Too cold to track?

[Samba]

When is it too cold to track?

I am looking at a temp of around 13 degrees tomorrow, not mention the lovely wind chill. Will I harm the dog's smeller?!

[PaddyD]

I'd think it's pretty hard to hurt his smeller. Like with people, if you warm up properly you can go out in pretty cold weather. I don't understand why people stop exercising outside in the winter because they might 'freeze their lungs'. That's a bunch of nonsense. Simply warm up gradually and everything will be fine. Just ask anyone who trains for the Boston Marathon all winter.

[poohbearsdad]

It doesn't get that cold in our neck of the woods, but I'm sure things will be fine in that cold. The only thing is that you might want to watch the temperature trend. If it is getting warmer, tracking will become easier as the scent is still relatively available. If its getting colder, you might see a more difficult track due to less scent availability. In the end, its another "surface" to train the dog on. Work it lots so the dog generalizes it.

[Hunther's Dad]

My dogs (and I) would rather track in cold weather. When it's hot, it's like a hair dryer being blown up their nose. (Just my dogs, not dogs in general. I know there are dogs that will work in the heat.)

I trained Britta for the FH-1 for three months in the cold, wind, and rain. The day of the test, it was 68 degrees F, no wind. She got to the scent pad, took a mouthful of grass, laid down, and looked at me as if to say, "What? You want me to work on a nice day like this?"

The only thing she found that day was a goose egg. It was hiding in her scorebook.

[Samba]

Fortunately, I do not get much chance to train in such conditions. So this will be kinda different for her to track in. Yesterday, it was 40 and misting rain... perfect. Today it is in the twentiies and gusting to 40 mph... it is down right frigid. Tomorrow temps even lower and the wind is predicted high. The last time I tried a test it was 100 degrees and I couldn't see for the sweat in my eyes. Seems I am destined for "extreme" tracking. Poor old dog.

[Samba]

It's -15 windhchill and Samba won't even go out to pee! I doubt there will be any tracking activity in the a.m.!!

[lhczth]

Too cold to track?

It sure is for me. If I am miserable I am not going to be in a frame of mind I should be in to work my dogs.

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by lhczth

It sure is for me. If I am miserable I am not going to be in a frame of mind I should be in to work my dogs.

Me too! This is why I don't do hardly any tracking or training outdoors in the winter, I just can't stand winter so there's no point in trying to work dogs. I'd rather sit inside and watch them out the window, running and playing in the snow.

[Ruthie]

Too cold for me too, especially with the wind chill like it is here right now. The way I figure it, there is never going to be a trial in weather like this and even if there was I wouldn't sign up for it. No need to practice in weather under 50 degrees other than just to prevent us from getting rusty.

[lhczth]

No need to practice in weather under 50 degrees other than just to prevent us from getting rusty.

I did Vala's SchH2 last December. It was 18 degrees when we ran our tracks and never hit 30 that day (though, thank God, the sun was shining). I remember the Nationals in, I think, St. Joseph, MO, when they had sideways snow blowing during the trial. I have actually trialed late in the year a number of times so you always need to prepare yourself. Of course I would NOT trial in weather like we have today. Those winds are wicked.