Cooling vests?

[HighDesertDuck]

Anybody have any experience with these. It's getting hot down here in Nuevo Mexico.
Right now we don't walk after 0900. Even that the little furry red dog starts soaked to the bone with the hose to keep him cool. Anybody ever tried one of these?

http://www.gundogsupply.com/ruff-wear-swamp-cooler.html

[Redbeard]

Never heard of it but might be worth a shot

[Rick]

I can't see it being useful unless you shave your dog to the skin to eliminate the insulating fur between it and the vest where evaporative cooling takes place. Here in sunny South Louisiana, many retriever folks chamois their dogs when they come out of the water in the belief that even the excess water in their coats does more harm than good by slowing heat exchange and being a barrier between evaporation and the skin where it would do the most good. And as near as I can tell by observation alone, a damp dog is cooler than a wet one once that water's at Summer temperatures.

[Olly]

I can't see it being useful unless you shave your dog to the skin to eliminate the insulating fur between it and the vest where evaporative cooling takes place. Here in sunny South Louisiana, many retriever folks chamois their dogs when they come out of the water in the belief that even the excess water in their coats does more harm than good by slowing heat exchange and being a barrier between evaporation and the skin where it would do the most good. And as near as I can tell by observation alone, a damp dog is cooler than a wet one once that water's at Summer temperatures.

That makes awesome sense when I think about it. Thanks for sharing!

[RonE]

In high humidity areas, swamp coolers don't work very well.

[HighDesertDuck]

Here in New Mexico average humidity is 15%ish. The soaking him with the hose prior to training/walking seems to be ok but he dries out in about 20 minutes. Looking to extend his "dampness"

[Matt Duncan]

Keeping him dry will keep him coolest. A wet dog is almost impossible to cool down unless you keep them in the water. Sounds like you are in a fairly arid environment which makes things easier. Work in the shade when you can and dry him off when he's done in the water so his skin can breathe and keep him hydrated and you should be good to go as long as you take it easy while training.

[3legged_lab]

Keeping him dry will keep him coolest. A wet dog is almost impossible to cool down unless you keep them in the water. Sounds like you are in a fairly arid environment which makes things easier. Work in the shade when you can and dry him off when he's done in the water so his skin can breathe and keep him hydrated and you should be good to go as long as you take it easy while training.

This seems logical to me, but I'm no dog expert. There's probably a reason that dogs dont sweat though.