Boise, Idaho – Hunting dogs live for busting through snow and ice to retrieve, point or flush the birds.
They don’t give a darn about arctic air masses, bitter temperatures, icy water or bone-chilling winds.
But hunters should.
This is the time of year when hunting dogs need a little extra tender loving care. It could save their lives.
When daytime temperatures remain in the teens, like they did two weeks ago in Idaho, my retriever Katie ends up in the house during the day.
Although she sleeps outside at night during late spring, summer and early fall, during the colder months she gets to sleep on several deep-foam pads in the garage.
Even though it was 6 degrees one night recently at our place, it was still about 41 degrees in the garage. That’s comfortable for a thick-coated retriever.
This is the time of year hunters have to keep an eye on their dogs when hunting, even in the blind, according to Dan Papp, an avid duck hunter and conservation educator with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Papp takes some extra care when he’s hunting with his dog in cold weather. He makes sure his retriever shakes off thoroughly after making a retrieve.
Although you may think its macho to see a hunting dog covered in a layer of ice after a retrieve, it doesn’t do the dog any good.
Hypothermia (lowering of the body core temperature) can set in.
When it’s bitterly cold, Papp will have a towel in the duck blind to dry off the dog after a retrieve.
Jim Martin at Zamzow’s, who also is an avid hunter, says he firmly believes in neoprene vests for hunting dogs.
The extra layer keeps dogs warm in cold weather and protects them from stickers, barbed wire and sharp branches.
He also recommends dog booties, especially for upland dogs, to prevent a dog’s pads from getting chewed up by ice and snow.
Veterinarian Mike Koob with All-Pet Complex in Boise says retrievers were built for anything Idaho can dish out to them.
But, he said, hunters should use common sense in protecting their dogs from extreme conditions.
Here are some other tips for hunting in cold weather with your dogs from area hunters and the Humane Society:
Prepare them for the hunting trip with a quality dog food. Some hunters increase the fat content of the dog’s diet this time of the year.
Take high-energy snacks on the hunt for your dog. Veterinarians and pet stores have them.
When setting up your duck blind, make sure there is a dry place for the dog. Your pooch shouldn’t be made to stand in cold water this time of the year. You could build up a nest of dried reeds.
Let your dog shake off thoroughly after each retrieve. Take them for a walk around the island or up the riverbank every so often to get their blood flowing.
Be aware of the distance of retrieves. Long-distance retrieves in a swift, icy river could be tiresome, especially for older dogs.
Watch your dog constantly in cold weather. A dog can get hypothermic being wet in cold and wind. Shivering is OK, but if your dog shivers incessantly and starts acting unresponsive, hypothermia could be setting in.
If your dog cuts its pads on snow and ice, don’t hunt with it for two weeks, Koob says.
Before transporting your dog home, towel it off before putting it in the kennel.
Kennel covers protect the dog in its kennel in the back of a pickup truck, if the kennel is up against the cab and out of the wind.
You have to decide when conditions are too extreme for leaving the kennel in the back of an open pickup truck. Use common sense.
If conditions are extreme, keep the dog inside the cab. Many hunters keep their dogs inside a kennel in their rig or inside a covered camper shell.
Never turn a wet dog outside after a hunt. Even if your dog is used to sleeping outside at night in freezing weather, give it a chance to dry off and warm up inside.
A hunter has to decide when it’s too cold for a dog to be outside overnight in freezing weather. A lot depends on the breed.
Martin, who has a heated outside kennel, took his dogs inside last week when the temperatures were down to 8 degrees. Dogs can get frostbite.
If your dogs are outside during the day, make sure they have a constant supply of water.
I recently bought a heated water bowl for my dog, and it is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It saves me from chipping ice each morning and evening. And the dogs have a constant supply of water all day long.
Use plastic food and water bowls rather than metal; when the temperature is low, your pet’s tongue can stick to metal.
Make sure your dog’s house is protected from the wind and is dry and draft-free. It should be large enough so the dog can sit or lie down but small enough to hold the dog’s body heat.
Straw is an excellent insulating material for a dog house, but you also can get insulated pads.
Sometimes dogs get wet outside in the yard and track the moisture onto the pad in their house. Check pads every once in a while in case they become wet and frozen. I rotate pads with one constantly drying out and defrosting in the garage.
The floor of the dog house should never be directly on concrete.
It should be raised a few inches off the ground.
The doorway of the house should be covered with a waterproof flap.
If your dog is staying in the garage at night, make sure it has enough insulation from the concrete floor.
It’s a good idea to hang a thermometer in the garage to make sure it’s not getting too cold.
Use common sense when it comes to your hunting dog. The best thing you can do for your pooch is to bring it inside for a break from the bitter cold.
Hey, they just want to be your companions.
