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With temperatures rising and the summer heat fast approaching, we have focused this months blog on educating and preparing our Mantrailing teams for the heat. WHAT IS HEAT STROKE? Heatstroke occurs when heat generated by metabolism, exercise and environmental conditions overwhelms the body’s cooling mechanisms, meaning it can no longer dissipate heat. Heat stroke is a potentially fatal condition that can be classified into classical heatstroke, caused by exposure to high temperatures and humidity, or exertional heatstroke caused by strenuous physical exercise. HOW DOGS REGULATE THEIR TEMPERATURE Dogs are particularly at risk of heat stroke due to their physiological cooling mechanisms. Dogs only sweat from their pads, and use panting to dissipate heat through evaporation. When ambient temperature is less than body temperature, 70% of canine body heat is lost from radiation and convection. As environmental temperature increases beyond body temperature, dogs must rely on panting alone to maintain normothermia, and this becomes ineffective in high humidity. Sudden hot spells are most dangerous as your dog can take about 6 weeks to acclimatise to heat. ( Hemmelgarn and Gannon, 2013a ). SIGNS OF HEATSTROKE & WHAT TO DO SPOT THEM – spotting the early signs will give you time to take action. STOP THEM – from getting any hotter, e.g. stop the exercise, get them out of the hot car/building/garden. SAVE THEM – seek veterinary treatment and cool them (using water) (Credits: Canineheatstroke.dog & VetCompass) ADVICE FOR MANTRAILING IN THE HEAT Due to our dogs working one-at-a-time during our Mantrailing sessions, our vehicles are a huge consideration when it comes to the safety of our dogs. The environmental conditions within a car on a hot day will rapidly prevent any effective heat loss by a dog’s normal cooling mechanisms. Take a read of the findings below from an experiment carried out by PDSA in 2016: A dark coloured car, parked in full sun on a day with an ambient temperature of 22oC, can reach an internal temperature exceeding 47oC within an hour (McLaren, Null and Quinn, 2005). The same car’s internal temperature reached 40oC after 10 minutes and approached 60oC when parked in full sun at 31oC for an hour. Opening the windows slightly was shown to have very little effect on the rate of temperature increase, and no effect on the overall total temperature increase (McLaren et al., 2005). This highlights the importance of why we need to ensure the following adjustments are made when Mantrailing during the summer months. ADJUSTMENTS YOU CAN MAKE: - Park in the shade during the session, be prepared to move your vehicle and follow the shade as the sun moves throughout the day. - Invest in a reflective sheet, we highly recommend the Aluminet which reflects the heat but also allows for a breeze to pass through. - Ensuring your dog can be secured safely to enable you to have the vehicle windows/doors open to allow airflow. -Invest in a Tailgate Vent Lock to safely keep you boot popped open to assisting in allowing a through breeze. - Providing readily available access to water at all times. We highly recommend non-spill bowls such as the Road Refresher . - Although our instructors will always have these details to hand too, it is wise for you to also research where the local vet is to where your session will be held in the case of emergency. - Take a break from observing other trails and prioritise supervising your dog throughout the session. Check in regularly with your dog to ensure they are not showing any signs of overheating. If you are not available to stay with your dog, please ensure another member of the group will be doing welfare checks on them on your behalf. ADJUSTMENTS YOUR INSTRUCTORS MAY MAKE: - Session times changed to a cooler timer of day. - Locations moved to a cooler location with more shade. - Shorter 'component' trails to avoid dogs working for long periods of time. - Cutting a session short due to temperatures rising more/quicker than expected if necessary on welfare grounds. - Cancelling the session and re-booking for when it's cooler. Please remember to ALWAYS advocate for yourself and your dog. If you feel it is too hot for yourself or your dog to work when a session is still planned to go ahead, please speak to your instructor directly to discuss with them. If you'd like to do more research on Canine Heat Stroke, please visit https://heatstroke.dog/

Canine olfaction is a rapidly growing area of scientific research, with new discoveries and applications popping up all the time. A dog’s brain is built around the information it receives from scent, which is closely tied to emotions. A dog’s sense of smell is incredibly powerful and plays a crucial role in their health and overall well-being. It’s an important tool that helps dogs explore, understand and interact with the world around them. A dog’s nose pad produces an oily fluid to help scent molecules stick to it more easily which allows them to pick up and process a wide variety of smells. When they sniff, the air they actually breathe in and out goes through different pathways, with 88% going to be used for respiratory function, and 12% being used for olfactory processing. Dogs have a 3-dimensional sense of smell, allowing them to map out their surroundings and track movements in ways that humans can’t. This includes not just where something is or has been, but also how recently it was. Even more impressive is that dogs can sniff with one nostril at a time, which helps them determine the direction a scent is coming from. They can also inhale through one part of their nose to gather scents and exhale through another to avoid disturbing the smell they’re analysing and they even have a built in ‘temperature control system’, heating or cooling the air as necessary to ensure that the smells are processed at the right temperature for maximum accuracy! The more you can engage your dog's brain with new challenges and behaviours, the more relaxed and content they’ll be. Mental and physical stimulation are key to helping your dog manage stress and maintain balance, especially if their endorphin levels are on the low side. With this super tool at their disposal, there's no wonder that smell is their primary sense! So as a result, it should hopefully come as no surprise that sniffing also provides a variety of mental and physical benefits such as: Activates the seeking system:  Sniffing stimulates a dog’s brain by activating the seeking system, which is essential for their overall health and mental well-being. It keeps their mind engaged and sharp. Encourages exploration and learning:  Every time your dog sniffs, they gather new information about their environment. This exploration helps satisfy their curiosity and encourages them to stay active and alert. Releases dopamine:  Sniffing also triggers the release of dopamine, a chemical in the brain associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. This means sniffing makes dogs feel good and satisfied. Provides mental and physical exercise: Sniffing offers a dual benefit—it's mentally stimulating because it requires focus and concentration, and it’s physically beneficial because the act of sniffing itself requires effort. Strengthens the bond between you and your dog:  Allowing your dog to lead and explore during walks and activities strengthens the connection between you and your pet. It builds trust and lets them know that they are free to engage with their surroundings. Promotes independent thinking and problem solving:  Sniffing activities encourage dogs to think on their own and develop problem-solving skills, whether they’re following a scent or figuring out a scent-based puzzle. For dogs, the sense of smell is not just a way to explore—it’s essential to their quality of life. When dogs lose their ability to smell, it can lead to depression, as they lose one of their primary ways of interacting with the world. Regular sniffing activities, such as Mantrailing , are crucial to keeping dogs mentally stimulated, happy, and healthy.