If you live anywhere near the DC area right now, you know that "hot" doesn’t even begin to cover it. We are currently trapped under a massive summer heat dome, with triple-digit temperatures and swampy humidity sending the heat index soaring well over 105°F. When the weather gets this extreme, even the standard Fourth of July parade gets canceled, and stepping outside feels like walking directly into a sauna.
For dog owners in the DMV, this weather presents a massive challenge. And for us? There is Breck.
Breck, in case you are new, is an Alaskan Malamute, a breed built for Arctic snowstorms, not the mid-Atlantic soup we are currently living in. Unsurprisingly, the number one question we get asked this time of year is: "How on earth is she dealing with this heat?!"
The truth is, the heat is actually the exact reason we started looking into nose work in the first place. Once the temperatures hit 80°F, all of our usual dog sports are off the table for us. But we still wanted to make sure we had a reliable, effective way to enrich Breck's life and meet her mental and physical needs when the outdoor world is off-limits.
So, when the summer heat sets in, we stay inside, crank the AC, and let her work her nose.
If you’re trying to keep a high-energy dog—especially a thick-coated northern breed—safe and happy during a historic heat wave, indoor scent work is the ultimate canine cheat code. Here is how we turn our home into a training oasis.
Why Shifting to Mental Work is a Lifesaver
When the pavement is hot enough to burn paws and the air is too thick to safely exercise, physical exhaustion is off the table. But a dog with pent-up energy is a recipe for mischief and in our house, it also means a concert as Breck sings the song of her people if her needs aren’t being met!
That’s where scent work comes in. Did you know that just 15 minutes of intense sniffing can tire a dog out as much as an hour-long walk? Scent work requires an immense amount of focus. When Breck is hunting for a hidden scent, her brain is working overtime to process complex odor particles and solve the puzzle. This mental gymnastics burns an incredible amount of energy, leaving her happily relaxed and ready to nap on the cold floor—all without exposing her to the dangerous outdoor elements.
Keeping Indoor Games Clean and Stable
You don’t need a massive training facility to give your dog a great workout; your home is already full of perfect hiding spots. However, if you have a large, enthusiastic worker like a Malamute, indoor gear needs to be tough and stable.
That’s exactly why we designed multiple training aids like our treat-ports, shorty scent bowls, scent stacks, and a new short scent stack we are testing that is sized more like an ORT box. I like to set up multiple of these in different parts of the house so that she gets some steps in while she searches all the floors of our home. When we hide these around the house, the designs ensure that when Breck pinpoints the target, she doesn't flip the bowl over or send a box sliding across the floor. It keeps the focus entirely on the game, meaning we can run multiple hides all over the house without the worry of a mess.
Turn Summer Roadblocks into Training Gains
Instead of looking at this miserable heat wave as a missed opportunity for adventure, we look at it as the perfect season to sharpen Breck's scent-detection skills and build our bond.
To everyone checking in on Breck: she is happily snoring at my feet in the 60-degree basement while I sit cuddled up under a blanket.
In honor of this unforgettable weather, we’ve put together the ultimate indoor survival kit to get you started with nose work today. The Heat Dome Starter Pack includes everything you need to keep your pup happy and stimulated inside:
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1 Shorty Scent Bowl
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1 Treat-Port (Your choice of Straight or Angled)
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1 Magnetic Pairing Tray
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1 Snap Pop
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1 Pack of 20 Anise Scented Q-tips
- 1 Plastic Tweezer
Available in Small ($45) and Large ($55). Grab yours now and turn that heat-wave energy into training gains!
🛒 Shop The Heat Dome Starter Pack here!