(EP:019) Cold Weather & Hunting Dogs

In this episode we talk about hunting your dog in cold weather. We go over some things that can help man's best friend while in the field while braving the cold temps.  Hope you guys enjoy this episode! Check us out and follow us in the following locations below:

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Good hunting and training everyone!

Transcript

Tyce: 0:01

Hey everyone! Welcome to the Bird Dog Podcast. My name is Tyce Erickson and I will be your host today. Thanks for listening in and I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. Um, I just had surgery on my leg this morning and so If things don't come through real clear, I did, uh, take some medication this morning to help out with my surgery. So, um, we are at it though. I figure this is a good time to be doing a podcast sitting here in my chair. And, uh, it gives me some downtime. I'm one of those people that I do not like to sit still. So if I'm not training dogs, I'm doing something. And, um, so yeah, I had some varicose veins actually in my leg that I was genetically blessed with. And, um. Man, they just ached when I sat down and didn't feel good and so the time has come to get those puppies removed so I can get out after it in the field and not have those things bog me down. So uh, in this podcast, I don't know how long we're going to talk here, but we will just roll with it and uh, share with you guys a little information or opinions of mine on cold weather. And dogs. So, uh, we're starting to get into our cold weather time of year. That's generally when the hunting gets good and man, I love it when it starts getting cold and those northern flights start coming down and all the birds are in full plumage and it's just a beautiful thing. Get a little ice on the water, start breaking some pockets open to put those decoys out in, and it's just a fun time of year to get the dogs. And get hunting and, uh, and really put them to work. So I think this time of year can also be hard on the dogs with the colder temperatures. And that's kind of something I want to talk about. A lot of people will talk to me about vest and my opinions, my opinion on vest when hunting dogs in cold water. the first time you put a vest on your dog, it can be, it can be pretty, um, funny. I guess you watch your dog. Sometimes they'll roll around, they're biting at it. They cannot figure out what it is. And it's. It's kind of funny just to watch. So when you do put a vest on your dog, best thing to do is take them on a walk, get their mind distracted on something else, grab a bumper, throw some retrieves for him. And that's not, that's going to help him not just sit there and think about this vest that's on their body. Movement with training in general always helps dogs just kind of work through things and feel better. So take them on a walk. Um, throw a bumper for them, stuff like that. Just let them get comfortable with it. I would not recommend slapping on a vest, taking them hunting for their first time. You're just gonna, you're just not gonna have them ready, you know, for the field. And we want to have these dogs ready for the field. We want to try to minimize surprises. And you don't want to be training in the field, right? So in the field, we should be Reinforcing the training but actually not adding a bunch of new concepts and stuff like that So what that's gonna happen is it's gonna break down the dog's confidence when they're learning something and breaking down its confidence can also sometimes create negativity and That's the last thing we want is dog to have a negative mindset when it's out in the field and we want to be able to Reinforce things that we know the dog knows in the field. And so we're not killing confidence, but we're also, we're trying to build confidence. We're trying to keep the dog happy and confident while it's in the field. And so. Again, avoid doing a lot of training. It should be more reinforcing and having positive experiences out in the field. Now let's return to vest. Vest, this is Ty speaking here, should be form fitting. They should fit snugly, snug to the dog's body. Um, And so there's not just free flowing water going everywhere. If you hunt a vest and it's cold weather, dog comes out, that vest is going to freeze and then it's like they're just wearing a big oversized t shirt and it is not doing anything for them. If your vest stays nice and snug, you can sometimes actually lift the vest up. Put your hand up onto the fur underneath and it is actually pretty dry. That's kind of what we're going for is something that keeps the dog's body dry, gives them another level of insulation. and also it's going to give them a little bit of flotation. Another reason I like Vess is for when you're working icy conditions and that dog has to break ice or go through ice, it can protect that chest there and also protect, you know, their lower body parts or branches or anything like that that could possibly be punctured with ice or other material. So, Kind of be aware of that. Be aware of your habitat that you're hunting. Um, maybe there's frag mighty that's been cut and it's kind of like bamboo shards. A vest could make the difference of a wound on your dog or not. But again, uh, get that vest form fitted to your dog. Um, there's a vest I like. Again, they're not one of our Um, sponsors or anything like that, but it's made by, I believe it is made by Mo Marsh. Let me look it up here and I will tell you the name of the vest. Um, it's called the Versa vest and. The VersaVest, I'm just looking here on the website, they have it currently listed for 100, 99. 