You guys are great - thanks for the responses. We are most often dealing with high humidity (being on the coast), so 80 degrees can feel much warmer. I think I will use 75 degrees as Kipawa's upper range. Also, the heat yesterday came on with a bang - no buildup to it. It just happened. So there was no time for man or beast to get used to it. Anne, your comment about "a dog will keep going with you till they collapse from heatstroke" is exactly what would happen to Kipawa. He just loves his outdoors and running so much. Once outside, he does not have a "slow" setting if he is off leash.
Does anyone use a cooling/ reflective coat for their Tri, Brindle, or B&W Basenji
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I don't think it's a matter of necessity ( in this case) but rather a comfort luxury. Oakley doesn't need it but he likes it and I like knowing he's cool…AC or not- I could afford it and it serves a purpose for us and allows me to stay out longer without feeling guilty
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After researching some different cooling coats, we decided to order a ChilliBuddy for our Tri Color Basenji. We will be happy to share our findings in regard to this cooling coat to anyone who has an interest. Just for FYI tomorrow they are expecting a high of 103 degrees here. We are certainly experiencing weird weather patterns within the US this year.
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Oh yes, when they are working hard I entirely agree. But the OP seemed to be referring to a "walk in the park", and I have yet to meet a Basenji that can't handle that if it isn't too hot for the humans.
Herding dogs use a kiddie pool to cool down, but somehow I don't think that would appeal to the average Basenji.
The load or "walk in the park" depends on the pace and the terrain. We do not walk on a garden path. Its hilly and uneven. We actually walk our dogs for exercise for them and us and its not a leisurely stroll. We also do not have Canadian weather so there a great chance that our conditions will be different. Just curious, do you get with your dogs for several miles daily? We do!
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The load or "walk in the park" depends on the pace and the terrain. We do not walk on a garden path. Its hilly and uneven. We actually walk our dogs for exercise for them and us and its not a leisurely stroll. We also do not have Canadian weather so there a great change that our conditions will be different. Just curious, do you get with your dogs for several miles daily? We do!
Depending on whatever has to be done around here, if there is time I often take Perry to the regional forest, which is extremely hilly and 200 acres of criss crossed trails. My average walking pace, according to the tread mill at the gym, is 3.8 m.p.h., which I find comfortable. If I am in a hurry, I can push it up to a bit over 4 m.p.h. beyond which we are jogging. (which I don't do much any more since my knees get sore), I don't do the forest as much as I used to because I spent one whole summer with poison ivy rash on my legs, and got tired of it!
Here is Perry in the forest…
When I don't have time for an extended hike, we go out around the hayfield, generally at least three times a day. I walk the perimeter…...about half a mile......and he runs loose, so he does a lot more mileage than I. Here he is in the field (1st pic taken from a video hence the poor quality)
Of course he pants when he runs, and as I have mentioned, he is less heat tolerant than my previous Basenjis. The panting stops when we take a break (in the forest. The field walks are not long enough to need one) In Ontario, the weather is quite variable, but in summer we can have oppressive heat and humidity, often for days at a time. Yeah, I know, it isn't Texas. (I'm curious, though. Is Texas dry like Arizona, or humid?)Back in the day, with my first Basenji, I used to take her with my horse for trail rides, which would inevitably involve some galloping, as well as a minimum 5 miles of roadwork, walk and trot. Yes, she would pant! But stop as soon as we pulled up for a rest. I was young and thoughtless and never carried water (if wasn't the norm back then) and had no difficulties with her and the heat at any time, including 90 F + days, but she was a tough girl and perhaps they generally were 40 years ago. Here she is at the farm:
My second Basenji was also very heat tolerant and could handle cold as well. We used to go cross country skiing on the lake with no coat or boots to keep her warm. Once she chased a skidoo for over 3 miles before she gave it up! But that was obviously in winter. In summer she would jump off the dock and chase water skiiers.
But now I am off topic. Here is Lady in the snow at 10 F.
As you can see from the pictures, the dogs described were running loose, and therefore getting a lot more exercise than I was! -
Very nice pictures. So you really let your dogs run free. We don't do that unless we are at the dog park. So our walks are always on a leash and we are walking two of them at the same time. Right now we are doing 3 miles a day in about 54 minutes. We feel its pretty good time since both dogs stop at least twice during that time to go potty and we stop in the middle our our walk at the 1 1/2 mile mark for them to get water.
