Hot weather and exercise

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Nmhuntr
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Hot weather and exercise

Post by Nmhuntr » Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:11 pm

Once temps reach 80 and above how much exercise do you give your dog? Took the pup out this afternoon and it is the first day it hot 80. She did about 1.5 miles and was more concerned with water than running.

Thanks for the feedback

MSU Aggie
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by MSU Aggie » Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:49 pm

I look at it more as time than distance. If I've got an out of shape dog i start at about 5 min at around 5 to 8 mph and work up from there. If it's an in shape dog it is normally 10 min or so at about 10 to 12 mph and go up from there. Bring plenty of water and keep an eye on the dog.

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by CDN_Cocker » Thu Mar 22, 2018 3:53 am

I still exercise mine just as much otherwise I'd want to kill him lol. Exercise changes though - water work is a must as he doesn't handle the heat well (a dog after my own heart lol).

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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:22 am

I also go with time as opposed to distance. You are right to be concerned, as exercising any dog in temps above 75F nedes to be done with care and the higher the temps the more attention needs to be paid.

I am typically more concerned with endurance in the heat than distance travelled, because my dogs are being conditioned to run in front of a horse at a trial, which means they go pretty much full bore from start to finish.

When starting out, I let the dog run, then call it in after abort 5 minutes and give it a squirt or two of water, then send it out again. IN about 5 minutes I call it in again and give it another squirt or two. Of course I am watching the dog like a hawk. If it starts to slow down or potter, I know the heat is getting to it, so I call it in, put the harness on and water it down.

You must go at this type of endurance building slowly and carefully. It is VERY easy to allow a dog to get overheated, especially if it is a longer haired or darker colored dog. Once overheated, you have essentially lost some of that heat endurance you have built up and have to rest the dog for a few days and then start to rebuild. In a worst case scenario, you can allow the dog to get so overheated that it can essentially lose the ability to operate in the heat permanently. That only has to happen one time....so you really have to watch your dog, keep them in sight if they are a big going dog and and know the signs of heat stress. of course, you need to carry enough water to thoroughly wet the dog down, and, have a source of cool, NOT cold water nearby, or a vehicle close by with air conditioning to slowly bring down the dog's internal temp.

Ideally, you let the dog push the envelope a little bit...coming close to the edge of its endurance, but not beyond. In this way the "envelope" of endurance slowly and steadily gets bigger. With the right dog, you can develop an incredible amount of heat tolerance, but not all dogs are created equal in this regard.

RayG

shags
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by shags » Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:56 am

I just don't.

JONOV
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by JONOV » Thu Mar 22, 2018 9:24 am

Here in the southeast, if I only excercised my dog below 80 degrees, I'd kill him, with my bare hands, since he wouldn't get exercise 8 months a year, and would be a pest.

He is also shaggy, even for a GWP, and black roan, so dark.

You appear to be in the Desert? So what I do might not work for you. But, I've planned all our walking routes around creeks or rivers of one sort or another. It doesn't have to be big, even a four inch deep piece of moving water will do. If you can set a route that goes creek to stock tank to pond to home or whatever, then you might have something that works.

I've walked him 5+ miles in 100 degree heat (my walk, don't know what he ran.) My typical evening route was 3 miles for me, and in the 90's all summer and humid. He would sometimes hop in the first creek, but mostly to explore. The second creek was about halfway through, and ran the length of 1/4 mile of the walk. Every time he would go down the bank and wade at least to his belly.

When i get home, I have an $8 walmart Kiddy Pool that I fill with a couple inches of water, and he sits, lays, and rolls in that.

One other thought...Someone (who isn't a vet but is a professional trainer) told me that bringing them directly inside to the cold to cool down is wrong, that its best to water them down and keep them in the shade til they cool off. No idea if there's any truth to that.

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Sharon
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by Sharon » Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:42 pm

80 degrees + , we don't go . Only see that temp a couple days a month for 3 months where I live. Even at 70-75 we go where there are streams etc..

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Featherfinder
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by Featherfinder » Fri Mar 23, 2018 5:17 am

It's all about things like:
- what condition was your dog in prior to the heat,
- do you road your dog(s)? If so, you need to be able to SEE each dog (if multiples) as dogs vary as to heat tolerance. It can take dog "A" longer to get where you want be he sustains the training better,
- if it's a poor to start to training or your dog has been rested for the winter, monitor your time, food and water, and the dog's pads as they can tell you more about the dog than just their pads.
I guess you need to watch and trust your eyes/instinct. Too short a session rarely sets you back too much. Too long a session can REALLY set you back. Err on the side of caution keeping in mind that, at least you're out there working on your dog's health. That's never a bad thing!
* I try not to water DURING a particular endurance or C/V session. I gauge that session (over-all) to the dog's conditioning and build from there (water at the end). I do this because you can easily develop a dog that is water dependent and more trial dogs especially, take themselves out for this reason than busting on birds. Also, when hunting AZ or arid environs, water is a premium sometimes so......
I am NOT telling not to water a dog that needs water.

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DonF
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by DonF » Mon Mar 26, 2018 12:27 pm

I used to work dog's up to around 90*. Don't ask much and have a lot of water around. They will condition themselves to some degree in the heat. Again, don't ask much and plenty of water.

randomnut
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by randomnut » Fri Mar 30, 2018 8:28 pm

It must be regional. I try not to run them when it's 100, but we're in the 90's from late May till mid September. We run in the evenings, and usually close to water, but they still make 6-8 miles over an hour or so.

Arkansas summers and humidity might be rough on them, but they have no problem chasing quail 20-22 miles in 2 hours. This is with Drahts, ranging from 65-75lbs.

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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by setterpoint » Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:39 am

in michigan we dont have a lot of 90 and above temps but you still have to be careful even 75 degrees with the ferns chest high the dogs can get no air so i run the dogs early mornings and keep it short and carry plenty of water i also use a spray bot. to mist them down and carry a leash so if the dog is panting a lot i can wet them down and put them on the leash

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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by averageguy » Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:56 am

We do water work using a Lucky Launcher 2 on a shoulder stock and medium loads. With a worn out O ring and hard sided dummy it will launch 100 yards. So the dog gets 200 hundred yards swimming for each retrieve. Usually get a short morning run in while the dew is still on if the temps are in the 70s, but am never far from a pond for the dog to jump in.

JONOV
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by JONOV » Fri Apr 13, 2018 2:26 pm

randomnut wrote:It must be regional. I try not to run them when it's 100, but we're in the 90's from late May till mid September. We run in the evenings, and usually close to water, but they still make 6-8 miles over an hour or so.

Arkansas summers and humidity might be rough on them, but they have no problem chasing quail 20-22 miles in 2 hours. This is with Drahts, ranging from 65-75lbs.
It is regional. If I lived in the UP of Michigan I wouldn't worry about working the dog over 80 or 90. I live in NC, not an option lol. I know one Draht owner that swears by kayaking and the dogs swim.

polmaise
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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by polmaise » Fri Apr 13, 2018 3:11 pm

Common sense is regional and variant ,not always abundant in all states.

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Re: Hot weather and exercise

Post by Trekmoor » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:25 am

Mmmmmm ? That one needs a bit of thinking about ! :lol:

Bill T.

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