# Do you think a trial should be cancelled due to heat?



## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

Do you think a trial should be cancelled/postponed because of heat? I new club was holding their first ever trial, and decided to postpone it because the temperature is suppose to be between 108-115 that day. Yes that's hot but..... I have mixed feelings about it. I understand the safety aspect but at the same time it's a trial. The weather shouldn't matter. I understand that's why most clubs hold trials in spring and fall. I just don't think weather should play a factor. The dogs should be capable of working in all weather. What are your thoughts?


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I think putting a dog's life and health at risk (and the handlers and judge) for a trial is a bad idea.
Here, if we train or trial in the summer, it starts at 6AM stops by 10AM and one club I know picked back up around 11PM.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

......and when I competed in eventing (horses), trials were also canceled due to dangerous weather conditions.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Jax wilts in the heat. I wouldn't even bother to show up for a trial in those temperatures. There is no reason for dogs and people to risk heat stroke. Especially if the region is not accustomed to those temps.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

There is/was about 30 dogs entered, so splitting it up morning and night would be hard and it would go all night long. Possible sure and not a bad idea.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

A trial is not worth a high risk for heat stroke. 'For the dogs, for the helper or handlers

I was told recently there is even provision in the rule book for allowing certain tests dependent on weather.

Lee


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

We don't do trials, but I've pulled my dog out of training classes if it gets too hot (actually she pulled herself out), usually by 10:30-11:00am.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Susceptibility to heat stroke isn't a "fault" that shows "weakness" in a dog. It's just the biological reality of the limited ability of dogs to cool themselves off:
Dog Talk 101: How Do Dogs Cool Off?

Heat stroke is a medical emergency that can kill dogs -- it requires emergency vet care immediately. It may not be something people in northern climates see often, so being responsible, careful and proactive as the event organizer is critically important.

This isn't about a mere minor performance blip in a competition: extreme exertion on a very hot day can mean a $1000 ICU vet bill and possibly a dead dog. Here are some links that may help you to understand why it's not a risk worth taking:
Heat Stroke and Hyperthermia in Dogs | petMD
Dog Dehydration and Heat Stroke Symptoms, Causes and Treatment


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## Ocean (May 3, 2004)

I agree that it was the right call to postpone a trial due to heat. I'm glad testosterone did not get in the way.

In theory, the teams should be able to work. But to be honest, there's nothing at stake here that is really that important like IEDs that might explode. Also, given it is the new club's first trial, just imagine the consequences of a bad incident.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

mycobraracr said:


> Do you think a trial should be cancelled/postponed because of heat? I new club was holding their first ever trial, and decided to postpone it because the temperature is suppose to be between 108-115 that day.


That is really, really hot. Even for dogs that are acclimated to that kind of heat it's a risk, and not one I'd personally be willing to take with my dogs. Not to mention that *I* can't handle that kind of heat either! :wild: Even when I'm hiking with one of my dogs I take precautions when it's in the 90's. 

There's a dock diving event in Folsom this weekend, and the temp is supposed to be over 100 degrees. Even though it's a sport where dogs are jumping into a pool and will spending most of the day wet, people are already talking about how to minimize the effects of high heat. People line up while waiting to do practice jumps and could be standing around in the sun for awhile until it's their turn, and a big concern is the hot pavement burning paw pads.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Ocean said:


> In theory, the teams should be able to work. But to be honest, there's nothing at stake here that is really that important like IEDs that might explode. Also, given it is the new club's first trial, just imagine the consequences of a bad incident.


:thumbup: Exactly.


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## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

I was at an obed. trial a year ago. the temps where in the low 100's and high humidity. 
I went thinking it was early morning and we would be fine. 
I'll never ever do that again. Frank and I were ok. But I do know several dogs did suffer from heat exhaustion. and a judge had to be taken to the hospital for it. 
I later heard at least 1 of the dogs didnt' make it. 
Trialling of any kind is not worth my dog's life. 
That same trial has now been moved indoors.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

mycobraracr said:


> Do you think a trial should be cancelled/postponed because of heat? I new club was holding their first ever trial, and decided to postpone it because the temperature is suppose to be between 108-115 that day. Yes that's hot but..... I have mixed feelings about it. I understand the safety aspect but at the same time it's a trial. The weather shouldn't matter. I understand that's why most clubs hold trials in spring and fall. I just don't think weather should play a factor. The dogs should be capable of working in all weather. What are your thoughts?


