How do you keep cool?

[romeosangiovese]

Umm. Drink alot of water. Wear light coloured clothing. Find some shade! Then just get used to the heat! With the dogs, we water and rest them very often. Heatstroke is a huge problem here as you can imagine so we are vigilant! Juliet used to hide under bushes when she's hot.

I bought them kool collars (insert ice strips inside them) but have yet to try them out as the sun's not been out lately (rain rain rain!).

 

[Caro]

We always do agility trials and flyball comps outside, so summer is a real pain. Flyball is the worst because they run about 40 times in a day.

So I have a good little collection of summer heat savers for comps. I have a pic of my set up below, plus a pic of the fans and ice packs.

• Shade tent - this is just an easy to set up beach shade tent.
• Play pen rather than soft crates. When its hot the play-pen/x-pen lets a lot more air circulate and are a lot cooler if you can keep it in the shade. Otherwise if you can only take a crate, use a soft crate that you can dampen down on one side and the roof and I sit an ice pack on the top to keep the roof cool.
• Fans. I have a crate fan and several $5 battery operated fans. The cheap fans are fantastic, and because they are cheap I have several around the play-pen. I have used them about 50hrs and still havent changed the batteries. I put an ice block in front of the fans so they blow cool air.
• Ice blocks. These are the freezer packs you buy for eskys/coolers. They are cheap, stay frozen for a while, arent too messy. I use them with the fans, on the soft crates and I wrap one in a towel and then use the towel to cool the dogs down after a run. When its super hot I leave a large one wrapped in a towel for them to lay on or next to.

 

[Celtic Fire]

"We pant a lot and stretch way out on our sides." Edan and CJ say in unison, "It works really well...you should try it."

Edan & CJ

 

[k9kreationz]

My friend who goes to agility trials with an Aussie bought a crate fan- I think it was from Clean Run but maybe Petedge- can't remember. you can buy a cooling block with it- like the blue ice packs. so hangs on the crate and blows cool air on the pup

Okay, now that's cool. Maybe I can buy one for myself.

 

[k9kreationz]

Thanks for the list Caro. A few great ideas that I never thought of.

Like using an x-pen instead of a fabric crate (duh). I have a fabric playpen with loads of windows, but I agree, I bet an x-pen is still cooler. Heavier to carry, but still cooler. I'll remember that for next time.

We've been talking about ice and stuff, but why I never thought of using freezer packs I don't know. Wrap them up and that should help keep them cooler. I like the idea of also wetting down the crates and putting it on top. Again, no crates here, but I can get creative and see what helps.

Thanks. All these suggestions are great (from everyone).

 

[k9kreationz]

Umm. Drink alot of water. Wear light coloured clothing. Find some shade! Then just get used to the heat! With the dogs, we water and rest them very often. Heatstroke is a huge problem here as you can imagine so we are vigilant! Juliet used to hide under bushes when she's hot.

I bought them kool collars (insert ice strips inside them) but have yet to try them out as the sun's not been out lately (rain rain rain!).

I can only imagine what it's like there. My boss just got back in early July (was there for 2 weeks for SIWW). He's always telling me stories of the heat/humidity.

I love the, "then just get used to the heat". LOL. Honestly, I think my problem was that it had been in the low 70s where I live (near the coast). Then within two days, it jumped up to mid to high 80s (at the coast). So when I went to the trial (inland a bit), it was 95. I mean, imagine going from 75 to 95 in one shot. Ugh! I don't think I ever got used to it. hehehe.

Lemme know how the cool collars work. I figure with all that fur, can they even feel it?

 

[k9kreationz]

"We pant a lot and stretch way out on our sides." Edan and CJ say in unison, "It works really well...you should try it."

Edan & CJ

I'll definitely try that next time. Do I need to pant and stretch out in unison with Koji? Or can I do it alone?

 

[Celtic Fire]

I'll definitely try that next time. Do I need to pant and stretch out in unison with Koji? Or can I do it alone?

"Hmmm...Well I guess you can pant to your own rhythm as shallow or as deeply as you need." Edan advises.

"As for stretching out...Stretch out just far enough away to be able to reach over and provide ample scritches to Koji." CJ offers.

Edan & CJ

 

[romeosangiovese]

LOL! Caro, you must need a forklift to cart all of that around! Where did you get them fans?

k9kreationz, oh water week? Yes those that have just arrived in the country are usually very red faced and sweaty. Hope you figure out what works for you to keep cool!

 

[Caro]

I have a trolley to cart all that stuff around! My mum brought me a super-duper camp chair for xmas to take to trials - it takes me a second trip to carry the chair, the rest of the stuff folds up nicely. I didnt have the heart to tell her the chair is impractical.

The fans I got from a place called Jaycar Electronics. It sells all this miscellaneous electrical stuff and great little gadgets. I also brought some little handheld fans that I take on walks - one has a spray bottle attached. I love gadget shops. The cheap fans dont have a brand name on them - just 'made in china'.