Originally Posted by
branthunter
A bit off the headline topic here but the subject has come up in several of the posts in this thread.Overhunting and not properly caring for your dog (lab, Chesapeake, whatever) in cold weather when he is he/she is regularly going into the water can kill them. The killer is hypothermia combined with exhaustion. A really good dog won't have the sense to quit, they'll just keep going until they collapse or outright just drop dead. If your dog starts to wobble when they are standing or have difficulty getting up then they are in trouble. A good early sign that many dogs will show is that they're tail goes down and stays down. If the dog gets to this stage its your fault. You should always have a vest on them for cold weather water work or really low temperatures. Now that my male lab is getting older I actually have a vest on him for all marsh hunting except the warm days of October--but see below. Use your hands to squeegie the water out of their coat when they get out of the water, then fluff up their coat. Keep them out of the wind (nature's wind or running in a boat) when they are wet. Have some high energy treats for them. To give my dogs a break or just as shelter when the shooting is slow I use an old pair of neoprene chest waders from which I have cut off all but about 6" in. of the legs. Put one leg over the dog's head and pull the body down over it's entire body. They warm up really quick in this---just make sure he doesn't try to go on a retrieve with this on or you might find your self going in after him/her on a rescue mission. The worst cold weather combination for dogs is to be hunting the marsh on foot on a low tide when 6" of snow has built up and then the tide comes up and stupid you (read me the time I let this happen. I did have a log he was able to get out of the water on but it wasn't good enough) in your warm neoprene waders keeps right on standing there shooting ducks with your dog beside you in the water. Thick fur coats don't help much in this situation. Try putting on a thick pair of warm wool mittens and see how long you can keep your hand immersed in that kind of snow slush and icy cold saltwater. Another dumb thing to do is to hunts pheasants all afternoon then go snow goosing for the afternoon shoot in the marsh, especially with the new 10 bird limit under which the work and exposure for the dog is doubled. Your dog will be exhausted from all the running on pheasants and will succumb much more quickly to working in the water. Even if it is the warm days of October, the water is still cold---just try lying down in it for ten minutes while your waiting for the next flight.