Crating in the Car

Emily

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#1
So, as I'm sure you all know, it's pretty common at dog shows and such to leave dogs securely crated in vans and SUVs with the windows down and the hatch open. Because I've now got 3, count 'em, 3 dogs that I'm actively training, sometimes all at once or back to back, it's not practical for me to lug crates into whatever facility we're at.

So what I'm asking is:

A.) Up to what temperature (thinking hot, not cold) would you feel comfortable using such a set up for your dogs? They would, of course, have water.

B.) What clever ideas do you have to mitigate heat stress? I was thinking battery powered box fans on crates, and some form of cooling matts?

Thoughts?
 

SaraB

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#2
Depends on if I can park in the shade and if there's a breeze.

If I'm parking at an outdoor trial, I use my pop-up to create some sort of shade for the back half of my vehicle and drape the rest in the reflective heat shades.

I have two battery powered fans that I set up in the rolled down windows to help push air. Water bowls in all of the crates and cooling coats if it's really warm out. Any crate covers are super breathable and lightweight if they are needed.

Also, I use wire crates so that the dogs are getting really well circulated air.
 

SizzleDog

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#3
I don't like crating them in the car anywhere past 65F or so, but sometimes it has to be done. I have an Element, so I have more options than some folks.

If I can't run the air conditioner, this is what I do:
- open all doors, windows, back hatch and sunroof
- put reflective sun screen in front window
- hang a mesh reflective sun screen over back hatch, or wherever the sun is shining (if I can't park in the shade)
- make sure pails are full of water
- run two small battery powered fans
- run a large box fan, plugged into a power adapter.

That's really the best I can do.
 

*blackrose

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#4
I don't trial, but the dogs go just about everywhere with us and that often means they are left in the car for periods of time. When at all possible we have someone stay out with them, but if not, our rule of thumb is unless you, as a person, would be comfortable sitting in the car for x amount of time, then the dog won't be comfortable. And by comfortable I don't mean sweating half to death while feeling miserable. Lol Typically when temps get into the upper 70s we have to start watching the weather closely, but a lot depends on humidity, shade, breeze, etc.
 
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#5
I have a lot different standards I guess. My dogs are crated in a van, it has tinted windows so the helps, but I have regularly trained when the temp has risen into the 90's with pretty good midwestern summer humidity.

I roll down my front windows and open the back and one side door, whichever is away from the sun. I don't use fans or mats, just make sure they have plenty of water. If I haven't worked them yet, they often aren't even panting.

I am usually in places that are rather wide open and there is air moving. I suppose if I was in parking lot with cars on either side and not much air, i'd invest in some battery powered fans.

With some shade and airflow, I have no issues with temps around 90, mid and upper 90's? I don't even want to be out in that :)
 

Flyinsbt

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#7
The car I usually drive now is a small economy car, with a lot of window, and it heats up pretty bad. I can't really leave dogs in the car for long if it's at all warm. In my pickup truck (which used to be my only vehicle), it was really easy to keep the crating cool, and that was without AC. Window to interior space is the enemy, it's the glass that intensifies the heat. I had the crates in the back, the truck canopy (topper, cap, whatever you call it in your area) had only small windows. The one I had with a white canopy was best, because it reflected sun. I now have one with a red canopy, not quite as good.

I'd put cool mats in the crates, crate fans, and water dishes hooked to the doors so the fan blew across the water dish. Flip up the rear door on the hottest days, and it was good up to about 90 degrees.

In a car/van/SUV you need to open all the windows you can, and put sun screens in the ones you can't. Tinting windows as dark as legal would also help. Draping the mesh sun screen over helps. I've actually draped one over my whole car, with good effect.
 

SizzleDog

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#8
I wouldn't personally do that set up with 70 degrees or higher.
Which setup are you referring to?

RTH trains in protection sports... crating/containment in your vehicle is simply what people do in that situation. Thousands of us make it work. ;)

As for my setup, it works just fine. You get a heck of a lot of air movement in an Element with all doors and hatches open. Granted, if I'm around I like to stick the dogs out in an expen in the shade, but I don't do that if I'm off showing or otherwise unable to be right there with the dogs.
 

Laurelin

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#9
I crate my dogs in the car often or outside often. Last summer when I was doing agility classes (outside) I had Mia and Summers classes back to back. I crated in the shade always with water and that was about it.

My dogs are often out working in upper 80s to 90s weather. I will crate in the back hatch up to about 80. Windows down, water , crate mats, hatch up, car in shade. If I'm working the trial I can check on them every few classes.

There are almost always dogs crated in the shade whenever anything is going on at our facility. Weather here and lack of indoor facilities means we work the dogs in 90+ weather. If there's a breeze and the sun is mostly down it is not too bad.

Eta: I should add that both my dogs tend to turn their crate mats into personalized swimming pools lol. I freeze water bottles and give them cold water in their bowls and they spill it to lie down in it. They have kong crate mats with raised sides and it holds the water in. We also have kiddie pools and a water trough set up for dogs to go in between runs.
 

AmandaNola

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#10
Which setup are you referring to?

