Update: first comp yesterday Cooling mats ... do they really work? and what else do I need?

[MunchingonHay]

I was reading the rules last night and tying a dog out is not allowed at Keystone DockDog events.

I have heavy duty cargo mats in the Pruis and a water resistant car seat protector. She goes from our practice pool to in the car and does not drip too badly, BUT I do hear you and that is a valid point and a concern about the canvas crate. I don’t want to use it due to the limited air flow, but if I have to strap the fan to it

There will be a group of us. About 4/5 dogs and 10 people plus our coach. Most of whom she knows from our other dog school classes.

The aluminet shade cloth arrived yesterday and it fits the Pruis with room to grow. The sides hang down past the windows by a foot on each side and from grill, over the top including the open hatch.

Test run is tomorrow and I will post pictures.

[Bicoastal]

@trubandloki

the ties would have to be very short

They are short. It’s not a 10’ tie-out a pet person might use to let their dog hang out in an unfenced yard. It’s a short, stiff, coated cable with a snap on each end. Again, just a cultural difference.

@MunchingonHay

The aluminet shade cloth arrived yesterday and it fits the Pruis with room to grow. The sides hang down past the windows by a foot on each side and from grill, over the top including the open hatch

Perfect!!

[MunchingonHay]

Here are the pictures from the trial run at home. Saturday we are headed to WestWind DockDogs just outside of Gettysburg for practice and I am taking my foster pup, Bacardi as well so this complicates things just a bit regarding crates. (she dives really well and loves the water so hopefully she will find a family at WestWind )

The hatch does not fit under the tent (this is my smaller of two tents)

This is Bacardi, my foster pup in the too small crate. She barely fits. But will have to do, since my bigger wire crate does not fit in the Pruis

This is Lilly crammed into the small crate
Lilly is 70lbs, Bacardi is 50lbs.

The bigger crate does not fit, I tried both left and right as front to back.

What does fit is the canvas crate and the small little crate. Everything fits broken down without having to lay the seats down for the drive and then I can lay them down.

The shade cloth is nice and I was able to put it on and off by myself no problem… the biggest issue is the lack of metal The quarter panel in the back, hatch, and other bits are plastic.

[S1969]

That should work just fine. A couple things worth buying for next time –

Some strong clips to clip the shade cloth to the EZ up in case the sun comes from the other direction
Some other tarps to do the same and especially for rainy or windy weather - you can create a wind block
A plastic straw mat to put on the ground to just increase everyone’s comfort, but especially if the grass is poky or wet.

I’ve never tried working out of a vehicle that size, so I would say do your best with the crates for now. They’ll be fine.

[Aussie_2020]

I was told to get the shade cloth like the nurseries have rather than the aluminum type. Supposedly it allows for better air flow and doesn’t damage the paint. I don’t have either so I’m just passing along what I heard.

For awhile I had a Clam but it was too heavy. It was nice with the screen all around though, kept out bugs.

Your set up looks good. Bummer about the wire kennel being small. The dogs do look scrunched.

[bdj]

Hey OP, since you’re going with a group and your trainer, can you ask if anyone has a spare expen you could borrow for the weekend? (Most of us who’ve been doing this for a while have extras of EVERYdarnthing, or a whatever it is that we used to use and don’t currently but are holding onto bc the next dog we have might need it. We will not talk about how many dog tents I own vs how many I’m currently using…)

[Aussie_2020]

That sounds like most of our tackrooms! Need a bit? I’ve got 20. Spare bridle? Sure

[S1969]

@trubandloki

In most of the dog things I do the vehicles are close enough together that the ties would have to be very short for this to work.

I also am not sure I would feel comfortable leaving my dog tied if I had to walk away from the vehicle.

Tie outs are very common at hunting events and also “chain gang” ties for multiple dogs. They are definitely something you would want to practice - having your dog recognize the tie out = settle down like a crate is not just going to happen.

My experience in hunting clubs is that they rarely use crates outside of the vehicle and also do far less setting up for heat. The dogs do fine but they are also used to it. Our posh little show dogs need ez ups and straw mats underneath. lol not really but I want a comfortable place to sit down too. Not just a lawn chair under a tree being eaten by mosquitoes.

[MunchingonHay]

The girls did great at our practice session yesterday.

We went to WestWind which is outside of Gettysburg/Carlisle PA area. (which runs under NADD rules)

The weather was beautiful so I had the crates outside under one of the two tents we had. The breeze was wonderful and most of the time the girls were on a leash with us under the tent. I brought elk antlers and Kongs stuffed with PB to help keep them busy while resting between jumps.

I did not get any photos and only a few short videos of Bacardi the foster puppy taking her very first solo dives off the dock. (I had some random dude use my phone to record)

Mid August is when we are going to the competition in Bloomsburg Pa. (Keystone DockDogs)

I was able to get everything I needed in the Pruis with a little wiggle room to spare.

If we continue to do dog sports, I’ll think about adding a large mat, possibly an Xpen, AND I am borrowing a larger wire crate for Bacardi for August.

Thank you all so much for the insight, suggestions and sharing your experiences with tailgating for dog sports.

Bacardi 1 time off the dock

Barcardi 2

Bacardi 3

[skydy]

Is the noise in the background a dog cheering him on?

Glad you all had a good time!

[MunchingonHay]

Either that or “My Turn! My Turn! My Turn!!”

[S1969]

Looks like so much fun! I have a few friends who participate in dock diving. One of mine likes to swim but I’m not sure how interested he’d be in jumping in, or following a bumper into the water. A duck, maybe.

Glad it was a successful outing!

[MunchingonHay]

Lilly and I had a great time yesterday and I think she is official hooked on dock diving. She really had a great time.

The weather was hot 89-90*f with high humidity.
We were not allowed to work out of our cars. So I had the tent, a wire crate, fan, 6 gallons of water, the aluminete sunshade making walls around the tent and 10lb of ice in a little cooler.

She was not hot at all. I borrowed an aluminete dog cooler from my trainer friend and we stayed out of the sun for most of the day. She finished 5 and 6 out of 21 in our first two jumps and 12th in our last jump. She was tired by then. BUT each time she jumped she did at least 11 ft! Her best distance was nearly 13!!!

Bacardi the foster pup was dropped off at a puppy sitter (I was worried about the heat) about 10 mins from the event.

On our way out: (no judging on how the car is packed. I Had to fold the seats down in the car to fit the wire crate and they are on a dog bed that is on top of the crate.

Lilly’s two jumps from Splash 2 where she hit her PR of 13ft.

IMG_8283

IMG_8282

and on the way home:

We do it all again Labor day weekend!

Thank you all of the help and sharing your experiences in dog sports

[Zu_Zu]

@MunchingonHay

Bravo !
Thanks for sharing this adventure ! * some how I missed this fun thread thinking it was only about crate mats

[MunchingonHay]

It morphed half way down and I was not changing the subject line as it shifted.

Thank you for the support! We do our next competition Labor Day

[skydy]

Well done, and thanks for sharing!

[MunchingonHay]

Thank you so much! I appreciate all the support we can get