Energy and performance

[duckslayermt]

How much energy and performance does your dog lose as it gets hot outside?

[mostlygold]

My current dog better than 50%. My previous 2 dogs, 0-25%. My current dog had Lyme and anaplasma and was very sick several times. His tolerance to heat and humidity dropped a lot after the 2nd time he got hit with them. We have been pulse dosing him with doxycycline this last year. I am curious to see if he tolerates the heat any better this summer.

dawn

[Lady Duck Hunter]

I voted 25-50% but that is just a guess as I really have no idea. It depends on how hot also, since we can have big extremes here in Texas. In 100+ degree weather with 99% humidity, they will be a lot less active than when it is 90 degrees and even less than when it is in the 70s or 80s. They also self regulate the amount of food they eat when it is hot, that tells me they don't feel the need to all that energy intake during those times. Also as they are aging, the heat seems to take a bigger toll on them.

[2tall]

I did not vote, because my dog displays NO slowing down or loss of energy. It then becomes my responsibility to determine how much is enough. With the high humidity, his excitement level, and the speed at which he goes, the temperature doesn't even have to be over 80 and we can find ourselves getting into trouble. Maybe he will grow out of this and will self moderate some, but I'm not seeing it yet.

[Burt Fosse]

I did not vote, because my dog displays NO slowing down or loss of energy. It then becomes my responsibility to determine how much is enough. With the high humidity, his excitement level, and the speed at which he goes, the temperature doesn't even have to be over 80 and we can find ourselves getting into trouble. Maybe he will grow out of this and will self moderate some, but I'm not seeing it yet.

I agree with this. Also the addition of supplements, such as Rehydrate help in the summer months.

[Flats3]

What my dog loses in the heat is endurance. She is every bit as excited and raring to go on the first set or two of marks but then can't recover like she does in the colder weather. High humidity saps her strength and the sun really heats up her black coat. I try to set up in the fields near the ponds so I can cool her off frequently.

Hal

[duckslayermt]

I agree with this. Also the addition of supplements, such as Rehydrate help in the summer months.

Have you been pleased with Rehydrate? I just looked it up and had no idea there was even a dog rehydration supplement.

[Devlin]

(snip) my dog displays NO slowing down or loss of energy. It then becomes my responsibility to determine how much is enough. With the high humidity, his excitement level, and the speed at which he goes, the temperature doesn't even have to be over 80 and we can find ourselves getting into trouble. Maybe he will grow out of this and will self moderate some, but I'm not seeing it yet.

I also agree with Carol...Sadie would go until she drops if I let her, and that's in only warm weather (75-80) and not considering the 90-100+ heat we often experience hunting doves and quail in the early fall months. My solution (aside from rest breaks in whatever shade we can find) is to give her lots of fluids, Second Wind bars and/or Rehydrate, and to frequently use a water-soaked sponge on her head and chest if it's really hot. But grow out of it? I don't think Sadie will...she's 4-1/2 and shows no signs of slowing down regardless of the weather unless I insist on it. Realistically, her endurance over the course of a hunt in hot weather probably drops 25% by later in the day, but we don't usually hunt in the heat much past midday to early afternoon.