Jan/Feb 2010

Gun Dog Forum
The Dogs of Winter Hunting, care, and feeding in cold weather.
by Larry Brown

s I write this, it’s early October – just about the favorite time of year for upland hunters – but it’s the dead of winter as you’re reading it. And for most of us, especially those living in the northern half of the country, not to mention Canada or Alaska, our season would be pretty short if we were to stop once the temperatures drop much below freezing and snow blankets our covers.

We know what we need to do to handle hunting in the winter. And as 21st century hunters, we can consider ourselves fortunate, because cold weather clothing is a whole lot better than it used to be. Products such as Thinsulate to keep warm and Gore-Tex to keep dry make it relatively easy for the human half of the bird-hunting team to hunt in relative comfort, even on a day when a thermometer reading much above zero causes us to think we’re having a warm spell. And some of the newer fleece materials add warmth without adding bulk.

But what about our dogs? Fortunately, for the most part, dogs adjust to cold weather better than they do to very high temperatures. You won’t hear about dozens of dogs dying due to the cold, as happened on an unusually hot South Dakota pheasant opener a few years back.

That being said, cold-weather hunting – and simply caring for and feeding our dogs through the winter months – do require extra thought and effort on the part of us owners.

Dr. Joe Spoo, a South Dakota veterinarian specializing in gun dogs who also happens to be an avid hunter himself (visit his website: www.gundogdoc.com), points to dehydration as something most of us probably don’t think much about when it’s cold.

“Particularly with older dogs, I think dehydration can push those with borderline conditions over the edge,” he cautions. “Often we’ll see geriatric dogs that were healthy at previous visits go screaming on a downhill slide after a cold snap. I think people assume the dog has or is drinking fresh water, and unless this is monitored and managed closely, it can quickly become a life-and-death situation. The take-home point would be to ensure clean, fresh water is available all the time and that the dog is drinking it.”

Even with younger dogs in peak condition, how many of us think about carrying water for the dogs when it’s cold? Jim McCann, who lives up in the Last Frontier and wrote Upland Hunting in Alaska, also focuses on the importance of hydration. As he points out, “Gulping snow helps a lot when they’re hunting.” Of course, you can have a very cold day without snow, and it does take a lot of snow to provide proper hydration. (Remember the old weatherman formula: 10 inches of snow equals an inch of rain.) So it’s good to have water with you in cold weather, and to make sure the dogs are drinking.

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