As an owner, there is nothing worse than looking at your hot dog in the heat, panting, exhausted and struggling to deal with the sun. We’ve put together a list of ways you can help your furry best friend out in the heat to help them to keep cool, calm and hydrated this summer!
 
Encourage them to stay in shaded areas
If possible, create as many shaded areas away from direct sunlight as possible with umbrellas and encourage your dog to lie in the shade with their favourite treats placed in these spaces. 
 
Water is key!
Dogs need more attention in the heat to make sure that they are staying cool and out of the sun. Being on hand with damp towels for them to lie on can really help to make sure your dog stays cool. Also, filling up a hot water bottle with cold water can help. Cooling your dog down with water is key, you could even turn it into a game with a paddling pool in the shade. It keeps them cool whilst also encouraging them to stay in the shade, which can be the hardest part! Putting a garden sprinkler on can also encourage this, but we’d suggest only doing this if you have a large enough shady spot, or later on in the evening when the sun isn’t as strong, as this could encourage dogs to run around chasing the water. 
 
NEVER Leave your dog in a hot car, even if the windows are open. Leaving a dog in a hot car can leave your dogs feeling claustrophobic, stressed and extremely uncomfortable very quickly and can even lead to death. Make sure that you plan any trips around your dog not being left in a car for any amount of time in the heat and if you see another dog left in a hot car, call 999 immediately. 
 
Discourage peak-time play
Plan your walks and play time around the heat in the day. Take your dog out early in the morning or in the evening after the sun had set to allow your dog to have an enjoyable walk in the cool temperatures. This will also avoid your pooch’s paws being burned by hot tarmac! Discourage your dog from chasing balls or playing vigorously with toys in the midday sun, encouraging them with water play in the shade instead. 
 
Keep your dog hydrated
Making sure that your dog has access to plenty of clean, cold water at all times is absolutely key. It’s necessary all year round, but absolutely vital in the heat. Always make sure you have a bottle of water for them for walks too. 
 
Give them frozen treats
You can freeze your dog’s favourite treats or fruits and vegetables for a tasty way of cooling them down, or you can treat your dog to some of our Paw Pops, a yummy freeze pop designed to help to cool your four-legged friend down in the sun! 
 
Keep on top of grooming
Making sure your dog is brushed and groomed regularly is key to keeping them cool. Some breeds are worse than others in terms of their coat matting, and knots in their fur can add another layer of heat, so it’s really important to keep fur lovely and knot-free!
 
So there you have it, some tips on keeping your dog cool in the heat! Let us know what you do to keep your hounds cool!

​They say that a dog is a man’s best friend, but it turns out that owning a dog can actually be great for your physical and mental health, as well as providing unconditional love. Here are 5 ways that your dog benefits your health…
 
1. They Can Improve Heart Health

Studies have shown that owning a dog can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and decrease triglyceride levels, contributing overall to better cardiovascular health. Needless to say, dogs make our heart explode, but only in the good way!
 
2. They Keep You Fit and Active

Owning a dog means taking on the responsibility of ensuring that they receive plenty of exercise every day. For us humans, doctors recommend that we partake in at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of exercise per week. Most dog owners go way above and beyond this, leading to better overall health purely thanks to walks, ball throwing, and running around after rambunctious pups!
 
3. They Can Improve Your Social Life

How many times when you’ve been out for a walk without your dog do you actually stop and chat to a stranger? Our bet is on next to none. Now take your dog out for a walk and count how many times you speak to strangers then. Our guess is you stop and speak to numerous strangers whilst your dog play, sniff, bark and yap at each other. Some people have even found lifelong friendships just through bumping into each other on dog walks! How great is that?!
 
4. They Can Reduce Your Stress

There’s a reason why dogs are used as therapy devices on certain wards in hospitals and care homes. Studies have shown that interactions with dogs reduces anxiety and blood pressure and increases the happy chemicals serotonin and dopamine. It has also been studied that offices allowing dogs are also less likely to be a stressful environment and can also relieve tension in marriages!
 
5. You Can Be More Resistant to Allergies

Studies have shown that children brought up in households with dogs are less likely to develop conditions including asthma, obesity and eczema and this can last a lifetime. Children are less likely to develop these conditions throughout their adult lives. 
 
So now you know that your dog looks after your health in many ways, why not check out our range of tonics so that you can make sure your dog is living its life to the fullest with you too? We have tonics to help with conditions ranging from Anxiety, bad breath, skin issues, achy joints and more!

Check them out HERE.
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1. Play Hide & Seek
​Playing family games of hide and seek is always a good idea when you’re stuck indoors but including  your dog in these games is a great way of tiring them out. You could also simply hide your dog’s toys or treats and get them to go and find them like a treasure hunt. 

2. Play games of fetch 
​Playing fetch with your dog in the garden or long hallways is a great way to play with your dog and keep them occupied and exercised at home. Nearly all dogs love playing fetch, no matter how fast or slow they are and this is also a great opportunity for you to teach your dog to be more obedient and bring the ball back to you and ‘drop’ it at your feet!

