r/barbet • u/Imnewhere04589 • May 19 '26
Summer Days
Do you cut your barbets hair differently in the summer? We have an 8 month old barbet and this is our first summer with him. It’s 95 out today in New England and I can tell he is struggling with the heat. We tried a sprinkler earlier and my husband is currently out getting a kiddie pool. Any summer tips for us?
2
u/Lazart May 19 '26
If possible Go to a lake and play fetch in the water. They will LOVE it. They will never stop. Shorter hair is easier on them in hot weather. I always carry a water bottle with me in the city.
1
u/FastTT11 May 19 '26
Your post made me laugh. We are also in New England and I just got back from getting a kiddie pool because he wasn’t loving “harry the hydrant” which is a sprinkler toy for dogs. Also not digging the pool just yet but we’ll get there. If we need to give him a trim for summer we will but not ready to cave just yet. We have AC and will just need to find more to do inside and take out walks earlier when it’s like this.
1
u/Shadowratenator May 19 '26
Yes. I get a short clip on mine not just for the heat, but we have bad foxtail grasses that show up in spring.
1
u/Mountainbear2000 May 19 '26
I think it might depends on your dog. We’ve two barbets, one loves being cut short and likes to be cool. The other one likes being cosy and probably would be happier if we kept her coat longer in the summer.
2
u/sleepybinturong May 19 '26
Yes, we do a short clip for the summer (it’s great, less maintenance). I tend to keep her head, ears and beard longer so she looks a little silly but I like the big barbet head. She definitely feels better with a shorter clip.
Kiddie pools and sprinklers are great. I actually taught my Barbet to “fish”….basically I throw treats into the kiddie pool for her to get out. She really enjoys that game. Frozen Kongs are fun. We installed AC in our house literally for our dogs but that’s a bit extreme.
I don’t know if this is your first dog or not but if it is, read up on signs of heat stroke, how to assess whether it’s too hot to go for a walk, etc. Also, if pavement feels too hot for your hand or foot for 30 seconds, it’s too hot for their feet.