Save some empty 2 liter bottles. Fill 3/4 with water and freeze them solid, then place them in the crate or take them with for the dog to lay next or on. A towel is a wise investment also, to wrap around it to wick away the moisture but is not necessary. In 90+ degree weather a solid frozen 2 liter should last at least an hour if not in direct sun. It gets pretty roasty toasty here and I remember in the summers with 105-110 degrees the bottles would last 3-5 hours indoors(no AC here). You can set them up in front of the fans to provide cooler air flow, also.

Carbon and I are going to be staying in the student housing where I hope to God they have air conditioning.

And I don't even know what my schedule with Carbon will be like since I'll be working with multiple dogs and Carbon might not even be a candidate for work that needs to be done with green dogs on OB.

He may wind up spending the majority of some days in a crate in my room or at their kennels, I don't really know yet. I'm actually looking for someone that's gone to TCA before so I can ask them some questions from a student's perspective.

But he will certainly need excercise and to go from 70* weather to 90* weather in a matter of days will certainly punk him out. Is it humid there (Austin)? I'll try to exercise him at dusk, if I can, and in the early morning and then just keep him cool after that. I don't really know what to expect about an average day there yet, so I'm just trying to hedge my bets.

And as Carol said, I'm sure that the people at TCA are familiar with dogs and heat so I'm sure it will all work out. Some people have also posted that it only takes a couple of days for dogs to acclimate to the new temps and that's good to know and it makes me feel better. I thought it took longer than that but a few days is not that big of a deal.

Thanks all!

San Antonio was well over 100 many days, so much so that I exercised at 4 in the morning or it would be too hot. (it was around 80 then) It was also rather humid. I know that is not the town you are going to, but this info might help...

try this website... saw this this morning http://www.chillybuddy.com/

Amber
They will surely have ac in the living quarters and I believe the big training building as well.....if you guys need a break or a home-cooked meal give us a ring, we're about an hour south. In July you can bank on humidity and temps at least in the upper 90's.
The year I moved here (with 3 dogs and 2 cats, all long-haired) it was in July and just in time for a 7 day stretch of over 100 degrees. The dogs actually acclimated faster and easier than the cats did......lots of shade and only working them very early or after sundown. You'll be fine!

Amber, it might be a good idea to take Carbon 2 or 3 days before you need to be there so you can see what it's like, how he reacts and responds, how much to do and not to do and to help him acclimate a bit before you start working him. It will help you know what to expect with him - and also with you.

We don't have the humidity factor in Phoenix which is a huge factor, but the temps reach constantly into the 100's and stay that way for months, sometimes through October and begins to subside to 90's in November.

I won't take Lear out to work in that. All exercise is done in the very early morning between 5 and 6 AM. It's already in the 90's at that time and I have to watch both him and me very carefully. If he seems spent because of the heat, we call it a day and hang out around the house. The evenings are still in the 100's, so we don't do much then either.

Last summer we trained at 8 AM and it was unbearable, but we stayed in the shade of trees. I left my engine running with the AC on if he was in the car, waiting his turn. I don't know if we'll train much this summer. The decoys in bite suits don't fare well either. Summer is pretty much a waste around here. Even kids aren't playing outside. I'm glad I didn't grow up here. What a waste of summer vacations that would have been.

Don't be surprised if you touch Carbon's fur and it feels like it's on fire. It doesn't take long, just a few seconds for black fur to get like that with the sun beating on them. I hope you get to work mostly indoors.

Saffron, thanks for the offer! I've heard good things about Austin, actually, from every single person that I've talked to that's been or lived there. And we're looking for a city to relocate to, so I'll be keeping my eyes open while there. Don't know how much time I'll have, but I'm going to try.

Sandy, I did think of going down there early...but to be honest, I'm already pretty sick thinking of leaving my 9 year old son for that long, so believe it or not I'm not sure I can spare the few extra days. My husband is driving down with me and then he's going to fly back. We considered taking the kid, too, but that long of a road trip, with a large dog, 3 people and all of our gear could easily wind up being a nightmare!

It's a good suggestion, though and maybe we'll work something out. Another thing that was pointed out that I didn't even think of is that the majority of training during hot weather probably will happen in the large training arena. Duh. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

All should be well; it'll be great.

That's great that you do in fact work mostly indoors. I was figuring it might be that way. It only makes sense, after all, for the school to have that facility available for training in the summers.

I'm so happy for you that you get to go . What a wonderful experience to get to have!

I highly suggest going a few days early to acclimate yourself and your dog to the heat and humidity.

I go to Costa Rica regularly where it is 90 plus degrees and big time humidity. My in-laws operate a B and B down there and cooler climate guests all have the same issues.

I live in front of a fan for a few days until I get adjusted to the climate. It always knocks my socks off!

HI! I love Texas, but I for my dogs sake I plan on getting out as soon as possible Its not the heat, its the humidity!!! the heat index has been hitting 105-110. Im sure that they wont make you do any hard work without shade or in the middle of the day.
To acclimatize your dog I would advise working with him in the warm part of the day for a couple of minutes. I dont know that you can really acclimatize at all if youll ever be in the AC. I used to live in the country with no AC and we were fine, but now the difference going in and out makes it too hard to acclimatize for any of us. Lady is like your dog, and just bails or shuts down (smart dog) when she gets to hot.
as far as cooling, Ive found that a quick fix for the heat, second to cool drink, is wet feet. Its easier than cooling their belly, and less messy.