i'm getting tired of these cold NY winters.
wondering how dogs handle southern summer heat (especially south carolina/florida).
and do you have to adjust the training programs? mainly of concern are dogs that have to work outside in all conditions--police/SAR/herding.
or do they acclimate?
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
--Roger Caras
Acclimation is one thing, but you will never get a dog to work for the same amount of time at the the same level, in summer, in Florida that the dog would work in NY in the fall.
You bet you have to modify your training plans! I have several friends who have lost dogs to heat stroke becuz they thought just cuz the dog was still going strong, he was fine, but body temps can soar in no time flat. Late nite training under floodlights, kiddie pools in the yard, big fans in the garage to cool them between training sets, etc etc. For sure, some handle it better than others, but you do have to be careful.
You are absolutely right. When a dog is bred to do something and loves to do it, they will not stop when they get too hot. You have to be very careful in the heat.
sch3FH2, very good advice, Your dog will drop out from heat stroke or exhaustion before you realize it. Plenty of water and as you posted keep them cool as you can. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
It's common to have kennels air conditioned in Louisiana due to the humidity and heat. We air condition in the south and the owners up north have to heat.
I need to find somewhere inbetween. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Robert VanCamp Webboard User Reg: 11-28-2001
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In between? Our summer average high is right around 73-74 degrees depending on the month. Our winter low average is around 43-48 degrees, again depending on the month.
What are the real telling numbers though are we have 10 days in the summer (average) that are above 90. And in the winter we have (average) 15 days below 28. We don't have days in the 100s hardly EVER, or days in the teens hardly EVER.
Only downpoint is that we have around 45-50 inches of rain a year, and that makes for a lot of cloudy days. (I think like 185 days sunless)
Can't you guess from the rainfall? Pacific Northwest. Too depressing for me - I need my sun! It gets hot down here, but at least we're better off than the north - we can train AND track all year round.
Like humans, dogs can acclimate to some extent to heat. You cannot, however, change the phyisiology of the animal. The dog's normal resting body core temperature is 101-102 degrees F., he cannot "unload" heat as efficiently as a human, and he is wearing a fur coat. Humidity makes it worse because it acts to slow down the rate of evaporation (which is the mechanism by which both humans and dogs cool off), thus holding heat in the body longer.
You will hear of very few dogs freezing to death, but they go down every day in the summer from heat stroke. In addition, there is the possibility for permanant brain and/or organ damage if the dog is worked to the ragged edge of the "heatstroke zone" repeatedly, even if he never actually goes down. The body will sacrifice extremities, and then the brain, by shutting off the blood flow in order to keep the core alive.
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