Heat & Agility

corbinam said:
I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and bought a couple of their battery powered stand alone fans. I have 2 big ones and 2 small ones. The big ones take a lot of batteries, though (something like 7 D batteries).
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8 :smile2: I have those too, 2 of them. One of them broke at last weekends trial when I was changing the batteries(wire thing fell off) Boo!:( It was 3yrs old though. Friend had a Rynobi ?sp It had a rechargable battery I am going to look into those. I hear the battery is expensive.

Well ok Cheryl confirmed it. :lol:
 
k9kreationz said:
I have trialed in the heat. Usually I just go for it and see how Koji is holding up. We've trialed in dry heat that's over 105. BUT, we usually don't go anywhere unless I'm under shade. So, if I'm waiting to run, I'm under shade or I don't leave my tent. Once, Koji finished his run, his tongue was so fat and long it was hanging out the side. I was very worried.

But, I put him in the kiddie pool, wet his paws and tummy (as far as I know, you shouldn't wet your entire dog, because many times, our dogs retain the heat as the outer coat dries, but someone can correct me if I'm way off base), gave him some treats (as he hates the pool), and carried him back to the tent so they'd stay wet.

I have also bought those cooling mats. I will resoak it in the water from the ice chest, so it's VERY cold. :) I also have the Ryobi fans that I don't think they make anymore. They're VERY expensive (well, the fan is like $40, but the battery can be $100), but they work well.

If Koji is acting off or very lethargic, I won't run. I try to really keep an eye on him and gauge if the heat is making him tired, or if he's just not doing well and is getting loopy (bad sign).

Lastly, if you do trial during summer, don't forget to take care of yourself too. This woman's first experience had her throwing up (heat stroke) after her runs. Can't believe she ran either, but she went for it. Tons and tons of water. Keep the dogs shaded as much as possible. Buy a cooling mat, or even those reflective coats (I got one at a raffle, Koji looks like a space cadet), can't say if it works as I haven't really had to use it. Fans are great. Keep their paws cool and tummies.
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It was near 90 last weekend here with moderate humidity. Ember was very grumpy.

I had the ez up shade, the fans, the reflective blanket for the sides and alot of water. I actually had a few minutes of nausea before I got myself cooled down. The dogs actually did better than me.

The trial had swimming pools set up. CHeryl is right don't wet the whole dog. That can actually cause shock doue to restricted blood flow. Very important if you suspect heatstroke is starting-only wet the legs. The vessels are very near the surface in the legs and wetting that will disapate the heat from the body quickly.

I don't know when I would not run my dogs. It would depend on heat, humidity , wind and cloud cover. If I think they are not comfortable or looking off I won't run them. If I am not comfortable myself running I won't ask my dogs. I think it is one of those situations you need to be very aware in and go with your gut. In Mn, last weekend was the last outdoortrial until the last weekend in Aug. We are inside until then.
 
We trial outdoors most of the year, except for December and January, and one indoor AKC trial in June. We also train outdoors year-round.

Sun shelters with a vent in the center of the top to allow hot air to escape, reflective shade cloth, water and fans seem to do the trick for us. I have 2 of the Ryobi fans, and lots of the batteries. I usually take both fans and an extra battery for each fan every day.

Also, Ryobi discontinued the blue fans, but they're making hew green ones that use the same batteries. I think they retail for $30-$35, and yes, the batteries are an investment, but for us worth it. I also keep a fan in the car in the summer and bungee it to the side of Phebe's crate so that it pulls AC into her crate.

This is our summer tent with a roof vent -- http://www.amazon.com/Lightspeed®-Q...d=1340246427&sr=1-12&keywords=lightspeed+tent

And, this is our cold weather tent, no roof vent -- http://www.amazon.com/Lightspeed-Te...id=1340246427&sr=1-5&keywords=lightspeed+tent

I actually had to clear ice and snow off the winter tent at a trial in March. We ran as soon as the snow melted off the field. Sometimes I wonder if we really not a bit off in the head around here.
 
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Good to know about when to wet and what to wet. Thanks Dr. Shelli.

Oh yeah, usually in these high heats I've been in, there was a breeze. If there wasn't, I probably wouldn't have stayed. It's also been dry heat. I know most of you guys get more humidity than me.