RTH trains in protection sports... crating/containment in your vehicle is simply what people do in that situation. Thousands of us make it work. ;)

As for my setup, it works just fine. You get a heck of a lot of air movement in an Element with all doors and hatches open. Granted, if I'm around I like to stick the dogs out in an expen in the shade, but I don't do that if I'm off showing or otherwise unable to be right there with the dogs.
I'm personally not comfortable leaving my dog in a hot car, regardless of the setup. :) Then again though, I live in Florida. Heat + humidity = bad idea.
Yes, I know you can make it work. I have made it work, but not above 75. ;)
 

SizzleDog

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#11
Ha, I live in Iowa - our heat/humidity is about the same. 90-100+ degrees with 80-100% humidity is common in an Iowa summer.

When the heat gets up to 115-120F and 80-100% humidity, that's where I draw the line. Though I have shown in those conditions.... it wasn't enjoyable in the slightest. ;)
 
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#12
I'm personally not comfortable leaving my dog in a hot car, regardless of the setup. :) Then again though, I live in Florida. Heat + humidity = bad idea.
Yes, I know you can make it work. I have made it work, but not above 75. ;)
how is being in that set up any different than laying under a tree? it's not any hotter in my van than it is in any other shaded area.
 

Laurelin

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#13
Yeah last summer I believe we had 50+ days of 100+ temps. We skip once it gets up to being 100 still at sundown. But if you never worked the dogs in 90+ weather you'd just not work the dogs for about half a year lol.

A lot is conditioning. My dogs were really panting at our first 80 degree day this year. It was just the sudden change in temperature from 50s the week before. Now we are working the last two weeks in a humid upper 80s to 90s and they handle it much better because they're more used to it.
 

SizzleDog

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#14
I think if I had to wait until it was below 75 degrees to do stuff with my dogs, I would miss out on roughly half the year. My dogs wouldn't be able to go anywhere between the months of May and September.

Iowa weather isn't for the faint of heart. ;)
 
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#15
I live in Texas. I will crate out of the van up to 90 degrees or so.

I park in the shade if I can, I have a reflective sun shade for my front windshield, I roll the two front windows down and open the side and back doors. The dogs are all in wire crates and I put these up over my open doors to provide extra shade and allow air flow. I keep water in each crate and minimal bedding. I have battery powered crate fans as well.

No issues so far, but when the weather is consistently in the 90's we usually take the summer off at that point as far as trialing. I still train outdoors though. We have weeks of 100+ temps, so if I didn't let them outside to play and exercise I'd be driven nuts.
 

FG167

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#16
RTH trains in protection sports... crating/containment in your vehicle is simply what people do in that situation. Thousands of us make it work. ;)
I think if I had to wait until it was below 75 degrees to do stuff with my dogs, I would miss out on roughly half the year. My dogs wouldn't be able to go anywhere between the months of May and September.
Same same

I honestly judge the dog. They're never alone for more than a little bit at a time. I see how everyone is breathing, if they need water, need to reposition a shade cover etc etc. We do this ALL THE TIME and the dogs acclimate really fast - now that they're used to it, they recover just fine in the shade/in car crates/with the doors open.

We just bought a dog trailer with fans for the crates so that'll be what we use from Sept forward. We may add an air conditioner to it next year, will see. I find that making sure my dogs have loads of water, keeping their feet/core cool, and having regular air flow is pretty much all it takes.
 
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#17
I've thought about AC, but i just don't trust it.

i know if I keep doors open and air flow, and I don't make the dogs exert themselves to a point of danger, everything will be just fine.

It only takes one AC failure and you have a trailer full of trouble at best and a bunch of dead dogs at worst.

Almost happened to me once, never again
 

Emily

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#18
Thanks everyone. Temps up to 80 wouldn't even phase me honestly, there's no way I'd even worry about 70, lol. I agree with RTH, being in a car with windows/doors/hatches open, especially with fans going, isn't any different that sitting under a tree.

Sounds like this will be a workable set up for us this summer with exception of any extreme heat waves. I'll invest in a reflective sun shade for the windshield though, I hadn't thought of that!

ETA: And yeah, I only use wire crates for this sort of thing, to provide maximum airflow.
 

Laurelin

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#19
Over 80 (ish) and I crate outside my car. even with the windows down and hatch up it isn't as much air flow. One nice thing about Oklahoma is most the time we have a good amount of wind...er.... Breeze.
 

BostonBanker

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#20
As long as it is under 90 or so, it is possible to keep it cooler in the car than outside if you have the right stuff in my experience.

A light color car helps; even light colored, those silver mesh blankets over the entire car helps even more. I have one huge one and one small one. I'd like to get a second huge one, but even as it is, I can pretty much cover my car from windshield to rear gate.

Windows down, seats down. Fans going, moving air out. Frozen water bottles around the crates (I know some people who put them in the crates, but I think my dogs would be offended). It's not a set up I would use at a store or anything, but at a trial or training center where I'm pretty sure nobody is going to mess with the dogs or take stuff out of the car, I'm comfortable with it. I don't keep water in my crates (good lord, the mess Gusto could make...) but I also don't leave the dogs in there for more than an hour or so at a time without a walk and offer of water.

My next car will have a sun/moon roof as well to let more air flow through, it it will be lighter colored than my current car. I couldn't believe the difference between my blue car and my friend's white, even with essentially the same set up.
 

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