You will likely notice your dog's appetite is down in the hot weather, they are more easily irritable and are hopefully sleeping more. Most puppies will look for tiles or wood floors to chill out on so please make sure that these sorts of places are accessible for your dogs.

A few things to keep in mind during any hot spell:

• do not go for walks during the hot parts of the day, keep them to early mornings and then after the sun goes down in the evening
• you can give ice cubes but more than two or three will make them more likely to have a pee accident
• make sure your puppy has loads of water and give them treats that are quite full of moisture such as small bits of watermelon, some strawberries, raspberries, apple and carrot
• if your dog is sleeping in a crate, make sure there is airflow and that they have access to lie down on the bare floor to cool down, the beds will be too hot this week for them
• make sure your dog has access to water at all times, even overnight, this holds not just for hot weather but all the time, puppies can overheat very quickly so don't take water away just to avoid toileting overnight, it is too dangerous
• keep an eye on the colour of your dog's gums, they should be a nice mid pink colour, if they are dark pink or red then your puppy needs water, if they are very pale pink or pinky-grey they may have a tummy upset
• check your dog's temperature by feeling the skin at the crease of the inside back leg and groin area where the hair is least dense, this is right by a major blood vessel so gives a truer sense of their temperature
• keep your walks much shorter this week and avoid direct sunlight
• if you cannot put your hand comfortably flat on the ground and hold it there then it is too hot for your puppy, don't walk them on that surface
• try to stick to long grass (much cooler than short cut grass) and shaded areas for your puppy