Hello


Now that the temperatures are rising, and the days are getting longer. I am curious to hear if anyone actually trains/trails their dog during the heat of the day, which in my case living in southern Virginia, is most of the day! I have found that in extreme heat, Patton is willing, must be stopped several times for water and a brief rest, although he prefers to continue I stop him. Being that temps in this area may rise to over 85 by 9am, and not go down under 80 until 4 or 5 in the morning, that doesn't leave alot of time to work him. As for our unit, we usually try to work the dogs first thing in the morning, and after the sun goes down, then again in the evening. Interestingly, most of our call outs occur mid day. With that being the case, we are going to try to train shorter more difficult runs mid-day with many breaks in between. The plan is to get at least one run in a week during "peak heat times" If temps reach above 95, I won't run him, and insist on waiting until later in the afternoon when sun sets. What do others do?


Margie

I work with a black and tan bloodhound affectionately named Quincy. The heat and humidity here in NC can drain man and beast quickly. I have found that sticking to the basics you can't go wrong. I will hydrate Quincy as much as I can prior to getting to the command center. If its a real hot one I will usually wet him down before starting. I also check his overall condition; nose, gums, and general attitude and motivation. Quincy is climatized. We don't use AC/heat in the vehicle. We train all the WX conditions Summer and Winter offer to get a sense of what to expect. Quincy will stop on his own when he's tired or hot and grab a cool spot in grass, shade or a nice puddle. Work slow in the heat and for short distances. Slowly increase the time you're trailing. The dogs will build up to it. Bottom line, if the dog or conditions aren't right for the trail, hold off for better conditions and communicate with command so their clear-don't jeopardize the animal or handler and train the conditions for which your asked to work. In addition, heat brings on conditions that can hamper trail work-note how vapors build over asphalt, UV light kills bacteria, absence of moisture, etc.. Sometimes you just have to wait.

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Replying to:

Hello


Now that the temperatures are rising, and the days are getting longer. I am curious to hear if anyone actually trains/trails their dog during the heat of the day, which in my case living in southern Virginia, is most of the day! I have found that in extreme heat, Patton is willing, must be stopped several times for water and a brief rest, although he prefers to continue I stop him. Being that temps in this area may rise to over 85 by 9am, and not go down under 80 until 4 or 5 in the morning, that doesn't leave alot of time to work him. As for our unit, we usually try to work the dogs first thing in the morning, and after the sun goes down, then again in the evening. Interestingly, most of our call outs occur mid day. With that being the case, we are going to try to train shorter more difficult runs mid-day with many breaks in between. The plan is to get at least one run in a week during "peak heat times" If temps reach above 95, I won't run him, and insist on waiting until later in the afternoon when sun sets. What do others do?


Margie

Hey guys, Remember that you have bloodhounds, The call outs in the heat of the day can wait till evening, that scent isn't going anywhere, as a matter of fact the scent is up high in the heat, wait till it falls. I believe bloodhounds run better trails when they are aged a bit anyway...No hurry unless of course its a critical missing, child etc..




Donna Stone

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Replying to:

Hello


Now that the temperatures are rising, and the days are getting longer. I am curious to hear if anyone actually trains/trails their dog during the heat of the day, which in my case living in southern Virginia, is most of the day! I have found that in extreme heat, Patton is willing, must be stopped several times for water and a brief rest, although he prefers to continue I stop him. Being that temps in this area may rise to over 85 by 9am, and not go down under 80 until 4 or 5 in the morning, that doesn't leave alot of time to work him. As for our unit, we usually try to work the dogs first thing in the morning, and after the sun goes down, then again in the evening. Interestingly, most of our call outs occur mid day. With that being the case, we are going to try to train shorter more difficult runs mid-day with many breaks in between. The plan is to get at least one run in a week during "peak heat times" If temps reach above 95, I won't run him, and insist on waiting until later in the afternoon when sun sets. What do others do?


Margie