Keeping Cool

Mantrailing is a year round sport, however sometimes the weather presents us with some challenges and the heat of summer can be a particular problem, especially as we need to keep the dogs secure in vehicles between trails.

Before we get into kit and techniques it is important to note that the heat affects some dogs more than others, and its impossible for instructors to know the limitations of each individual dog. We may adjust the time and location of sessions as it starts to get warmer and will postpone them altogether if we feel it has become too warm to safely work the dogs. However it is important that you know your own dogs limitations and advocate for them. If you feel the conditions are too much for them then you need to make that decision to keep them safe. Please remember though that just because it's too warm for your dog it may not be too warm for others. 

Lets begin with the basics, ensuring you have sufficient water for both yourself and the dog. Mantrailing can be thirsty work as dogs they are not only losing water through panting as a means of regulating their body temperature but also produce additional saliva in anticipation of a food reward and to aid with their ability to work scent. This combined with the heat means its crucial you bring enough water to keep the dog well hydrated throughout your session. You may also want to factor in additional supply if you intend to use water based cooling aids such as cooling bandanas and coats. If you have a dog that doesn't drink much you can encourage them by dropping treats  or dog friendly mixers such as broth, its also worth noting that some dogs won't take water near the vehicle so offering them water away from the car can help.

Cooling bandanas and jackets can help  reduce the dogs temperature by a small amount depending on your dogs coat type and environmental conditions. These coats come in 3 main forms, there are types where you add water and use evaporation to help cooling, ones that you can freeze or added freeze packs too and a third type that reflects the heat. These can be either used while trailing or between while the dog is in the car, however a reflective coat will have no impact in the shade or inside a car and a water based one may have reduced impact if it increases humidity inside the vehicle. 

Vehicles can act as a greenhouse, becoming significantly hotter inside than outside, putting dogs at risk from heat stroke and exhaustion, however there is a variety of equipment and tools we can use to help reduce or even better, make our vehicles cooler than the outside temperature. The first is to reduce the amount of sunlight contacting the vehicle surface, especially the windows. Parking in the shade is obviously an easy way to do this however it is not always possible, which leave the next option, covering the vehicle with a reflective material. 

Any reflective covering is a good start, with the ones designed to cover windscreens and windows being reasonably effective at reducing the warming effect of the sun. There is one product though that seems to be a cut above the rest; Aluminet. This is aluminium foil mesh available in a variety of sizes, allowing you to completely cover the entire car, greatly reducing the greenhouse effect of the vehicle. As the aluminet is a mesh instead of a solid material, it can also allow air to flow beneath it, by winding down windows and opening doors where possible a breeze can be created to help further reduce temperatures inside the vehicle. In order to take advantage of this you do need to ensure your dog is properly secured in the vehicle and will not be able to escape any open windows etc, check out our blog for more information on this subject. Devices like a tailgate vent lock can allow you to keep the doors open slightly and secure at the same time.  Combining the aluminet with open windows can make the inside of the car cooler than the outside ambient temperatures. Us and many of our clients use the aluminet and have found it to be a great investment, not just for mantrailing but for anytime we are out with the dogs.

An Aluminet is used to cover the windscreen and windows to reflect sunlight, a rear boot guard allows for the boot to be left open to increase airflow

We can further help cooling by using fans, there is plenty of choice for these on the market, with many of the leading dog crate companies having their own systems designed for their crates. There are also more advanced systems such as transcool which have built in cooling systems however these are often expensive. Of course many vehicles now have air conditioning, however some need the engine running which is impractical for a 3hr session and those that can run from battery may lead to a flat battery over a period of time, so unless its hooked to a leisure battery it may not be wise to rely on these. 

So by taking multiple steps we can greatly reduce the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke to our dogs, especially whilst in the vehicles. Many trailers will utilize a combination of these techniques, carrying large containers of extra water, using an aluminet to cover the car and ensuring their dogs are safely contained; they can open windows and use fans to create draft, drastically reducing the temperature in the interior of the car.