Depends where it is. Do you usually have heat like that? If it was in Arizona I'd say they should for sure be practicing out in the heat. SAR dogs and handlers there must work in those conditions so its absolutely necessary they should trained in those conditions.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I saw the SDA trial will be cancelled. Heat is dangerous for sure.

From the service dogs of america online facebook post:
I'm very sorry to announce that we have decided to cancel our June 8th Service Dogs of America Trial due to the *temps expected to exceed 105 on Saturday*. We are very disappointed, but feel these are not the conditions that we want to expose our dogs and handlers to. The trial we be rescheduled for the beginning of October on a date TBA.


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## Vasso (Jun 4, 2013)

Cancelling due to heat makes perfect sense to me - at least in my area. We don't often get into the 100s so my dogs just aren't used to it. Not to mention my boy melts in just about any type of heat. I know he would still compete if I asked him to though and could potentially push himself too far if I'm not careful. It's just not worth the risk to my dog IMO.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

Like I said, I have mixed feelings about it. If this is a sport then the teams are athletes. Athletes should be able to tolerate the heat. Will the performances be as pretty as they could be? No, but they should still be able to make it through. I guess, I'm just disappointed. I train in all weather conditions because I want my dogs to work in all conditions. I do know the risk of heat stroke. I guess it's the Marine I me coming out 


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

This is a trial, a SPORT! these are not working dogs being tested right before being shipped off to afghanistan or iraq. 115 degrees could easily KILL a dog, very quickly. A schutzhund 3 obedience routine in that heat? No thank you. That's arrogant handling and cruelty, IMHO, just to prove a point? Just because you could doesnt mean you should. 

A human can feel when they've reached their limit. It is very unlikely most of these dogs would show distress until they were already dangerously compromised by the heat. these dogs are not simply tools and shouldn't be used as such

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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Count me in as another vote for "it's not worth risking lives to play a sport."

And I think it's better for the club to make the responsible move than leave it up to the variables of handler egos and force the more prudent/careful teams to eat their entry fees.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Also please remember the poor Decoy. That is hard and hot work in normal weather. A dog may only be on the field for 7 minutes. That Decoy spends an entire day in hot and heavy clothes catching 90 lbs of dog, over and over. 

Then the judge who has to be out in the heat, ALL day to watch every dog!!

It's not just about the dogs. There are people too. 

I would never jeopardize my dogs life for a vanity title. What good us a SchH 3 if my dog is dead?


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

Even if Florida where we are use to training in the heat and humidity I hear of one or two dogs a year DYING from the heat, more often then not, these are dogs with experienced handlers.

I have seen regionals and even I think the DVG Nationals being held as Night trials.

It can be insidious and sneak up on you. A dog (or person) that has shown no ill effects before can suddenly be stricken.

Why be stupid?


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## Sprout (Apr 23, 2013)

Indeed!!! Heat is a killer on man and dog a like!

But if it's hot for us think about our friends with fur and just how bad it is!!

Seen it happen and it's just not worth a life.


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## angierose (Apr 20, 2009)

As someone who has suffered heat exhaustion multiple times, I would not risk it for a sport. I know how quickly illness can sneak up on a human, who should be able to monitor themselves...but once you get to a certain point, you are not thinking clearly. I imagine it would be the same for a dog, with the added "bonus" that they can't tell you something's up. 

I remember stopping to throw up on the way home from work while suffering from the heat. I was on the side of the road in a bad part of town, but it seemed perfectly normal to me at the time. I was not alarmed by how I felt. I figured I'd just have a beer and a nap, and everything would be fine. Neither of these things were particularly good ideas.

It's not just a matter of how the animal should be able to handle the heat-- once you reach that biological barrier, they won't be thinking straight anyway. They may make mistakes, through no fault of their own or their training.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

When I trialed in agility, they are never canceled, unless we are having a hurricane or something really major..We have delayed during thunderstorms.

