Do You Have a Sun Seeker? š¾
Hello, and welcome back.
As weāre in the warmest months of the year, you might notice your dogs are moving away from their beds and seeking out sun spots to lie in.
As I discussed last time, we need to avoid exposing our dogs to too much heatā¦ but itās a careful balance as direct access to sunlight is very important for our dogās overall wellbeing.
Being in the sun (importantly - this must be outside, not through a window) allows your dogs to regulate a healthy circadian rhythm. This system is important not only for regulating wake/sleep cycles but it also controls hormone production, cell regeneration and even some patterns of brainwave activity.
Not getting enough sunlight could increase the chances your dog will suffer from a number of chronic diseases.
Did you know, that sunlight changes throughout the day - with different spectrums of light (including UV, UVB, IR)? And each part of that spectrum plays a different role for our dogs. So itās important that they experience outside light at different times to really keep those rhythms in check.
If you prefer not to head out for a walk earlier in the day, allow your dog a good amount of morning sun exposure by scattering their food onto your lawn or smear it onto food toys or boards - placing those outside. This time of day has higher levels of blue light - reducing melatonin and waking your dog for the day.
At lunch, or early afternoon - why not spend ten minutes playing with your dog in the garden?
And then in the evening, before dusk, head out for a calm stroll together. Now, the sun is in the red phase, increasing melatonin and getting our dogs ready for a quality overnight rest.
Access to a full spectrum of sunlight - while being mindful of not overheating our dogs - will lead to a more happy and healthy hound!
Next time, Iāll tell you why thereās a different type of light we should avoid for our dogs (as well as ourselves)!
Until next time, enjoy basking in that sunlight!
Caroline