Cold Dog, New Tricks

If you live in the north country arctic conditions are right outside your window. Some parts of the upper Midwest have been socked in with heavy snow fall for the past three weeks coupled with minus zero temperatures. Those of you back east are now buried under the worst blizzard in the past decade. Ma' Nature has dropped a freezing mess across most northern states but there are still precious days left in the upland hunting season. If you are like me and my dog..."ain't nothin' goin' to stop us now"!

This morning Dewey and I left the house with false confidence into what could have been our toughest hunting conditions ever.

We awoke to darkness with heavy flakes coming down. Another 2-3" had accumulated overnight on top of a frozen crust of over two feet. Dawn broke forth without much notice. Sunshine was nowhere to be seen on this side of the globe. Wind chill danced around zero. Stepping outside a frigid blast hit me hard. It's pressure felt like a razor cut flesh wound across my exposed face. Dewey jumped forth. His inherent Texas blood makes him unafraid. Not cold, nor darkness, nor earthly beast, and he certainly doesn't let the white stuff get in his way of him finding birds. He's got a true Texas swagger but today would be a test for us both. He looked up at me and I looked down at him. He knew there was no turning back...and so did I.

Picture taken of Dewey taken 12/21/09. Hunting hard in cold conditions through proper conditioning and nutrition.

I briefly touched on some cold weather dog tips in my past posts, now lets get a little more serious about taking care of your four legged hunting partner in tough winter conditions.
The general rule of thumb is for every 10 degree drop in outside temperature increase your dog's food rations up about 6%. This is a give or take formula dependant on how hard your dog works outdoors. Time to break out the calculator and metric conversion table again! If you are wondering at what temp to start, take your hometown mean(average) temp found in the farmers almanac and go from there! Also, finding that dog fuel with the proper source of protein and fat to better support is hunt drive and recovery(see Performance Foods post) is highly important. I simply can't say this enough. Your dog's food is the key to it's well being. Buy him/her the best you can afford. Period. Besides food intake there are many other things to consider when hunting in the the bitter cold with a 4 legged steam engine whose only desire is to find the next bird or retrieve the next duck!
Thinking about proper re-hydration in the grasp of old man winter is sometimes critically forgotten! Bitter cold brings dryness to the atmosphere where a dogs breathe gets zapped and moisture is evaporated by zero humidity conditions quickly. With every breathe brings a loss of water to your dog. Much more than even that hot humid day chasing quail for you southern hunters. Getting a hard charging gun dog to drink in the stone cold is usually tough to do. Even though he is not begging for it, it certainly doesn't mean he doesn't need it! To get a dog that won't drink to come to water, grab him gently by the muzzle and spray just a few squirt of water down his throat. I don't mean cold water either but nice warm water from a bottle that has been kept tucked in your vest nearest your own heat source. This is when the training in the off season to accept a water bottle comes in handy! Keep in mind, a working dog will need at minimum 1-2 ounces of water every 20 minutes to stay properly hydrated. Keeping your dog hydrated is not the only thing that should concern you. It is also very helpful to carry some treats in your jacket pocket as well. A dog eating a small ration of treats(make then small, soft, and easily eaten) during a cold hunt will help their body produce internal heat from digestion. Keeping them watered and munching on a treat every 20 minutes or so will help ward of the dreaded early signs of hypothermia. Keep in mind, hypothermia is not only a human condition.

The beginning phases of hypothermia are excessive shaking or totally uncontrollable shivering. If your dog becomes lethargic or slows down his normal hunting "style" get your dog back to a warm truck and home immediately. Towel dry him off and wrap him in blankets or move him nearest the heater. Advanced signs of hypothermia are stumbling or "confused" dogs. If you have reached that stage, shame on you, get him into warmth ASAP and to a vet IMMEDIATELY. There is NO bird in the world worth putting your dog in harms way because he or she can't handle the conditions. Much like in the rest of life, use your best judgement and never push your gun dog further than you think. Here are a few tips to help hydrate your dog and make them ready for a cold hunt or recover quickly after.
-Supply your dog plenty of clean water: always!
-Fill water bowl and add treats as "floaters", this could make him drink more: pre hunt
-Moisten dogs nightly or morning food ration with a little more water than normal: pre hunt
-Use a hydration supplement found in most pet food stores: pre hunt & post hunt
-Take the extra time and try to force hydrate, 2oz. every 20 minutes: during the hunt
Another tip would be to start your dog on an Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid supplement to help moisturize and maintain a think outer coat during the winter months. These supplements can be used year round but especially in the winter. I recommend any of the wonderful wild salmon oil supplements available at your local pet store. These either come in convenient liquid or powder form and can be added into their food. Daily rations of fish oil do wonders for not only your dog's internal health but his coat will become thicker, shine like diamonds, and shedding will most likely decrease. My dog prefers the liquid form as a tasty, yet healthy, topping over his dry food.
Have fun hunting in the snow and be safe, not only for yourself but for your 4-legged hunting partner as well. Because if it wasn't for them, you wouldn't do very much shooting!
Best of luck out there. -Mark