But I can remember going to some really hot hot trials and running,,very different from schutzhund where there is alot more to it,,I used to hose the dog down right before a run and go for it, then hose down some more Most clubs provide plenty of water and doggie pools..


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

Honestly, if a trial wasn't postponed/cancelled due to extreme temps like that, I'd pull my dog out of it. 

Like others have said, I wouldn't want to kill my dog for a title that she may not even get because her brain was boiling because of the heat.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

I just want to say anyone on here from the club that was holding the trial, all my comments are general statements. My question was spawned by your cancellation but that's where the connection to your club ends. You guys have been great and I hope to see you soon. 


So most of you would pull out. That's your choice, but to completely cancel a trial is silly to me. You know it's going to be hot when you sign up for a trial in June. So do most of you not train in the summer? I also don't really understand all the "ego" comments. Most people with ego's when it comes to dog trials only compete when they are fairly certain they can score high. I don't think anyone who would trial in triple digit heat would expect that. As far as the helper comments, I know what that's like too. I am a decoy/helper. I run around all summer long in a bite suit or scratch pants. Yes it sucks but to me it's all part of the job. I guess I'm the weird one that acclimates my dogs to weather and trains and prepares not just my dogs but myself in it all.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

I totally get the ego thing and the point people are trying to make....my dog is a bad arse and can compete no matter what....pfft the rest of you pansies bow out while we show you how it's done and what real dogs can do in the heat. 

I mean, after all, that is a little bit of what you're saying 

I think you're delusional if you think heat stroke can't knock out the best acclimated and in shape dog, handler, decoy, or judge. SchH routines are LONG and not all trials are set up to make sure that all the appropriate safety measures are taken for everyone. I know when I used to compete at high levels in the horse world we'd have huge misting fans, ice water, vet stations, etc set up to make sure everyone was safe. It was serious business. And these were definitely horses in tip-top shape who trained in some killer climates. But it's the fact of life and unless everything can be set up appropriately to protect everyone then it's not worth it.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

GSDElsa said:


> I totally get the ego thing and the point people are trying to make....my dog is a bad arse and can compete no matter what....pfft the rest of you pansies bow out while we show you how it's done and what real dogs can do in the heat.
> 
> I mean, after all, that is a little bit of what you're saying
> 
> I think you're delusional if you think heat stroke can't knock out the best acclimated and in shape dog, handler, decoy, or judge. SchH routines are LONG and not all trials are set up to make sure that all the appropriate safety measures are taken for everyone. I know when I used to compete at high levels in the horse world we'd have huge misting fans, ice water, vet stations, etc set up to make sure everyone was safe. It was serious business. And these were definitely horses in tip-top shape who trained in some killer climates. But it's the fact of life and unless everything can be set up appropriately to protect everyone then it's not worth it.


 
Yup! That's exactly what I'm saying . Sometimes I'm amazed my head gets through the door hahaha. 

I'm just saying that when you sign up for a trial in June what do you expect? 65 degrees and cloudy? I know all about heat stroke. I have woke up in the hospital twice because of it. Granted that was in full combat gear with a 140lb ruck sack on a 20 mile ruck run. Yes both times different runs and I wasn't the only one. I have also seen it happen to dogs. Because of that though I purposely always run with the dogs in the heat of the day and try to acclimate and stay hydrated. I give my dogs electrolyte water and they all have cooling vests/pads when needed. trials don't just sneak up on people. Everyone has had time to prepare. I will also throw a trial. If my dog acts up, then I will go into training mode and fix it. I don't care if don't title. As a matter of fact this trial I entered for me not the dog. I entered with my pet dog. We have Trained for this for a couple weeks that's it. I was doing it to get more trial experience and if he doesn't title it didn't really matter (although he is doing surprisingly well).


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Last summer we had a flyball tournament and it was 111 and humid. Someone with an infrared thermometer measured the temp where everyone was parked at 140. The team captains met and postponed racing for a while because of the heat. The scary thing is that both my dogs put up their fastest times to date at that tournament (that was almost a year ago). The dogs loosen up in the heat but often have so much drive in the moment that they won't regulate themselves. It's up to us to make that call.

