Husky Dog Breed

If they are working really hard in almost any temperature they will feel some heat! So doing a polar plunge is so natural for them when they are really going at it hard. So when conditions warrant. I'll try to let them get their lower paws and pads wet. I'll look for shallow spots or fill a vat no higher then what would be their knee height or so that way they can't get soaked higher up their body as in freezing conditions the water could freeze on their fur and cause other serious problems.

I always provide ways for my dogs to cool down in the warmer months either with swimming pools or ponds or water vats etc… on our adventures I will take them for dips in rivers, streams and other water ways and when we can’t access waterways I use misting systems and other cooling methods, Here’s more info how I  have successfully cooled my dogs.Depending on conditions I will sometimes spray a puddle for each of their paws to step in and submerge to help cool them as the pads are one of the most effective areas to cool on them. Have you ever heard of evaporative cooling vests & harnesses? There’s a bunch available I especially like the Ruff-Wear Swamp Coolers. You see as the water evaporates like we sweat it can help cool them. But, humidity levels affect this process and can slow it or stop it or even work in reverse as it can trap the heat in the dog. There’s been some independent research done on this that confirms these results you can google for more of those tests and read other opinions. The underside (belly area) also another very effective area to cool them as their internal organs are located in that region. I spray them there also and if possible submerging their underside (like swimming) is extremely effective also. On some of my rigs I have built in misting fans that spray and fan the dogs as they run I’ll provide a link to that as that’s probably something most have never seen before. The fan further helps with the evaporative cooling process. Also again depending on conditions I’ll use an ice pack gel vest that isn’t truly ice as to not shock their system which would defeat the cooling purpose but it maintains a constant 50 some degrees (sorry can’t recall the exact temp the gel maintains off the top of my head) but this design was created for military working dogs for the desert wars the USA fought.  I understand you may have other opinions which I always encourage as some things work for others and this works for me.  Again I’ve been running/working dogs for almost 30 years so this isn’t my first rodeo. My techniques are tried and true for me. That being said heat should be taken very seriously and anyone reading this needs to understand it can be fatal very quickly to a dog as it’s one of their worst enemies. So NEVER use any of these cooling ideas as total solutions as there are a lot of variables like humidity, dog’s fur type and hair length, dog condition, sun light exposure etc…NEVER work a dog in any questionable conditions! CLCK HERE TO SEE MY COOLING IDEAS

My dogs are Woolies (double coated long hair) and are religiously groomed by a professional grooming service monthly. The misting does not make it to their body,  it evaporates off them pretty quickly, depending on humidity levels (humidity levels effect this process and can slow it or stop it or even work in reverse as it can trap the heat in the dog). Most of the time it evaporates off them within 20 minutes to a half hour, so I re-mist them again. The evaporative process does help provide some cooling as again it’s a fine mist, so it’s not adding any weight to their body! On some of my running rigs, I have built-in cooling misting fans, which makes this process even more effective. I use them when conditions warrant! CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE ABOUT MY MISTING SYSTEMS