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Cold Weather - To Work or Not To Work


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Howdy all ~

Well, it's -5 at our place, (hour + south of Reno) and even colder in other parts. Ain't NObody here going outside unless we have to. ;)

It's got me to thinking ... What do folks regard as too cold to work dogs?

 

One problem we can have here is that it will snow, partly melt and then freeze, making bad footing for both dogs and sheep. My two nearest sheepdogging friends and I figure there's no point in risking a cruciate tear or other pulled-muscle-etc injury, so we just wait it out.

But what about when the footing may be okay but temps are say, 5 or 10 at night and 20-25 during the day? Do people here still work dogs? Am I justified in worrying about the animals (dogs and sheep) sucking down freezing air during the physical exertion of training?

I know sled dogs work in all weather and farmers have to take their dogs to do jobs when it's not good out, but training can be fairly intense activity, and I am concerned about the effects of that kind of cold on their lungs and even the dogs' paws. What are your opinions?

Discuss! :)
Frozedly yours,

Gloria

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If there is work that needs to be done it get's done, but we don't go out and train. We did go to the feedlot this past weekend and work dogs, was around 18 with good footing, would have done it even if much colder but not if the footing was slick.

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Same here; we wait it out. Last week we had heavy snow and very cold weather (-15). Now it is alternating between a couple degrees + and - resulting in icy and crusty conditions, it is not worth the risk imo.

Also we put the rams in with the ewes day before yesterday, so now training is at full stop. Pity as I got some training in after my first trial, and in the last session I had a breakthrough I would like to have consolidated better, but then the snow hit.

But we synchronized the yearlings, and I expect there will be a group (hopefully at least four) without lamb, and they will be used in the next training group. As soon as we have scanned them and weather permitting we will start again.

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When temps approach approx. 20-30 F I consider getting out to train. As already mentioned, primary considerations are the snow, ice and ground conditions.

 

A few inches of fluffy dry snow doesn't present a problem, unless it falls on top of ice. Ice under loose snow can be horribly treacherous. Rough ice and crusty snow are hard on paws and hoofs. Of course, there is nothing more slippery than wet ice. I take temperature and conditions into account.

 

IMO depends to some extent on whether the sheep and dog(s) are acclimated to cold.

 

We generallly have 3-4 months of below freezing temps. I try to maintain skills with limited training in winter months. The highs have been around 10-15 F for quite a while, but a warming trend of 25 F is coming this week. We haven't had the wind-chills of some parts of the Country. Hope to train a little soon. -- TEC

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I used to run sled dogs. The temps have to drop well below zero for me to worry about their lungs. Even at -30F I was out with my team for sprints to get ready for races. I coughed (asthma), but the dogs were always fine. In fact, they were thrilled to be out and running no matter what the weather.

 

My bigger concerns are ice and frozen, uneven ground. I've been training mine the last few weeks. It's been between 10 and 25F during those sessions. We go onto the grass and avoid the parts of the pasture with frozen mud and ice. If we didn't train when it was cold, we wouldn't get anything done all winter.

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I coughed (asthma)

Sorry OT, but we all have asthma and have recently discovered essential oils like peppermint and balsam fir work better than even our emergency inhalers.

 

Back on topic, we are having the opposite problem with record highs near 90, we are having to limit work and watch for overheating like we do in the summer.

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I was just thinking about this today. Was trying to figure out how to get a training session in before I leave town on business. But decided it's just to icy under the thin layer of snow. It's not that cold here, up to 30+/- during the day but everything is still frozen and if it does melt a bit it refreezes at night (teens and single digits) so it's like starting over each morning with new ice to melt.

 

Yeah...not going to risk injury for the sake of training. If I have to get sheep in I will use a dog but it's not intense training and the dog will take her time cause her feet get tender running on what she can't see.

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OT again, but I have asthma, tried an essential oil steam bath (think it was eucalyptus, maybe peppermint?), and discovered too late it was apparently a trigger, so be careful. A mask can help- keeps particles out and warms the air before you breathe it in. Even a scarf can warm the air, at least. Asthma's one of those weird things where you can feel better and actually be worse after the wrong treatment.

 

 

Does anyone use boots in outdoor activity when cold?

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Thanks, all, for the replies! I feel slightly less wimpy! :P If I had a farm and work that needed done, we'd just get 'er done, 5 degrees or not. But with highs barely 20, I opted for the couch! The dogs actually didn't seem to mind, for a while, but now they're starting to get a little stir crazy - and so am I!

Knotty Clarence, your weather sounds wonderful! Cool temps, fluffy snow - I'd love to work dogs in that! :) Sadly, northern Nevada generally gets a 3 to 6 inches of snow that semi-melts and then we have crusty ice and frozen ground with broken, partly-frozen snow on top. Not very nice for dog feet or sheep legs!

We're finally hitting the mid-30s, though, so me and the dogs will break our sheep drought tomorrow. One friend's place is actually snow-free, so we'll be lovin' it!

~ Gloria

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Footing, snow depth, and wind are the deciding factors. If it's too icy or the snow is too deep for dogs and sheep to move easily, training is over for the year or moved indoors.

 

I worked dogs outdoors yesterday at 11F and had to take a layer off working a younger dog. It's 9F (-13C) this morning and we are gearing up for a run.

 

Wool sheep around here don't really head into shelter with the temps well down in the -25F range unless it's really windy or it's hovering around freezing and wet. In full fleece, they're so well insulated that snow falling on their backs doesn't melt.

 

My rule of thumb is -25C (-13F) with no wind is as cold as I'll go for a run. Below that, frostbite is a concern and hypothermia if I turn an ankle or something. Biggest impediment to dogs outside around here in cold weather is road salt.

 

Pearse

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Thanks, Pearse. Dang, you're made of iron! :P

So, while humans worry about inhaling gulps of frozen air, it's not a problem for dogs? Or at least for dogs acclimated to winter conditions? Though again, I also worry about working dogs on sheep at those temps. If the sheep get warm and start panting or breathing heavily, what's that frozen air doing to their lungs? Though I suppose keeping work sessions short and light would be a ticket.

~ Gloria

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In my part of the country if I didn't work dogs when it got below 20 degrees I would rarely work dogs all winter! There is too much snow to be able to work in the field but I am able to keep a small area (about 40 x 60 yards) plowed so I can at least get some close work done. It's the human part of the team that doesn't want to go out to work sheep in the cold. This month I admit the sub zero temps we've been getting has been keeping me inside much if the time!

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From the Netherlands.

And I never thought I would move north either. Before that I always spend my vacations at sunny locations in the south of Europe.

But I went here after my study, to work for on a year contract, more or less on a whim, back in 1996.

I quickly got interested in horses, bought one ridiculously short after arrival, and from there it went quickly downhill, now we live on a farm, run a flock of about hundred sheep, we have six horses, four dogs, and a cat, no turning back now....

Of course the climate here can be rather harsh in winter (though the gulf stream moderates), I still love it.

Such a rural lifestyle is as good as impossible (read way to expensive) in my home country .

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Thought you might enjoy seeing this video. It's from a friend of mine in Sweden. She and her family are traditional reindeer herders who live in Northern Sweden. They drive their herd long distances of 300 kilometers (over 186 miles) - between summer and winter grazing - in the cold and sometimes deep snow. Here is a link to video of Chippa — a really nice, long-tailed Aussie with good natural instincts.

 

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Yeah, a very cool vid.

We have reindeer here also, but not as docile as the herd in the video. Not surprisingly; they are never worked, they are hunted to keep their numbers down. They are not a natural occurring species here, they were imported a couple of hundred years ago and have no natural predators.

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  • 7 months later...

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