For me it would depend on the humidity as well as the temp and the sport and the dog. Nikon is not a dog that's going to push himself way over the limit but Pan would have. 

I also get really worried about my decoys and helpers when it starts pushing 95 and humid and they are in that gear, out in the sun, working dog after dog. It's not just the dogs that can get sick.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

mycobraracr said:


> . I give my dogs electrolyte water and they all have cooling vests/pads when needed. trials don't just sneak up on people. Everyone has had time to prepare..


Not an option during a trial. 

Many times trials are in a very rural area some distance from a local vet and even further from an emergency vet.

As far as cancelling trials are expensive. Depending on on how far the judge is traveling you would need several entries just to pay his expenses. If you are comfortable that you are not going to have the entries why put the club in the hole financially?

You know if your training partner was a person and they were feeling the effects of the heat/humidity they would probably stop. Our dogs won't and it is up to us to protect them.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

Betty said:


> Not an option during a trial.


 

Sure they are. No rules against using that stuff. Sure no cooling vest during the performance but the entire time before and after the dog can have it on.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

I think it's selfish AND it's an ego trip, plain and simple. I dont care that you ran around the heat in combat gear (dont get me wrong I have the upmost respect for the armed services and I greatly thank you for what you've done for our country). But your PET dog isn't needing to risk it. And for you to RUN your dogs during the hottest part of the day to acclimate them?? Is even more careless IMHO.

I find it hard to believe there is a single vet on this planet that would agree with what you're doing or condone it. You are putting your dogs at serious risk for a stupid title? To prove a point? So maybe one day you can single handedly save the world with your dogs in 120 degree weather? Point is higher titled routines are LONG, and during an obedience routine your dog is very active on the field in the sun. Protection routine they are running and jumping, extremely amped. 

There is not a single vet that would tell you it is safe to work a dog in those conditions, with no coolant and as someone else pointed out no vet nearby in most cases. I know my club trials on sundays usually - the nearest vet open on sunday is the emergency clinic I work at, 25 minutes away. Your dog could easily die before you ever got there.

working in the foothills i sadly see a LOT of heat stroke dogs during the summer. I've seen dogs get hyperthermic and die before they get to the clinic, after only hiking for 10-15 minutes in 90-95 degree weather. And this is in colorado in dry heat.

I understand, to each their own. At the end of the day, YOUR dog YOUR choice. And knock on wood, nothing has happened to them yet. But to state on one hand that they SHOULD be able to so why not make them, but on the other hand say it's not an ego trip etc... I dont know.

Btw our club has a large pond. On hot days the dogs are only worked for a couple minutes at a time, no full routines, usually taken swimming in between practice, and we're normally long done before noon. Then we practice one weekday night to avoid the heat.

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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

If the dog's own coat is not sufficient protection and one needs more than reasonable means of keeping warm/cool (crate in the shade, access to water), I think it's a bit much. In MI you would not find us trialing in the dead of winter with dogs wearing winter jackets (actually the dogs can probably handle it just fine, yet we still don't trial in that weather....) so why trial when it's 100+ degrees and humid and the dog has to wear a cooling jacket just to stay safe?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

To be honest, trialing vs training....I think dogs get more of a workout during a training session than they would at a trial. Especially if you are working on something and repeating an exercise over and over. But I still don't think training in extreme temps is advisable either. 
Crate time in the vehicle is probably more of an issue than the time on the field.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> To be honest, trialing vs training....I think dogs get more of a workout during a training session than they would at a trial. Especially if you are working on something and repeating an exercise over and over. But I still don't think training in extreme temps is advisable either.
> Crate time in the vehicle is probably more of an issue than the time on the field.


True I agree to a point. But when training you can run a sequence a couple times, say maybe take less than 5 minutes, then take a break get water and cool down. Can't say the same for a 10+ minute routine. 

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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

I guess I'm not too surprised by a lot of these comments. It seems most on this forum don't believe dogs can live outside or without air conditioning. 

