Cool coats

We train several days a week for various sports including about 8 hours on Sundays and it can get HOT and humid here (I got a screen cap of the weather underground forecast listing 100-120 for this weekend, ha!).  However I don't like a lot of "gear" on my dogs when they're in crates so I've never used any sort of coat and don't really like the idea, but I use wire crates and have had a few instances of collars, tags, etc getting caught in the past.  Plus, I like the dog to have a choice.  I've seen people pile ice packs in their dogs' crates and IMO that's a bit extreme.  Instead I wet a towel or shamwow and put it in the crate so it covers about half the bottom.  If they're too hot they can lie on the wet towel, if not they generally push it aside and I'll take it back out.  Because of their thick double coats (fur I mean, not a coat they wear) sometimes keeping the belly and feet damp and cool is the best way to keep them cool.  At Schutzhund we have a big water tub and the dogs get dunked before and after each turn on the field.  At the place where I've done agility trials they have a hose and kiddy pool for the same, and the same is true for the place we train agility outdoors.  I also make sure not to take a dog directly off the field after working hard for 5-10 minute and put them straight in the crate.  I usually wet them down, then walk around real slow in the shade for a few minutes so they can cool off as far as their breathing and such.

I guess I'm looking at it like the folks who put coats on their dogs in the winter to keep them warm.  I don't have to do that.  She has so much hair she'd overheat.  But in the summer she's miserable, even on walks.  She doesn't want to go anywhere, just wants to lay around.  I'd rather not give up on agility for the summer if I don't have to!  And I'd like her to be happier on walks.

She won't go in the kiddy pool for some reason and HATES being hosed down (though likes getting wet).  At the trial we went to a lot of the dogs were going into the pond, but it was so scummy and she has a tendency to drink water if she's standing in it (and has gotten a nasty bacterial thing from doing it a couple months ago) so I didn't want to let her in that.  It meant she was in her crate (soft-sided, not wire) and with a fan on but it just wasn't enough for her.

I've never used a cooling coat so can't recommend any particular brand.  When I trained or ran dogs in warm temps, I always wet them down thoroughly before and after.  These were Labs and they have heavy coats and an undercoat so they stayed wet for quite a while which helped keep them cool.  You might look on some retriever boards and see if they recommend any particular brand or type of cooling coat.

ETA  Just saw your post that she doesn't like being hosed down.  :(

Because I get incredibly hot at night, I have a Chillo Pillow I use.  I put mine in the freezer about an hour before bedtime and it gets really cold.  However, even without chilling, it is cooling.  You can google it and see what it is.  Several of us at work (of a certain age ) swear by them.  I'm thinking it is something you could use in your crate that would be gently cooling for the dog - similar to lying on a tile floor in the house. 

I've never used a cooling vest for my dog during agility practice but thought if I continued later this summer, I might get him a Chillo.  And of course, if the dog doesn't like it you may find it comes in handy!  - Susan

 I know a few people swear by the ruffwear cool coat. I haven't tried it myself. Bugsy also suffers in the heat and doesn't like being hosed down...........I do it anyway. His coat is so short and nearly water repellant that it doesn't last long but it must help.  He will stand in a kiddie pool which is good as they lose a lot of heat from their feet. I do my very best to keep him wet and truthfully out of the sun.

The fact that she has a double coat is beneficial too - once wet she stays wet longer and it also insulates. I was amazed to read that single coated dogs typically overheat faster than double coated dogs because the double coats insulate from heat and cold.

Not sure if this is an option for you/her but in the summer I do a more extreme trim of Coke's belly, inner/upper thighs, and the hair on his feet.  That REALLY helps.  He has crazy coat.  I also relax on the digging rule and he is allowed to dig in the shade as long as he's just going an inch or so down to damp, cool earth.  Then he'll lie on it and it will cool through his exposed belly.  We don't have working AC so sometimes that is more comfortable than being inside :(  As long as he's not forced to be in the sun (or at least not for more than a few minutes like during a trial), I think the rest of the double coat is better to have than shave off.

Coke *after* two separate hair cuts and an hour of brushing

 So I went looking for Chillo Pillows for the dog and found this interesting stuff:

 http://caninecooler-4less.com/  

Might be helpful and/or interesting.  - Susan

 Luke has a coat from Saratoga Horse Works. It seems to work okay for him, though I need to get a new belly strap to hold it on him. It's basically the same thing people put on horses. When we use it, I tend to store his in my cooler when he's actually doing something to keep it cold for him. I also will dunk his paws in water and get his belly wet. Luke is actually too small for the coat that has the ice packs in it, or I might try that out for him. I also recently bought an ice pack for his crate. I gave him one from my cooler a few weeks ago, and he seemed to like it, so I bought him a big one of his own. I don't know if I would do that though for a big dog who might easily break it open.

  Here is a very good article in Whole Dog Journal that compares different cooling vests by testing them on the same dog;

 Prevent Your Dog From Suffering Heat Stress This Summer - Whole Dog Journal Article

  I've been looking at them too; Jessie has laryngeal paralysis and her airway is only about halfway open, so she has problems cooling herself by panting. What I've been doing is pouring water over her, especially around her neck, before walks. It's been working well but I don't know if you could do that at an agility trial. According to the article, the 2 best vests are these;

  Cooling Vest for military and law enforcement working dogs - ChillyDog Cool Vest

   Cool Vest® for Dog; Product Information

  Hope that helps.

http://www.pettemp.com/05koolkoatmain/05koolkoatmain6-06.htm

 Granted my dogs are smooth coated... so, I'm guessing that makes the different.  I take a cooler with ice water and dip it in it and it stays nice and cool.  I use it for comformation as well as agility, but, I notice my dogs go from panting even when out of it for a few minutes to back to comfortable quickly with it on.  I think the ice water maybe the key (but I wring it out so it's not drenching) ... but, maybe for a dog with thick coat drenching wouldn't be bad?

 I'm usually with Jenny, I don't like to leave something wet on the dog when it's hot out, as once it warms up... bad news.  But it seems to work with this kind.  But, again, not sure if it will work with a dog with a dense coat.

I I have one of the chamois cloth coats for Luke around somewhere. I had to get it custom made for him because he is an odd size. It worked okay for a bit, but I found that it warmed up too quickly. Plus, on a tiny dog, that chamois cloth full of water seemed heavy.

I also now have  a fan for him. I didn't bother with a crate fan. Actually, I found my sister's fan she had for her rabbit. 

http://www.amazon.com/O2COOL-Battery-Electric-Portable-Black/dp/B002VEDG5Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338002697&sr=8-2

this is the coat he has

http://www.horseworks.com/inc/sdetail/10096/181

I debated getting him the ice packs with the little bubbles that you cut to fit, but he likes to dig in his bedding, so I worried about him digging the ice packs and breaking them.  I'm also going to get a shade for the crate. 80 degrees and a little bit of humidity gets him too hot. Callie so far has been fine, but I will be getting her a fan, and a coat if she seems to need it. I'm getting the shade big enough to cover both of them.

My friend has an ACD who doesn't work in the heat either. He was trialing this weekend, and Saturday was particularly hot and humid. I know she said he didn't do well. Luke was doing a Flyball  demo, and when he was done, I ended up taking him to swim because he was hot. Sunday wasn't so bad, but he parked himself under a tree when he was done. 

 Thanks for all the suggestions folks!  I'm looking into them all and debating over what might be our best option (short of just opting to not trial or do much training in the summer months).  Is it sad that I already can't wait for Fall?