Does anyone use a cooling/ reflective coat for their Tri, Brindle, or B&W Basenji

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

We have noticed that our Tri Color Basenji really does not like direct sunlight on her when walking or laying down. When we walk in the park, it does not seem to affect our Red and White as much as it does her. Since her back is Black this is pretty understandable. Our dogs get daily exercise and the heat of the day is a major concern. This year it appears to be hot even in the morning hours.

So we started looking for reflective and cooling type coats. We were aware that they so make bandana's that you soak in water but we wanted more coverage than that.

We did come across the K9 cooling Jacket and also a Chilli buddy. After reading many reviews, we were wondering if anyone on this website had experience with either of these. Some of the reviews we read suggest that the K9 cooling Jacket is not as effective in higher humidity areas and works better in dryer climates. Humidity is a concern for us.

This was posted in Health issues and questions since the hot weather is on us and we are sure no one wants to overheat or dehydrate their dog.

[Chealsie508]

I have a hurtta cooling coat via eurodogdesigns.com

I only use it if we go to the dog park during real heat ( this week it's been very hot). I don't use it during walks though….Oakley seems to tolerate the heat decently...but if he's been running around a lot then I'll put it on just to cool him down since he hates the pool!

It's been a dryer heat but today is humid as ever and he prefers the AC- I guess when it's humid the last thig you want is clothing on your body, but I don't know if it makes the cooling coat less effective

[Chealsie508]

This is an excerpt from the website in regards to the coat:

Directions for use:*Rinse the coat thoroughly in cold water. Wring carefully until the coat no longer drips. Put it on your dog. The coat works through the cooling effect caused by water evaporation. The duration of the cooling effect depends on air temperature, humidity and the size of the dog. PLEASE NOTE! A dog wearing a cooling coat should not be left alone in hot weather. The coats cooling effect reduces as the lining dries.

So I guess humidity does affect the duration of maximum effectiveness

[MacPack]

We have joked about the idea of a mylar reflective 'jacket', something mainly across the back to reflect the sun. My first black basenji had plenty of stamina bout wilted in the sunshine-heat of our Florida summers. My red basenjis didn't seem bothered it, though many years older than he was.

With humidity over 80% I'm not sure a damp cover would do much good but if it also reflected the sun, might be worth trying.

[eeeefarm]

Personally I have never used any sort of cooling coat on any dog, let alone a Basenji, but one thing to consider when it is hot is that using A/C indoors means that dogs (and humans) do not acclimate to the heat as well as they might. Keeping the A/C cranked can exacerbate this problem. I find my current Basenji, who spent the first three years of his life in an air conditioned house, does not tolerate heat as well as my previous Basenjis, who never had the luxury of air conditioning in their lives. All my Bs have been red and white, so it isn't a colour issue for them. None of my previous Bs would pant at all, unless they were exerting themselves on an extremely hot day. My current boy will occasionally pant when it is hot out, even if he is just walking. The take away message is not to have too great a temperature differential between outside and inside. Not healthy for either dogs or humans!

I would think it would be a rare Basenji that would need a cooling coat to tolerate any degree of heat humans didn't find too oppressive to be out in, so unless you need some sort of cooling coat for yourself, I doubt your Basenji will need one.

[Ambushbug]

We joke that our b&w is solar powered, he can't get enough of the Georgia sun. He isn't quiet as active in the heat, but far from lethargic.

[tanza]

I always use cool coats at shows and at lure trials… especially at lure trials since lots of the running can be in the heat of the day...

[eeeefarm]

@tanza:

I always use cool coats at shows and at lure trials… especially at lure trials since lots of the running can be in the heat of the day...

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.

[tanza]

I think that some react different to weather and shows are not typically "hard working" venues. But I use cool coats there …. not much different then a brisk walk in the park...

[MacPack]

Here in Fl, I wear very light colored or white cotton shirts when outdoors in the summer sun, I can feel the difference between a white tee and a black one, so it makes sense that the black dogs absorb more sun/heat than the lighter colors. A friend who hunts with Labs says they only use yellow labs in Florida to hunt, the black ones get too hot! (I was happy to know it was not my imagination that Topper got much hotter than Ginger. I could touch their backs, hers was warm, his was HOT!)

[eeeefarm]

No question colour makes a difference. My grey Arabian stays cooler than my bay, but being a desert breed they are both much more comfortable in hot weather than my neighbour's Paints and Quarter Horses. My very black Border Collie (appropriately named "Blackie") certainly noticed the heat, but could deal with the hottest days here without needing anything special, unless he was working. (in which case he welcomed a chance at the hose afterward) Certainly walking or trotting around the farm never caused him grief, even on the 90 degree days. But again, he was acclimated to the weather. Any dog or human who is accustomed to air conditioning will suffer far more on the hot days. (Sorry, I am repeating myself, but I think it is an important point. Like high altitude, heat requires a period of adjustment.) Probably a cooling coat is a good precaution if your dog lives in an air conditioned house.

[Chealsie508]

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

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

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.

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

@eeeefarm:

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!

[eeeefarm]

@TwinDogsDifferentMothers:

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!

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

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.

[eeeefarm]

@TwinDogsDifferentMothers:

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.

@TwinDogsDifferentMothers:

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.

[SyberSade]

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

[TwinDogsDifferentMothers]

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.

[Jacquieoutwest]

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.