Figured I'd post this. This is the old Ryobi fan I think they've discontinued. Can't find it on the Home Depot website. Instead, they have some funky green one, but this one looks like it folds flatter. There are two types of batteries you can buy, here's a list of batteries. You have the cheaper NiCd and the more expensive Lithium. I went and bought the biggest Li battery. That costs $90. BUT, it has lasted me hours on end, fan on high (I tend not use it until it gets pretty warm and no breeze is cooling us down). And yes, I think I have used the fan to cool myself down more than Koji. LOL.

Just in case you were interested in that cheap fan with the uber expensive battery. Haha.
 
I was just researching this point when after our last trial, I (finally) realised that Juliet just will not work in the heat/sun. :lol: Romeo does better. He's slower but he will still run.

We stay in the shade when we're not running, and I have a bag of ice under their tent at all times, mist them all over with water and have a dinky fan. But because we are so humid here, evaporation action just doesn't work as well.

And dogs don't sweat, so there's really no moisture to evaporate from their skin (unlike us), so if you're in a dry place, you'll need to add that moisture for better cooling via evaporation (which works better in less humidity).

Here's what I'm getting for my next trial (mostly from Cleanrun!):

  1. Chilly buddy coat - good when dry or when wet - this one has the reflective material and will cut out heat even if not soaked! Good for humid weather like what we have here.
  2. 10inch battery operated fan - put ice (or frozen bottles of water) in front of the fan near the crate ("Ryobi" 18v fan seems to be recommended most - I do hope they still sell it!!)
  3. Metal crate - More ventilation unlike tents.
  4. Cool Bed III - better than the Zentek & Comfort Cooling mat that are sold on Cleanrun based on reviews from the Cleanrun yahoo forum
  5. CPN Powerboost supplement - this is some electrolyte powder you put in the dog's water to help rehydrate faster
  6. Shave fur from where the ribs end, over the belly, and inner thighs (half way only) - Not for show dogs, but for non-show dogs, you can't tell that the dog is shaved there if done properly. The belly and inner thigh area is where to wet the dog to cool it down, oh and the paws. You can get rid of some of the undercoat too?
  7. Fertilizer sprayer - Just the empty spray bottle which you can fill with ice water. It sprays a light fine mist continuously (no hand cramping for you!) over the belly and inner thighs easily
  8. Reflective sheet over the crate - to block out more of the heat!
  9. A doggy swimming pool
  10. Sunscreen for dog's coat and top of dog's nose (to keep from cracking)!

I'm going to need a cart to lug all that to the trial grounds!

Also, try to condition for hot weather. It didn't help that here it had been rainy and cloudy for months until the weekend before the trial! So we hadn't trained much in the sun at all. By trial day, the weather was scorching.
 
I'll just have to see how it goes. If Bailey seems like she can't handle the heat then we will leave.

This morning the temp was already up to near 90 degrees and Bailey had no issue walking and running in the shade.

I will bring my spray bottle to spritz her with water, which she loves and of course plenty of water bottles.

There will be a kiddie pool at the trial, so if I need to put her in (against her will), I'll do it.

I'm going to stop by bb&b tomorrow and pick up one of these battery operated fans to place in front of her crate:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/pro...bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17984845
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17092650

I'd love to shave her belly and I've tried in the past, but she won't let me. :no:

Thanks for all the tips!
 
take4roll10 said:
I'll just have to see how it goes. If Bailey seems like she can't handle the heat then we will leave.

This morning the temp was already up to near 90 degrees and Bailey had no issue walking and running in the shade.

I will bring my spray bottle to spritz her with water, which she loves and of course plenty of water bottles.

There will be a kiddie pool at the trial, so if I need to put her in (against her will), I'll do it.

I'm going to stop by bb&b tomorrow and pick up one of these battery operated fans to place in front of her crate:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/pro...bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17984845
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17092650

I'd love to shave her belly and I've tried in the past, but she won't let me. :no:

Thanks for all the tips!
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Don't forget to use your 20% off coupon!

BTW, Koji hates the pool too. Usually, I just pick him up and put him in it so his feet are submerged. That's usually it. If it's really hot, I may wet his tummy a bit (or around his groin area where there's not a lot of fur).
 
Heat and Agility

I use to show in the heat till I passed out in the ring.Both my guys are okay in it.Tonight both my dog club and where I train cancelled all classes because of the heat.
 
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