3. Set up an obstacle course with things you have at home 
Setting up an obstacle course or agility track in your home using household objects such as chairs, cushions and small tables is a really fun way of exercising your dog indoors. You could make a fort-style tunnel with blankets and cushions and see how fast your dog can run through. You could create small ‘jumps’ for your dog from chairs or using the sofa, but do make sure that nothing is too high for your dog and that they are not landing on hard or slippery floors, only do this on carpet or if they have a safe landing space! Cardboard boxes are also a great tool to use for exercising a dog. They can get in them, stand on top of them, drag them, push them. You could hide things in the box, hide things under the box – there really is no end to making a dog use his brain when playing with a cardboard box.

4. Teach new tricks 
They say you can’t teach an old dogs new tricks, but that’s actually not entirely true! Most dogs will do anything for their favourite treats and if you’re stuck indoors for whatever reason, this is a great opportunity to teach your dpgs brand new tricks and learning experiences in order for them to receive a delicious treat! There really is no end to tricks that you can teach your dog, service dogs seem to put ‘pet’ dogs to shame when it comes to carrying out sophisticated tasks, but there is no reason why you can’t teach your dog some new tasks. Some basic examples are: Sit, stay, down, give each paws, beg, speak, roll over, spin, or even play ‘dead’! 

5. The cup game 
Grab two identical cups, paper or plastic cups work best for this. show your dog a treat and let them smell it. Hide it underneath one of the cups. Switch the cups around twice and tell your dog to fetch the treat. Add more cups as your dog gets used to the game to make it more difficult. This is a great brain busting game for your dog and a great way to tire them out indoors!

The DogFriendly Awards are your opportunity to recognise and reward dog friendly places and get businesses that go the extra mile for the benefit of the UK’s 9.4 million dogs and their owners. Winners of the DogFriendly Awards in each of the categories are chosen by public vote. The closing date for nominations and voting is the 30th September and the awards will be presented at the Excel in London on the 20th October!
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As a thank you for recommending or voting for a location, DogFriendly also gives you the opportunity to enter into a free prize draw to win £500 towards a dog friendly holiday. The closing date for nominations and voting in this year's DogFriendly Awards is the 30th September 2018 and the awards will be presented at the Excel in London on 20th October 2018.

There are four categories including:

• The Best Dog Friendly Place - in association with Agria Pet Insurance
• The Best Dog Friendly Employer - in association with WOOF&BREW
• The Best Dog Friendly Holiday Aboard - in association with by passpawt
• The Best Dog Friendly Business - in association with my pet people

Let's reward those wonderful people and businesses who give a warm and hearty welcome to our dogs! 

You can also see all of last years winners here

July is Independent Retailer Month which is an annual event that highlights the important role of smaller, local, independent retailers. At WOOF&BREW we are very lucky to have a fantastic selection of independent stockists ranging from family owned businesses to larger scale pet and garden stores. We love working with our stockists and here is an example of one such stockist. Introducing ‘Doggie Fashions Ltd’, a wonderful dog friendly business located in the stunning ‘Trentham Estate’ in Stoke-on-Trent.

​Tell us about your pet shop
Doggie Fashions Ltd is a unique, independent business selling everything & anything a dog could ever need or wish for!  It's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping, tail-wagging store, open 7 days a week.
 
From our own recipe of handmade ‘doggie bakery treats & doggie ice cream’ right through to a ‘Self Service Dog Wash’ it’s the pawfect place for dogs.
 
Over the years it has definitely become a well-known ‘Destination Store’ located within a beautiful shopping village at the popular, very dog friendly tourist attraction ‘The Trentham Estate’ in Stoke-on-Trent.
 
We (Sarah Patten & Kerry Wilson) started the business back in 2002 creating a shop totally dedicated to selling thousands of products ‘just for dogs’.
 
Originally Doggie Fashions sold from a small shop, on-line & our mail order brochure.  However, after relocating to The Trentham Estate we made the decision to purely concentrate on selling from the new retail unit, the decision was a success and we’ve never looked back.

What do you like about WOOF&BREW and do you have a favourite product?
They are a lovely team at WOOF&BREW, a pleasure to deal with.

​Their products are quite different to the norm, have great packaging & are a real talking point with customers.
Our favourite product is the Bottom Sniffer Beer although very closely followed by the Pawsecco.

​What do your customers say about WOOF&BREW?
The products always cause a real stir in our shop when customers see the range . . . . in a good way.  They love the clever names of the products and the way the packaging imitates the real thing.  You can guarantee to hear laughter from the area of the shop where these products are!
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For more information please visit their website at
www.doggiefashions.co.uk 

Or find them on Facebook www.facebook.com/doggiefashionstrentham

Do get in touch if you are one of our Independent Stockists and would like to feature on our blog! Email us at bark@woofandbrew.com

If you would like to become a stockist then do also get in touch, we would love to hear from you!