I do believe these dogs should be capable of doing a 20 minute routine in the heat. I don't know what that has to do with ego. I also don't see how running my dogs in the heat is careless. I'm not tying them up to a treadmill and leaving them. I'm right there with them doing the same thing they are and they dictate how far/long we go. The best part is, since the trial was cancelled this weekend I will be at training. So the dogs will still be in the heat. They will also have to work in it for longer than they would have if trialing. This is why it doesn't make a lot sense to me to cancel.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I honestly wouldn't do a schutzhund routine in the extreme heat, it's alot longer than a 30 second agility run for me, it just wouldn't be worth it.

I don't understand tho, why alot of clubs DO set up trials knowing full well the heat can be killer.

While the number of entries may not be as high in schutz as it is in an agility trial, I do know cancelling an agility trial can be a nightmare..I guess it depends on the club how they go about dispersing entry payments. 

While my agility dog at the time, would have run in any type of weather conditions, it was up to me to decide what I felt was safe and what wasn't..

No, it's not worth my dogs life to get a ribbon, title or leg because of weather conditions.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Schutzhund is not really a problem especially since the dogs are doing relatively short (time-wise) routines and can wet down before and after. Other sports the competition IS much more taxing than training and the dog cannot be wet. In flyball for example you are running 3-6 heats at a time for 8-12 hours a day. In practice our dogs generally get two turns running 5-6 heats and we don't start until 6:30PM.

Personally I just don't like to compete when it's over 100 degrees or under 40 degrees so I don't. Has nothing to do with what I think my dog is capable of (and no my dogs do not get AC so they are pretty much forced to acclimate, it's usually cooler outdoors than in June-Sept and then of course freezing and blizzarding Nov - April so they get that extreme too). If it's not FUN then I don't care to waste my time and money and travel long distances to be freezing cold or sweltering hot. Since we do so many sports I don't have the luxury of being part of a "host club", competing for me always involves heavy travel so lots of forethought and planning.

As far as I know you cannot run an AD if it's above 72 degrees though I've seen several done much hotter than that.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

mycobraracr said:


> I do believe these dogs should be capable of doing a 20 minute routine in the heat. I don't know what that has to do with ego. I also don't see how running my dogs in the heat is careless. I'm not tying them up to a treadmill and leaving them. I'm right there with them doing the same thing they are and they dictate how far/long we go. The best part is, since the trial was cancelled this weekend I will be at training. So the dogs will still be in the heat. They will also have to work in it for longer than they would have if trialing. This is why it doesn't make a lot sense to me to cancel.


Our human "cooling system" is far more efficient than the canine one is because we have sweat glands all over our bodies. They just aren't biologically capable of exchanging the heat fast enough by panting when it's that hot, and humidity makes it even harder for them.

Believing that a dog "ought" to be better at this doesn't make it so. Pushing them, driving them, asking them to give more on a hot day....they can't _will_ their internal body temperatures down, just to please us. They have biological limitations that need to be respected--and those limits are different from human ones. Being "right there with them" when they have a seizure or go into multiple organ failure is still a tragedy.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I have trialed when it was 96 degrees (Sept trial in IN) by the time we did protection. Both Treue and I drank/had plenty of fluids, there was water and we both took in electrolytes. It was stinking miserable. 10-15 degrees warmer I would have pulled. 

My dogs spend hours outside with me in the summer in the heat no matter the temps. They have a choice to go hang in the shade or cool off in the creek. Both myself and a friend have almost lost dogs due to heat exhaustion. No title is worth my dogs life to me. The club made a choice for the safety of the dogs, the helpers and the competitors. I respect their choice.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

MAYBE they cancelled because the decoy couldnt work in the heat? You keep looking at a 20 minute dog routine, what about the HOURS the decoy would of spent in the suit? I cant imagine how long a trial with 30 dogs would last.

You've gotten physically ill from working in the heat with equipment on, a bite suit in 115 degree weather is no different with that kind of physical work. Its just DANGEROUS

And again your quote "fine now my dogs will just train longer in the heat" - what are you trying to prove? That you can't train at 6 in the evening when temperatures drop 10-20 degrees easily? I cant comprehend the blatant disregard to the lives of your dogs. Obviously you've never seen heat kill a dog - I fear one day you most likely will with your attitude towards it all. 

Do you drive a big truck as well?

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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

What clubs have done in this area in the past is hold night trials when the weather is very hot. But then you need a field with good lighting.