Today we started even earlier and dealt with very high humidity along with the heat.
Texas has a lot of different terrain so whether its dry or humid will depend on where you are at the moment in the state. The same can be said for Arizona.
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Very nice pictures. So you really let your dogs run free. We don't do that unless we are at the dog park. So our walks are always on a leash and we are walking two of them at the same time.
My first girl was very reliable off leash…...in the picture you can see she doesn't even have a collar on! I would never do that now, but I am older and perhaps wiser. My second girl was somewhat reliable. I trusted her in areas where there was no immediate access to danger, such as a road. And she usually stuck pretty close, unless she was distracted......e.g. the time she chased the skidoo. My current boy didn't used to be an off leash dog until I trained him to recall with an e-collar. He wears it when he is loose, and I do keep away from roads. Mostly I don't need to use the collar, but it is there for safety reasons, and I can interrupt a chase with it. Saved him from the worst of a potentially nasty skunk encounter last year.
With my previous boy, and with this one before I got the e collar, I would bike them for exercise, usually about 2 miles at a trot and gallop. And of course walk them, both in the woods and on the road.
Right now we are doing 3 miles a day in about 54 minutes. We feel its pretty good time since both dogs stop at least twice during that time to go potty and we stop in the middle our our walk at the 1 1/2 mile mark for them to get water.
Today we started even earlier and dealt with very high humidity along with the heat.
Texas has a lot of different terrain so whether its dry or humid will depend on where you are at the moment in the state. The same can be said for Arizona.
Sometimes I think you must go miles a day to keep Basenjis sane, especially when they are young. Certainly they are better behaved when tired! I have been to Arizona, never Texas. When I was in the desert it was quite dry, except for when the storm blew in and flooded Phoenix when I was there in February, 1980. People were selling t-shirts that said "I crossed the Salt".
Ontario weather is, as I said, quite variable, although not as bad as Alberta, where they say "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes". I currently live in Southern Ontario, so we have more humidity to deal with than we did when we lived in the north.
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I live in Mesa, AZ. It's been around 113 degrees (F) here lately….......that's why they call it "The Valley of the Sun"! Sometimes it doesn't get below 90 at night!
My 3 red & whites get really hot on walks and at the dog park in the summer. They LOVE to go, but poop out so fast in the summer. Lately, if we don't get outside by 6 or 7 a.m......we just don't go at all. It's CRAZY hot and dry and there's very little shade anywhere! (I don't think people were actually meant to live here!!!!)
You would think in a place like this that a cooling garment would be popular.....but, I've NEVER seen one on any dog! I've never even heard of them until I read this post. (It's possible my head has been in the sand......it IS the desert after all!) So, I'm going to check in to this type of product. If it would help my "kids" have a bit more stamina for exercise and fun at the dog park it may be a good investment!!!
Thanks for enlightening me!Sadie
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We have relatives in Palm Desert California and have been aware of the temps there. We have also visited Mesa as well as Tuscon and we know how hot those area's can get. The cooling coat we picked out was the Chillibuddy and it should be here sometime this week. Feel free to ask any questions and we will be happy to share our experiences with you.
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Where do you live? We try not to go out when it's hot but sometimes here in PHX even after dark it's over 100. Both my kids are red/red &white but I have a b&w foster.
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I would think after dark that colour would be irrelevant, but boy, at 100 + F I am the one who isn't going out for very long, never mind the dog needing a cooling coat! It isn't often we get up to or over 100 degrees here, although 90 can feel pretty bad when it's humid. When we are doing hay, I use a cooling neck wrap which certainly does help when you're working in the hay mow and the heat most definitely gets up past 100 degrees! If I had a reason for my dog to be out and exerting himself in those temperatures, I expect I might consider something for him, as long as it wasn't too cumbersome. I had a look at the Chillybuddy cooling jacket and was happy to see it does not rely on remaining damp to work efficiently, but uses reflection. (although it is more effective when wet). That's great! Looks like a good product.
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I have seen homemade terry cloth/towel type of cooling coats that can be easily wet down at lure coursing events.
Jennifer
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actually there was a discussion on the Clean Run groups about cooling coats. I know CR sell several different types and CR is very good about testing what they sell.
