Handling an MWD K9 in extreme cold weather (-25C — -30C) has it’s own challenges in that you have to take care of yourself not to freeze selective parts of your anatomy off and you really have to ensure that they don’t either 🙂
Building a warm and wind shielded shelter with only a tarp an axe and some string works just fine, don’t forget to make an tress-hold with a cold well at the door, the dogs step over it and makes a burrow in the spruce floor and straw padding.
Patrolling on ski’s requires frequent breaks for the K9′s and also allows them to thoroughly scan the surrounding area and create a base sound template which they use to instantly detect any sound that changes or is added. Don’t see the breaks as loosing time, see them as a means to increase detection sensitivity.
There are many ways to transport the K9′s but one they enjoy the most for shorter and into action hauls are with the rest of the squad 🙂
And for long hauls in their own transport cage where they can move around a bit more freely.
But one thing is for sure, nothing feels so good after a really, really cold weather exercise as seeing home looming in the distance and getting closer 🙂