99. Uh, made by Momarsh Products, momarsh. com. The VersaVest has these panels on it that can be switched out from your Sitka, Sitka camo to a white. Um, Camo for snow hunting and seeing kind of change the camo pattern on them, which is pretty cool too. There are a little more money than normal, but actually the vest can be Velcroed and adjusted to your dog's body, which I like because dogs sometimes will gain weight and they'll lose weight. And if you buy a vest and you fit it to your dog and then your dog loses five pounds, instead of now having a form fitting vest, you have a vest that is too big or maybe your dog, ate too many Twinkies over the summer. Now he's chubby and the vest doesn't fit. So you got to buy a new vest or not wear a vest or it's too tight on them. So he can't even breathe or something along those lines. So that being said, the VersaVest is kind of cool because it's again, Versa, versatile. It can be adjusted to fit your dog as he gains or loses weight. So that's a good vest that. you know, you can look at and, and, and check out. So, um, while we're on the website, another topic we can talk about is getting your dog out of the water. So, um, well, let's rewind here and talk about vests still trying to think if there's anything else that's sometimes the vest will have a handle on the top that can be nice to lift your dog over things or maybe into the boat or out of the boat. Having a handle on there allows you to kind of just grab ahold of them. I'd say probably more people use it to get up in and out of a boat, but with vests again, make sure they're form fitting. And I think they're a good thing. I've had dogs personally that have sometimes not really liked. them when the temperatures get really cold. And let's say you're on a snowy bank or something like that. And I would say it's going to be more of this situation. I'll have some dogs that will actually try to roll around in the snow to get the water off them. If the dog does not have a vest on them and it's cold enough, what they'll do is they'll roll around in the snow. The snow actually helps absorb the water and then they shake and basically all the water. Pretty much falls off the dog's coat and they're almost immediately dry. So that's going to be kind of a special situation. You're gonna be hunting off a bank with snow when that's generally going to happen, or maybe some sunshine that can actually kind of dry off the dog's coat. But. Um, most of the time you're going to be hunting the dog out in the marsh on a boat where it can't do that. And so a vest does not hurt as temperatures start getting cold. Um, but just again, make sure your vest is form fitting. Another thing I would recommend when it comes to cold temperatures is try to, this is going to be more waterfowl hunting, is Keep your dog not, don't let your dog be super skinny when it goes into waterfowl season. I like a dog to be the weight it should be or even 5 pounds or a little more extra heavy. We've all been out there with the skinny guy and the thicker guy. The skinny guy has 5 layers of coats on and he's freezing to death. And then your buddy that's maybe a little heavier, he's sweating in the same temperature because he has extra insulation, extra fat insulation on him. So a dog that is sitting there in cold water, if you have extra fat on that dog, it's going to keep it warmer. It's just, just is what it is. So again, we don't want our dogs so overweight that they're obese or anything like that, but a little extra. Fat layer on your dog is going to help it do better in colder conditions. Um, so an ideal working weight or healthy weight on a dog, you should barely be able to see the last rib of the animal as it's walking around. I'm under the belief that going into wintertime, if you're going to do a lot of waterfowl hunting and it's cold temperatures, and I mean like ice on the water or close to ice on the water. I ideally don't want to see any ribs. Um, just a nice little fat layer on that dog's body. Plus you add a vest onto that. It's like an extra fat layer and that dog's going to stay warmer when they're warmer. They're going to be more excited or more okay with going into cold water. If your dog is freezing. Just like us, if we're freezing, we're not going to want to jump in freezing water. So, but if you have a wetsuit on, something that extra layer on a human, you're going to be more apt to want to jump in the water. It's not, it's not that cold. It's not that bad. And you can go out and have some fun. So keep your dog a little thicker, um, when it comes to cold temperatures and waterfowl hunting. Another thing I would recommend is also is getting your dog out of the elements between retrieves when you're hunting. So, um, getting the dog on land, getting the dog in a boat, getting the dog on a stand. You're going to have a hard time or your dog could get sick or have issues if the dog is just standing in freezing water In between retrieves, that's going to be really hard on a dog. Could cause the dog to be lethargic, could cause some hypothermia. Um, I've never seen hypothermia in a dog. But just like any living thing. They can get stuff like that if they're in the elements too long. So get the dogs out of the element when they're waiting. So in between retrieved, um, the final stand, uh, made by Mo Marsh is a really good one. I like it has legs that stretch out and you can adjust it so it gets them up and out of the water so they can kind of hang out there. It has a mesh material that the water can drain out through. They also have like a field house that they can go into. It's actually a blind on a stand. Um, we really like those and you can go ahead and check those out on momarsh. com. Um, Avery, I think makes a stand too. I've personally not used, but you can. Take a look at those, but anything again to get the dog out of the water. Um, if you have a really strong wind, you can also get the dog out of the wind, maybe put them into, um, hunting blind or something like that. They can get them out of the wind. Um, and again, you kind of got to read your dog. If your dogs, he seems happy as a lark out there and he's on a stand, he's looking around, scanning the sky. He has his vest on the wind, still blowing. He's probably okay. If you have a dog that's, has his head down, he's acting really cold, you know, then maybe get him out of the wind. Many people these days will keep their dog inside their house. Um, we, they're like second to our kids. We love them. We love having them around, but also if your dog's used to living in. 70 degree temperatures and you go hunt your dog in 5, 10, 20 degree temperatures, that can be harder on the animal. Um, think about ourselves. In the springtime, the temperatures start heating