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Challenge #6 Keep the Dog Cool, Or Else |
Tags: defense,army,bombs,dogs,iraq,afghanistan,cooling |
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Summary: Bomb sniffing dogs working with the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan become hot due to the extreme temperatures there. The heat causes the dogs to pant which hinders their sense of smell, making harder for them to pick up on the scent of explosives. Therefore, the dogs need to be kept cool in order to allow them to do their job. How then do you keep a dog cool in the middle of a desert like Iraq? |
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Access type: public |
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| views: 213 | solutions: 5 | comments: 3 | watchers: 1 |
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temporarily cool the dogs First, I have the same question in mind- as to how long the dogs need to stay under the heat. I have a German Shepherd and I live in the tropics. It is but normal for them to pant because that's their way of cooling themselves. But if this this has to pose a problem like you were saying, if ice cold water is available, then these dogs should be given something cold to drink. Another thing, it's probably heat stress that hinders the dogs from giving their best performance. give the dogs ice cold water to minimize panting. or allow them to lick ice.
Solution by boopeep posted on 10/25/2008 08:56 location: Philippines |
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Training rats to do a dog's work Train up rats who are used to the environment. In villages in Laos, Cambodia, large, trainable, rats are sniffing bombs. They actually are village pets that train up more quickly than dogs, are lighter and work for rewards when a halter is snapped into a grid rope on a field. The rats run along the rope and stop when they smell a bomb and return for their reward.
Solution by egillis916 posted on 11/09/2008 22:11 location: United States |
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New Collar for Canines To solve this dilemma, a new type of collar could potenially be created to keep dogs cool in desert type conditions. A battery powered collar, that could be filled with water and kept cool, and emit a soothing refreshing mist at set intervals would be beneficial for this problem. Cool water and mist emitting collar for bomb sniffing dogs.
Solution by NRaumaUC posted on 11/23/2008 20:16 location: United States |
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HotDog At sports events or days when people are sitting in the sun's rays all day long, you can see people wearing hats that resemble an umbrella. They are odd looking but do do the job since it keeps your whole head in the shade. The transition from a human wearing this and a dog could easily be done. Shade for a dog in heat
Solution by tylercanadian posted on 12/08/2008 15:50 location: United States |
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dehydration for dogs Dogs pant when they are hot or thursty. If you can get something for the heat, a way to solve the thursty problem would be to put water packs over their backs and have a flexible straw going from the back-pack to the dog's mouth. This is seen with hikers and bikers. Keeping your dog properly hydrated is the key!
Solution by tylercanadian posted on 12/08/2008 15:54 location: United States |
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I was wondering, how long does the dog have to be in the heat for the effects to take place, is it an instantaneous thing or is something that builds up from living in such heat for so long? 
For ultra marathon runners and other endurance athletes, like myself, there are vest type garments that are filled with a very thin viscous substance that conforms to the core to lower core body temperatures. It would probably be very simple to develop a similar garment to be worn by these furry heroes in the line of duty.
Very interesting, never knew this poised a problem. Has the solution of heat reflective clothing for the dogs been looked into. When I was away in a hot country last year I had purchased some sun/heat reflecting clothing for my baby. This saved him from overheating and dyhradating.