How do you actually keep a Border Collie's brain busy when it's too hot to run him?
Nova is used to an hour of fetch or agility drills every morning. This week in LA it's been mid-90s by 8am and I'm scared of overheating her, but if she doesn't get her brain worked she starts herding the vacuum cleaner and chewing the rug. I switched to early morning walks and a couple of puzzle feeders in the afternoon but she's still bouncing off the walls by dinner. Anyone found a real fix for high-energy dogs in summer heat, not just "freeze a kong and hope"?
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Nova sounds like a smart girl! Honey gets restless too once it's hot, even though she's much lower energy. Hang in there, summer always feels longest in June.
ngl I just got Mochi an AC-cooled mat and a little fan pointed at his crate, total game changer, he just chills there all afternoon. obviously different for a Border Collie that actually needs to move tho
This is very useful, thank you for sharing. I also worry about Storm in the Dallas heat, even at 7am the pavement is already warm. I started checking the ground with my hand before we go, if it is too hot for five seconds it is too hot for the paws.
Houston here, so I feel this every June through September. What worked for Zeus was moving the real exercise to right after sunrise and treating midday as nose-work time only — scatter feeding, scent trails with treats hidden around the house. AllinPets actually has a good piece on timing outdoor activity around heat if you want more detail: Rules for Spending Time with Your Pet Outdoors in Summer (https://allinpets.com/blog/dogs/rules-for-spending-time-with-your-pet-outdoors-in-summer-20/). Doesn't replace a run but it tires the brain out more than people expect.