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by tazer07 on 05 August 2010 - 01:08
I have a GSD that is just getting started on bite work. He is having alot of trouble with stamina due to the heat. Any suggestions?
by Freddy on 05 August 2010 - 02:08
A fan on the crate is what I do. Keeping a reasonable interval between phases is also good. Of course keep them in the shade.
My boy is an inside dog so I walk him when it's hot to try to get him used to it.
My boy is an inside dog so I walk him when it's hot to try to get him used to it.
by Sunsilver on 05 August 2010 - 12:08
There are special cooling pads you can buy for the dog to lie on. I have a friend who lives in Arizona and does agility with her dogs, and this is what she uses. She also mists the dogs with water from a spray bottle, and gives them water with Pedialyte or something similar in it to replenish important electrolytes. It's like drinking Gatorade, but without the artificial colour and flavour. They use it for horses that do endurance races, too. I'd google it, but sorry, don't have time right now.
by SitasMom on 05 August 2010 - 21:08
work the dogs at dawn or very late in the evening when its cooler helps.
by Aqua on 05 August 2010 - 23:08
There are a number of things you can do to build up heat tolerance and keep your dog comfortable during the training phases.
Play with him ouside at home when it's hot/humid, several short sessions of a game that requires him to run but still focus. Toy retrieves with a front, recalls with a Platz, that sort of thing. I mention those because my dog enjoys them, so that's what we do for fun. In the heat and humidity. I'm not overly fond of it but he likes it.
When you drive to your training venue keep the windows down and the A/C off. Leave a little early and walk him for 15 minutes before you get to the field. This will help acclimate him and warm up his muscles for the exercises to come.
Water him frequently but limit the amount to no more than 1 cup. Gulping water means swallowing air and that could cause bloat. I avoid adding anything to the water until after we're home again because I want to avoid the gulping. I like Vertex by CPN.
Carry several bottles of frozen water. Wrap a couple of those in a dish towel and place them near his belly while he's waiting in his crate. This works better if he tends to lie down, of course. The crate fan mentioned earlier is a good idea as is aluminet shade cloth over the vehicle's windows and open doors. Something that's worked well for us when cooling down a hot dog is wrapping his paws in wet wash cloths while keeping a fan blowing on him.
The best thing you can do to build up his stamina is daily exercise in any weather.
Play with him ouside at home when it's hot/humid, several short sessions of a game that requires him to run but still focus. Toy retrieves with a front, recalls with a Platz, that sort of thing. I mention those because my dog enjoys them, so that's what we do for fun. In the heat and humidity. I'm not overly fond of it but he likes it.
When you drive to your training venue keep the windows down and the A/C off. Leave a little early and walk him for 15 minutes before you get to the field. This will help acclimate him and warm up his muscles for the exercises to come.
Water him frequently but limit the amount to no more than 1 cup. Gulping water means swallowing air and that could cause bloat. I avoid adding anything to the water until after we're home again because I want to avoid the gulping. I like Vertex by CPN.
Carry several bottles of frozen water. Wrap a couple of those in a dish towel and place them near his belly while he's waiting in his crate. This works better if he tends to lie down, of course. The crate fan mentioned earlier is a good idea as is aluminet shade cloth over the vehicle's windows and open doors. Something that's worked well for us when cooling down a hot dog is wrapping his paws in wet wash cloths while keeping a fan blowing on him.
The best thing you can do to build up his stamina is daily exercise in any weather.
by ronin on 06 August 2010 - 18:08
Remember, hydrating when he is hot is a bit of closing the gate when the horse has bolted.
The Tour De France riders start their hydrating 4 weeks prior to the start of the race, the point I am making is I hydrate the my dog the day before, and the morning before. A German I used to train with would put a tiny drop of milk in the water first thing in the morning. The dog would drink it all, you then drive off a few hours, the dog is hydrating en route. I feed a mixture of dry biscuit and meat, on training days the dog gets a light meal of meat; not biscuits to draw water out of his system.
Tinted windows, silver blinds etc are all could to reduce the magnifying effects of the sun. A wet towel on the crate, with the wind blowing through it acts as an old fashioned air conditioner. Keep sessions short and sweet, warm the dog up and cool it down e.g. before going onto the field I walk about in the shade for 10 Min's with the dog, its important you do this afterwards too.
Plenty of water on its underside, so the big blood vessels carry the cooling effect through the body. Although double check his diet, age etc as it may not just be the heat. Personally on hot days I train with food or if I throw the ball its only short distances, my dog is only 11 months. I must add 75 degrees is about as hot as it gets here so I am a bit of a lightweight.
I have attached a link to bloat/torsion which dispels some myths.
www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx
The Tour De France riders start their hydrating 4 weeks prior to the start of the race, the point I am making is I hydrate the my dog the day before, and the morning before. A German I used to train with would put a tiny drop of milk in the water first thing in the morning. The dog would drink it all, you then drive off a few hours, the dog is hydrating en route. I feed a mixture of dry biscuit and meat, on training days the dog gets a light meal of meat; not biscuits to draw water out of his system.
Tinted windows, silver blinds etc are all could to reduce the magnifying effects of the sun. A wet towel on the crate, with the wind blowing through it acts as an old fashioned air conditioner. Keep sessions short and sweet, warm the dog up and cool it down e.g. before going onto the field I walk about in the shade for 10 Min's with the dog, its important you do this afterwards too.
Plenty of water on its underside, so the big blood vessels carry the cooling effect through the body. Although double check his diet, age etc as it may not just be the heat. Personally on hot days I train with food or if I throw the ball its only short distances, my dog is only 11 months. I must add 75 degrees is about as hot as it gets here so I am a bit of a lightweight.
