dog trailers in the summer? - Page 1

does anyone have experience with a jones hunter style dog trailer in the summer?

we're driving from houston tx to pueblo co next week.......and its hotter then hell in west texas.

we plan to leave at dusk and drive straight through the evening and night. I'm freezing gallon size water bottles to place in each box to help keep each dog a bit cooler. i also added a water pale to each box and will fill it with ice and water.

does anyone have any more ideas how to keep the dogs cool?

 I use this in my trailer....


http://www.klockit.com/products/product.aspx?sku=32263&utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products

 To monitor the temperature in the trailer....I put the thrmometer in the trailer and keep the readout with me in the car, if the temp ever started to go up too hot you could at least stop and open the doors and cool them down....Not a bad safety net for $30.....

The wireless thermometer is a great idea. I find my Jones stays cool throughout the summer. I have the schutzhund model that's white. The key is ventalation. Keep the air moving and don't let it get stale. It can get stale and heat can build up on cooler days if the air cannot move.

TSC has Wireless Thermometer 's, I'll go and get one today and start monitoring when empty to get a better idea of what's going on inside.....great idea.

I'll make sure to keep the windows open, and make sure the exhaust fan is working correctly to keep air flowing too.

Thank you.

Does yours have a battery for the fan? Mine did not. I put a marine battery in the storage compartment to run the fan when the vehicle was off. The wiring is such that the battery charges from the vehicles charging system as you drive.

I had a battery installed and the fan now works whether the trailer is connected or not. I also got the remote temperature sensor.

I have half a huge cooler filled with frozen bottle of water and some dry ice to keep it from melting.......

Now I'm looking for some thick anti-fatigue floor mats that are affordable......what a challenge, as the only ones I've found are 1/2" 2'x3' and cost 45$ each.

I'd like to give the dogs some type of a buffer from the road. Any suggestions?

I've made THAT run more than once...

You have been given some great suggestions..

If the dogs have air-flow, and are out of the sun, its not as bad as it appears..

Still, I drive late in the evening and at night till I get to cooler and less-humid areas..

I use foam beds under the good dogs... they don't eat the beds, and I wet the beds down well with water.
The bad ones (chewers and young dogs) don't get the beds, but either mats or dri-deck tiles.
Sam's/Costcos has some red mats..  (these things are not cheap)
They also have these silly looking play mats made of thin foam.. they look like giant puzzle pieces.
Again, the dogs have to be good and NOT eat them.

I also cool the dogs' bodies with water when I leave.. mainly the chest/underside/tummy/legs..

When I lived in florida, I used to use bags of ice under a grate.. the dog sat up on top of the grate, and kept cool without sitting IN the ice.
I have not seen one of those grates in years... they used to sell them in groomer catalogs for drying dogs with.

I also have a large shade cloth.. I bungee it over the top of my trailer if I have to drive in the sun, or stop in the hot part of the day...
I am not sure what it does underneath..  but it looks nice..

Some people I train with get the silver reflective sheets.. they are only good if you are not moving. Like when you have to stop and eat.. and there is NO shade..

Which way are you driving??
Across on 40 to 25, or north up through Dalhart/Dumas??

If you really want to see what the conditions are like in the trailer, try to get back there and have someone take a quick drive down the road in the hot part of the day.

I know I had some really rough roads coming home from Florida this year, and I believe one of my older dogs injured himself in the trailer. He likes to stand up and bark at EVERYTHING that moves..


Make sure you have had your trailer serviced (axles/bearings) before you go, and do yourself a big favor and buy an extra tire/wheel for the trailer, just in case you have a flat.
If you don't use the tire, you can return it.. but if you get a flat in the middle of yeehaw, you will be VERY unhappy...  and totally screwed.

I have seen spares at walmart, but bought mine at the trailer store that services my trailer.

What's in Pueblo?? Going to the state fair??

thanks for the advice!

we're planning to go thru dallas/ft worth and then pick up 287 go thru Dumas and eventually catch up with I-25 up and over raton pass and then take a left on 69 and into the wet mountain valley to the tiny town of westcliffe........heaven on earth! (50  minutes west of pueblo ).

we have a couple of acres and plan to camp a while....unwind and meditate......

i have a business card of a company that can reinforce the top and add a proper AC unit to the trailer, unfortunately we don't have time to get it done before this trip.

 

Know the way with my eyes closed..

That's a good way.. nothing you can do about the humidity till after you're west of Wichita Falls.. it gets better slowly after that.. (as you probably well know)

I have friends with land in Westcliffe..  gorgeous country.

Its really beautiful and green this year in Colorado..

I'm jealous!

Have a great time!

If you leave in the evening, I think you will be good to go even with the heat.

west of ft. worth has just got to be the dullest drives......nothing much to look at.....for miles and miles and miles.....well except for Gillette to Yellowstone.......nothing but sagebrush.....

we're now at state park status......running hot and cold water, a flushing toilet and shower and a picnic pavilion to get out of the sun.....

looking forward to some more sunsets like this one............



tomorrow i'll get the bearings greased and the tires replaced and balanced. there's a spare that's never been used, i checke the pressure and its good.....once the trailer stuff is done, then its time to start packing....

im always pleased with how the dogs mature after a week or two with no boundries - no fences, no leashes, no crates, just wide open space.....

vanna used to be an escape artist and when she escaped she would play hard to get......after only one trip to the property she gave up that game......sita was the one that didn't let a noise or site pass her by..... hero, became manly, .... we'll see what this brings to the others.....