Mycobraracr, Think about this. Holding a trial in 110 degree weather is not only uncomfortable, it's dangerous, especially for the judge and helper. Imagine the logistics of people and dogs dropping of heatstroke left and right... and no medical/veterinary help close by... there could be permanent brain damage and death... and lawsuits! If you were running a trial, how would you feel if someone died, or someone's dog died? What if it was the judge or the helper? Sure, there's personal responsibility to consider, but not all people are big on personal responsibility, and will sue at the drop of a hat. And the thing is, they'd probably win. 

Also, it's possible that the judge is the one who decided to bow out, and then the club would have no choice but to cancel.

I appreciate the Marine in you coming out. In combat, you risk your life--it's expected of you, and you willingly take on that risk, and I'm glad that there are people (and dogs) who are brave enough, strong enough, and driven enough to do it. But the thing is, we're talking about a SPORT trial, not combat. You don't go into sport expecting to risk your dog's life or your own, or anyone else's. There's simply no need to take that risk; countries, lives, freedom is not at stake here. I could see an argument for training in the heat if your dog is a police k9, or a military dog, SAR dog, etc. where you must be conditioned and ready to work in any and all conditions. But a sport trial for a pet dog? It's just not worth the risk, IMO. 

I'm not saying our dogs should be hothouse flowers; my LGD lived outside 24/7 guarding my goats and poultry, yes, even in 110 degree weather I would have expected him to do his job (if there are any predators dumb enough or desperate enough to hunt livestock in 110 degree weather). But I would not have created a situation to *test* him in that kind of heat.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Anubis_Star said:


> Do you drive a big truck as well?


Yes, he does.  

It's a very nice truck, too. I have truck envy.


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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

A few years ago someone I trained with on occasion lost his dog because of the heat. In addition to being this man's heart dog, he was also his patrol partner. 

South Georgia, this man and his partner were use to training and working in the heat.

He was someone with decades of experience behind him in training in our hot and humid climate. More then I ever will have. He was not someone that took risks with his dog.

I saw him shortly after he lost his dog and devastated does not begin to describe how he felt. And guilt. His comment was that he killed his dog over a blankey blank sport. 

I have never forgotten that, like our dogs it imprinted on me. All I could think of is with all his experience and being someone that was as gaga over his dog as I am with mine; that if that happened to him, how about me?

I will err on the side of caution.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

I just got home from Europe where I earned my BH and IPO 1 with my dogs. It was HOT - 35 degrees Celsius hot, and sometimes hotter.

We started the trial @ 6am and were done by noon - it was supposed to start at 9am, but the judge let us know the day before he did not want the dogs competing during the afternoon, so he pushed it up 4 hours.

If this were not possible, then yes, canceling due to heat I think would be something that should be done for the safety of dogs and handlers. However, it takes SO much preparation and training to get ready for a trial, I would be super disappointing to have it cancelled last minute without even trying to make it work.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

gagsd said:


> I think putting a dog's life and health at risk (and the handlers and judge) for a trial is a bad idea.
> Here, if we train or trial in the summer, it starts at 6AM stops by 10AM and one club I know picked back up around 11PM.


Dog handler and judge? No love for the helper? He has the worst of it all.. Only one that must perform over and over again... And on PSA in a full suit!


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

No. Do not have training during high heat and humidity and would not enter a trial during known times for that.

Clubs will try and work around it, but sometimes, the focus needs to be on the safety of the people and dogs.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

We had SDA trial in Tennessee in July that started at 9pm and lasted until 2am. Of course trial was held on private field with lights....but was very well attended and a big success!


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Helper was my first thought aswell.

Besides all... It's a sport. At least in SchH I want to get points, I want to win. While 100 ºF is way beyond safe at even less I'd think twice before trialing with high heat, just because I know my dogs performance would suffer and I want the deck on my side.

Last year Diabla certificated on IRO at 90 ºF on the rubble and it wasn't fun, but it was the first and only time we have had an IRO test in Chile and we won't have other, if lucky, until middle of 2014. In Schutzhund there is a trial at least every other month, I prefer to wait or to travel further than to trial on poor conditions. Again, it is a sport, its supposed to be fun and to my eyes nothing looks worst than a flat performance.


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