Dogs and Hot Weather
It seems to me that the weather this year went from nice to pretty darn hot in about three days. By the time I finish training the dogs, it looks like I have been sprayed with a water hose.
This hot weather apparently came as a surprise to the dogs as well. Most of the dogs still had much of their winter coats and have only recently started to blow them. They have no doubt taken notice of the hot weather and their energy levels seems to decrease as the temperature increases.
Many people would say that the answer may be to simply not train dogs in the summertime. Maybe wait until the weather cools off. If your dog has not trained in the summertime, there is no chance that he will have the endurance necessary to hunt in the early seasons. The bottom line is that Summer time training is a must.
Here are a few tips that will help you to make warm weather training more bearable and more effective.
1). Train in the coolest part of the day.
Early in the morning and late in the evening are the two prime times to train in the hot weather. The temperature can be 10 - 15 degrees cooler than it is in the heat of the day. If you start at daylight you will be done early and you and your dog will escape the brutal heat of midday.
2). Train in water.
Training in the water can be very helpful to your dog. Not only will this help him stay cool, but it is great practice for hunting since most ducks are shot over water. However, I want to caution you that all water is not cooler. In the middle of the summertime, shallow water will be extremely warm, and potentially be laced with things that can cause your dog to get ill. It can feel like a hot tub so try to find deeper cooler water to train in but watch out underwater barbwire from an old fence or even submerged trees, as your dog can hang up on those items by their collar and drown.
On a hunt hears ago in SD we had one dog break its neck running when its collar hung up on a hidden branch in a field. I never hunt with a collar on my dog.
Also dogs sitting in the sun with wet fur can actually be worse, it's like sitting in a hot wet wool blanket in the sun. Shade is very important - even with water.
3). Keep your dog hydrated with fresh cool water. .
This one is a duh.... You get thirsty when you are outside in the sun, and so does your dog. A little preparation goes a long way. Make sure you pup has plenty of cool clean water to drink.
4). Provide plenty of shade and good ventilation
If your dog stays outside, make sure he is in a place that stays cool through the day as the position of the sun changes.
Pay attention to the warning signs!
The number one way to gauge how your dog is handling the heat is to pay attention to its tongue. Remember that a dog doesn’t sweat. His tongue is his main way to keep cool. A dog’s tongue will present several different looks.
The first look is when the tongue is in his mouth and the dog isn’t panting at all. In this stage he is as cool as a cucumber. There is no concern of overheating. As the dog begins to get a little warmer, he will begin to breathe heavier. His tongue will expand and the panting will become obvious. Although his tongue is obviously wider, he still has full control of the tongue.
This means that your dog is heating up, but everything is functioning as it should. It is best if you can finish your training while your dog is still in this phase.
If your dog continues in the heat then he will likely progress to the next phase. This is when the tongue gets much wider, much longer, and it begins to hang to the side. The dog no longer has control of his tongue at this point.
His panting gets out of control and he is border line in trouble. If your dog gets to this point then STOP Immediately and cool him down.
Don’t continue to push him. Instead, place him near the air conditioner or run cool water on his belly.
Make sure to keep an eye on him until his breathing and tongue size return to normal.
Notice how the tongue is wider than the dog in the 1st picture. It hasn’t gone to the side and out of control at this point but it is headed in that direction. Once a dog gets to this point I stop training and let them cool off. Unfortunately this is the last warning sign you will see before the onset of heat stroke. Next your dog will become unstable or wobbly. Without medical attention death or serious injury is likely to follow. Dogs, just like humans, die every year due to heat stroke. However by simply taking precaution and using a little common sense this can be completely avoided.
Be smart and pick a feather.
Comments