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Trials at High Elevation Sites


Debbie Meier
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Curious, do the handlers that live at lower elevations and go to trials such as Meeker find that they need to allow their dogs time to compensate for the elevation changes or do the dogs show much effect?

 

If you do need to allow for adjustment how much time is suggested?

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I don't trial, but we do go mountain climbing and such, and we live on the coast in Fl. My vet suggests the same thing my Dr suggests for me, and that's to increase iron in the diet about 2 weeks before going. This is supposed to have the body ready to produce more red blood cells when the demand for more oxygen is there. I was also told that the first 2 days shouldn't be really strenuous for me. The vet wasn't worried about my dog though.

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I've never noticed much effect on my dog's stamina at high altitude and have competed at Meeker (including DL Finals) and Steamboat Springs many times.....and Carbodale, as well. Of course, my dogs are at peak fitness in the Fall. They are less fit in the Spring and have less stamina...high or low altitude.

I believe that they adjust to altitude more quickly that people.

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My friends live in Hotchkiss, about 3 hours south of Meeker and are pretty close to the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. Back when I lived in Minneapolis, twice a year I would travel out to western Colorado and spend two weeks with them in May and then again in December and we’d spend every day working our dogs out in the Adobes. When he started hosting a trial his son and I would travel out there to run the setout for him and back in 2007, I ran at Meeker. Hotchkiss is about 5350 for altitude, Meeker is around 6240. Minneapolis, 860.

 

I never spent any time before the trips to acclimate myself or my dogs to the higher altitudes. I never noticed it having an effect on them but they were typically in pretty good shape at that time. Although they were still couch potatoes compared to dogs working on the ranches out there. I basically handled them like I would if we were setting sheep all day at a trial….make sure they have plenty of access to water and watch them for signs of stress or overheating.

 

I would get a bit short of breath if I had to run a ways or climb a steep hill, but even so it wasn’t bad. I had more difficulty with falling in the irrigation trenches in the pastures and getting soaked! And you will definitely feel the rays of the sun more, so sunscreen is a must or you will fry. Love the no humidity out there too.

 

So are you planning on going to Meeker this year, Debbie?? :) If so, how exciting!

 

Donna

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Someday...now that we are seeing more open field cattledog trials down in Missouri maybe we will also get to a few that have both cattle and sheep offered like there was a few years back. As it's been the last couple of years, we have had our plate full just going to cattledog trials. The finances can only stretch so far and we can't be away from home as much as we would like.

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