up to maybe 60 degrees. And it feels like it's 90 degrees outside. We're like ready to go to the swimming pool because we're climatized or we're used to those colder temperatures. Same thing in the summer. We get, it's 80, 90, a hundred degrees. We're used to those temperatures. All of a sudden it drops down to 60, 50, and you're. Wanting to go put your coat on because you feel like it's wintertime because our bodies are used to those temperatures at that time of year. So dogs being out in the elements will develop a thicker coat to help their, to help protect their bodies and to keep them warmer. And so if you do tend to hunt your dog, In colder temperatures, again, I'd follow, follow the advice I've talked about. I'd keep them chubbier, so keep a little extra weight on them, put a vest on them. If your dog is used to living in warmer temperatures, we just got to keep that dog's body warmer when it's out in the cold. Another option you could do is stick them out in the yard when it's cold. Maybe go to work or when you get home from work or whatever it may be, put the dog out in the backyard and cold temperatures and let the dog be out there for two, three hours to maybe help climatize the dog to those temperatures or to build, um, help its coat become thicker and stronger. But I think it can be hard on an animal if they're inside all the time and all of a sudden you take him out and you want to perform flawlessly and get in really cold temperatures. Um, it's just going to be harder on that animal and it, it also will vary on the dog's desire. Um, if your dog's desire to retrieve is extremely high and it's a skinny dog or whatever it may be, he might not. If it's really cold or not, he's going to go through fire or cold or whatever to get that bird for you. If you have a dog that's maybe an average retriever and it's really cold, he might not want to go do the work for you. So if you can make it as comfortable as possible and also get the dog comfortable to those temperatures and conditions. You're going to have a more enjoyable time. The dog's having more enjoyable time and it's going to be a better experience all around. So, uh, also working your dog. Helping them climatize those temperatures, taking them out into the marsh, throwing some bumpers for them, maybe into the water, getting them used to having a little bit of colder temps around them. Now, if you just throw that bumper nonstop out there, back and forth, back and forth, that dog's going to get colder, easier, and it's not going to be enjoyable. So I'd say maybe Keep the retrieves short. Keep them sweet. Keep it positive. Maybe take your dog, throw two, three retrieves into the cold water. He's still coming out with a pretty good attitude and end on that note. Just kind of build that confidence. Hey, I can endure this, these colder temps. I can do these things. And your dog's going to transition easier. These colder temperatures. Last of all, I would say is just be patient with your dog. If your dog's a young dog and you're running into situations, always simplify. Try to make it easier. Know your dog, know its strengths, know its weaknesses. If you need to get in there with the dog in the water to help it be successful, maybe walk out there, tell the dog to hunt them up or find the bird or whatever you use to search it out, try to have small little wins. I've seen dogs and I see it in training all the time. You're like, Oh man, that kind of was a rough training session that didn't go too well, or that was kind of a rough hunt. He, you know, he was a little uncomfortable with stuff. You know, go back in the yard, work through things if you need to, or just be patient. Take them out again and see how the next hunt goes. Sometimes you'll be surprised how much they actually learned and absorbed in that first hunt, and the next hunt they completely act like a different dog. Um, put them also in a situation where they can see what's going on. That may require you Having less concealment on the dog, maybe putting the dog in a place where, you know, maybe a real educated bird might flare having this dog kind of sticking out by, uh, or it can kind of see things good. But then if you get a couple of those birds that may not be as educated, they come into the decoys, you hit them down and the dog really sees that bird comes in and knocks it down. That's going to help that dog's training and really jump. and move forward really quickly. So anyhow, those are some tips, hopefully that will help you guys out with your, uh, cold weather hunting and can help you have a better experience in the field. Thanks again for listening to our podcast today. If you're interested in. Following us, look for us at the bird dog podcast on Instagram, or you can also email us at the bird dog podcast at gmail. com. If you're interested in any of our training websites, we train these dogs, these amazing animals for a living. And our website is utahbirddogtraining. com. You can also follow us on Instagram at Utah bird dog training. We also breed. High end, beautiful hunting, golden retrievers, and, um, some pointing labs. And the websites on those are filledbredgoldenretrievers. com or utahpointinglabs. com. And so If You're looking for a new buddy in the future, we strive to produce really healthy, trainable, awesome dogs. And if you're interested, we're happy to, get you a pup and you're welcome to bring it back to us and we can do all the hard work for you and train that dog up so you have a nice beautiful animal that can go pick up your birds for you. Um, we train everything from pointers to retrievers and we also do just obedience training if, people are interested in that. So anyhow, thank you everyone for listening. Hope your hunts are going great. You're getting lots of birds. The migration seems to be starting and getting underway here. Have fun working your dogs out in the field and enjoying these amazing animals. They truly are awesome. And I feel grateful. I get to work with them every day, learn from them. I'm always continually learning and learning these little extra things that I just, that can help these dogs work. So, uh, have a great weekend and we'll see you in the next show.