I have attached a link to bloat/torsion which dispels some myths.
www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx
by tazer07 on 14 August 2010 - 04:08
Thanks everyone for your help.
Ronin- I wish it were only 75 degrees here! We work dogs in the evening here in florida and its still 90 degrees at dusk!
Ronin- I wish it were only 75 degrees here! We work dogs in the evening here in florida and its still 90 degrees at dusk!
by Prager on 14 August 2010 - 14:08
Hydration? I call it drinking . Just kidding.
I live in Arizona and in summer I work dogs as early as 5 am- 8 am max. I do not train in the evening because it is hot here until late. If I travel I keep dogs in the crates if I am using a PU truck then I throw a 1 bag of ice and 1 bag of block of ice or frozen milk jugs into each crate . Ice melts and creates really cold water with slowly melting block of ice colling it down for about 2-3 hours or more. I stop about every 45 minutes and check on the dogs but they are usually comfortable and are looking at me with :" What's up dude?" expression.
When I park or train I always look for shade ( rare commodity in Arizona) and I park, rest and walk the dogs in such shade. If there is no shade I do not park there. I am running my car's ac if I am using SUV or if the dog is inside of my truck. I never stop it until I get home. I throw a sheet of play wood or old sleeping bag on top of the crates...Make sure that the vents are not covered. Keep in mind that shade moves quite fast when you park your vehicle.
Dogs in the outside boarding kennels can withstand any temperature which AZ can offer if they have water and shade. My outside kennels have double shade or double ruff to eliminate radiant heat. Single ruff is not good enough in AZ.
Inside kennels have AC or swamp cooler. My old or sick or pregnant dogs are in the AC house with me.
When I am giving to my dogs water after exercise I let then drink for no more then 10 seconds.
I am watching for overheating all the time. Best first symptom is "machine gun" panting , curled swollen tongue.
Then I cool the dog ASAP by wetting their belly and running water all the way to the skin (!!!) and not just running it on the surface of the hair. If I can I would put them the tub of cool water.
Dog is thirsty if you see white saliva lines accross his tongue.
Common sense is your best friend. Even if you live in the cold areas the dog needs shade. Bead of your PU truck even in Wyoming and Minnesota on sunny day will get super hot. The worst enemy is hot and humid day. Dogs can not cool well at all in humidity. That is why I am not great friend of misters.
Prager Hans
http://www.alpinek9.com
I live in Arizona and in summer I work dogs as early as 5 am- 8 am max. I do not train in the evening because it is hot here until late. If I travel I keep dogs in the crates if I am using a PU truck then I throw a 1 bag of ice and 1 bag of block of ice or frozen milk jugs into each crate . Ice melts and creates really cold water with slowly melting block of ice colling it down for about 2-3 hours or more. I stop about every 45 minutes and check on the dogs but they are usually comfortable and are looking at me with :" What's up dude?" expression.
When I park or train I always look for shade ( rare commodity in Arizona) and I park, rest and walk the dogs in such shade. If there is no shade I do not park there. I am running my car's ac if I am using SUV or if the dog is inside of my truck. I never stop it until I get home. I throw a sheet of play wood or old sleeping bag on top of the crates...Make sure that the vents are not covered. Keep in mind that shade moves quite fast when you park your vehicle.
Dogs in the outside boarding kennels can withstand any temperature which AZ can offer if they have water and shade. My outside kennels have double shade or double ruff to eliminate radiant heat. Single ruff is not good enough in AZ.
Inside kennels have AC or swamp cooler. My old or sick or pregnant dogs are in the AC house with me.
When I am giving to my dogs water after exercise I let then drink for no more then 10 seconds.
I am watching for overheating all the time. Best first symptom is "machine gun" panting , curled swollen tongue.
Then I cool the dog ASAP by wetting their belly and running water all the way to the skin (!!!) and not just running it on the surface of the hair. If I can I would put them the tub of cool water.
Dog is thirsty if you see white saliva lines accross his tongue.
Common sense is your best friend. Even if you live in the cold areas the dog needs shade. Bead of your PU truck even in Wyoming and Minnesota on sunny day will get super hot. The worst enemy is hot and humid day. Dogs can not cool well at all in humidity. That is why I am not great friend of misters.
Prager Hans
http://www.alpinek9.com
by Sunsilver on 14 August 2010 - 16:08
That is why I am not great friend of misters.
Hans, swamp coolers work by evaporation. Sweating cools our bodies by evaporation, and so does a dog's panting to some extent. That's why misting a dog works to cool them off. But if the air is already humid (a very rare condition where you live...lol!) it won't work. Misting works best if there is a fan to encourage the water to evaporate...water plus a fan=a swamp cooler, right?
Hans, swamp coolers work by evaporation. Sweating cools our bodies by evaporation, and so does a dog's panting to some extent. That's why misting a dog works to cool them off. But if the air is already humid (a very rare condition where you live...lol!) it won't work. Misting works best if there is a fan to encourage the water to evaporate...water plus a fan=a swamp cooler, right?
by Prager on 19 August 2010 - 18:08
Yes you are right about the physics of misters. The misters are problem if someone who reads this post will try to use them in Florida. Also misters usually drip and then the dogs are standing in the water all the time. Misters also ad to humidity into the air and then the dog does not cool them self as well in the event when they got hot in exercises or other action. My experience is that the dog is better off in somewhat hotter dry air then cooler moist air.
And yes we do have humid days ( like today) and then misters will not work.
Hans.
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