pheasants

[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.

[puphood1]

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.

With out being critical great insite into the faults of the dogs and the lack of excellant breeding of breeds of dogs that are taken into the field today should be looked at by all those that are useing some of these great gun dogs. Simply the water dogs of past days were breed for a harsher enviroment/condition that their modern day family dog of the same reg. are not.
I remember as a youth the chessies down the road going out in Nov. in the Northern AB. fall for ducks/geese on the ponds before neoprene even made it into the wader market never mine the dog vest market. There thick oily/smelly coats made for poor house dogs and few ever saw the inside of a house but they were the # 1 dog in true cold water conditions.
My point is that most house holds can accomidate 1 mabey 2 dogs and have to compinsate for there lack of abilities not to mention poor breeding traits. Hence the man made sales of aids such as neoprene vests and tummy savers and what have you are to compinsate for poor ability or in some cases for dogs that have no buisness being out side in certain condtions be it -20 or + 30.
The owner of all field dogs should know the limits of his dogs be it poor conditioning, lack of coat, too much coat or what have you. Some times we ask stupid things of good dogs that arn't equiped to do the job. God knows I have....puphood1

[branthunter]

"Some times we ask stupid things of good dogs that arn't equiped to do the job. God knows I have....puphood1" And sometimes we ask stupid things of good dogs who are well equipped but are put into situations that go beyond reasonable. Even well bred, heavy coated, outdoor living Chesapeakes can get hypothermic if you don't take care of them.

[puphood1]

"Some times we ask stupid things of good dogs that arn't equiped to do the job. God knows I have....puphood1" And sometimes we ask stupid things of good dogs who are well equipped but are put into situations that go beyond reasonable. Even well bred, heavy coated, outdoor living Chesapeakes can get hypothermic if you don't take care of them.

No disagreement here...puphood1