwear-Swamp-Cooler-Large-Graphite/dp/B00B23P2KM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372344170&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+cooling+vest

I would also add ice to her water and kiddie pool from time to time they love it.

Popsicles (watch the sugar on these don't want too much) and frozen doggie treats are also good.

It was suggested to me last year to freeze the food with a bit of water once in a while.

cooling neck ties are also helpful.  try wetting a banadana and putting it in the freezer of a few minutes.

Cooling pads for dogs.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Green-Pet-Shop-Cooling/dp/B0047WCCBW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372344418&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+cooling+pad

When walking do it early morning or late at night.

Some dogs will eat ice cubes themselves. I and a lot of members have kiddie pools for our dogs (not the inflatable kind) I have a cooling collar for Pongo too which is nice because you can put in ice cubes if you're outside or use icepacks that come with it for inside.
http://www.koolcollar4dogs.com/

Oh and if no one told you yet, never shave a husky

Lynn.Karpati wrote:

Some dogs will eat ice cubes themselves. I and a lot of members have kiddie pools for our dogs (not the inflatable kind) I have a cooling collar for Pongo too which is nice because you can put in ice cubes if you're outside or use icepacks that come with it for inside.
http://www.koolcollar4dogs.com/

Oh and if no one told you yet, never shave a husky

Thank you for mentioning this! The Husky's skin is very sensitive and can get sun burnt badly if they are shaved.


Kiddie pools, plenty of water, ice, shelter and shade should be enough to keep her cool outside. Maybe turn on a sprinkler every once in a while to let her play in it.

Yes I have read to never have them shaved! Its crazy how their undercoats work. Thanks guys. She loves ice cubes. I'm thinking of checking out the cooling collar. I love the sprinkler idea. I believe she might too. She loves water! Hits up the pond every afternoon.