The Coolest Dog Activity for the Dog Days of Summer in Ottawa

OHHHHH DEAR. FOLKS, IT’S A HOT ONE OUT THERE.

Do you ever ask yourself why we live in a place that can both burn AND freeze your face off within a span of a few months? Same. But that’s neither here nor there ????…

The hot, sunny days are great for sun-worshippers, but they can be dangerous for your furry family member. Hot pavement can burn your pup’s little paws, and there is a higher risk of heat stroke, especially on very hot days. Dogs that are obese, a brachycephalic breed (breeds with a short snout), puppies or senior dogs are at an even higher risk.

This chart created by Pet Plan can help you determine how hot is too hot for your pet:

If it’s too hot for your dog outside, make sure to avoid the heat. Playing fetch down the hallway, or working on some trick/obedience training indoors are great options for exercise.

BUT IF IT’S NOT TOO HOT, THERE’S ONE SUPER FUN DOG ACTIVITY THAT IS GREAT ON HOT DAYS: DOCK DIVING!

If you haven’t heard of it, dock diving is a dog sport where dogs jump off of a platform into a body of water (usually a special pool).

Your dog can participate in dock diving just for fun on their own, or they can compete in events and competitions. In competitive dock diving, dogs compete to either jump the farthest or the highest. Any size dog can participate. And let me tell you, seeing a little frenchie jump as far as they can into the pool is cute as HECK.

But if your dog isn’t big on competition, they can still have fun in the pool! Dog diving facilities offer pool rentals for 30 or 60 minutes, so your dog can just have fun jumping into the water and swimming without any other dogs around.  

And what if your dog likes to swim, but they’d rather get in the water slowly instead of jumping right in? One side of the pool has a ramp that goes down into the pool, and the other side has the dock. So more reserved puppers can just walk in, while the brave ones can leap off the dock!

Swimming at a dock diving facility is a great way to build up your dog’s confidence in the water and on the dock. It’s also a fantastic way to exercise your dog in the hot summer months.

If dock diving (or just swimming) is something you’re interested in trying with your dog, I recommend Avalon Ranch in Renfrew. Mary and Todd, the owners, are AWESOME and their love of animals is clear right away. Mary works with your dog to get them in the pool on their own time so they are comfortable and develop a love for swimming. Avalon Ranch also offers other fun dog sports like scent detection, agility, and lure coursing! 

If you can’t get out to the far west end, another option is Capital Canine Centre in Osgoode. They are a new facility and have a very similar pool to Avalon Ranch. I’ve taken my dogs to both facilities, and we had a great time!

Check out Avalon Ranch here.

Check out Capital Canine Centre here.