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Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:41 am
by BigShooter
As a spin off from another thread. What are the hardest dogs to clean up after a hunt and what products do you use before or afterwards?

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 1:23 pm
by Stoneface
I can't say which is the toughest to clean, but I will say I don't enjoy keeping up with Setters after they've spent much time in the field. I'm on my third Setter and I think she may have to be my last. Cinna is one of the sweetest, most enjoyable dogs to have around, but she overheats real fast in the summer time and picks up debris like she's a magnet. Given, I'm not a versed Setter man, so maybe there are tricks to keeping a Setter I'm just not in the know about. But, after I trim Cinna she will still pick up debris. Once she was laying next to me and I was petting her when I felt something in her coat. I pulled out a fricken stick! I know when I take about my Pointers or when I had had Shorthairs, I never had to worry about grooming them out. On top of being a hassle to maintain I often worry about puppies that go to homes that may be negligent. A setter can get stuff in their coat and can matt fairly quick. Thinking about a dog living an entire life like that just gets me a little depressed.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:17 pm
by Sharon
setters . I love that long flowing tail but it's a bear to clean up a setter who lives in the house.

easiest? JRTs Their wiry coat expels mud etc..

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 9:32 pm
by Mountaineer
Hardest?...probably a dog that hates to be fiddled with....especially around their nether regions.

Setters, while long-haired, are not all equal in the type of that long hair.
i have three and each has hair different from one another.
Granted, burdocks, et al, like them all but.....a little Cowboy Magic and a "thank you, pup" comb-out seems little enough to spend.
If I was looking for ease, I may well short myself in other, rather more important to me, considerations.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:27 am
by BigShooter
Long haired dogs may be the easiest on some people's eyes but for me Setters (both Irish & English) carried the most difficult coats I had to maintain after hunting followed in order by Brit/English Springer & Lab/GSP/Pointer.

I know in the past members have posted about spray on products they used on Setters before a hunt. I didn't need them so I never memorized what they were. Maybe someone will read this & post them again.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:13 am
by stlgsp
No. 1, any dog that's been skunked.

No. 2, any long haired dog.
This is a friends Irish after a run when they forgot the Cowboy Magic, she's been much worse. She's a nice hunting dog but unless she's shaved down I don't want to hunt with her.

Image

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 11:34 am
by ckirsch
I had a setter that was an incredible burr magnet, and required quite a bit of tailgate time to clean up after every outing. Pretty dog, and solid enough in the field, but my pointers are much lower maintenance...

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:34 pm
by jarbo03
After 15 years with a britt, that I kept well trimmed, I am really enjoying having my griff. Whether he gets wet, muddy, burrs, etc.., send him into the tall grass or brush and 2 minutes later he seems to come out spotless. Couldn't imagine taking care of a setter.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:11 am
by frosso
My setter is very "wash and wear". She has very soft hair and when she gets muddy I just let her dry and the dirt seems to fall out. It's like teflon hair. My lab is much harder to clean with her thick undercoat.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:02 am
by jarbo03
Goes to show the different coats you can have within a breed, my lab was a breeze to take care of. My dads britts were ten times worse than mine to maintain.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:44 am
by DonF
My Shorthairs and Pointers were easy. My Setters just depends on where I hunt them. Down along the river they generally always come back with a bunch of junk, Oster time! Same dogs up higher in the hills, no problem. Very very seldom pick up anything away from a lot of water. Ran them three days over near French Glenn, not a thing in their coat.

I got that cowboy magic stuff but the directions to use it leaves me flat! Best thing is to shave them and then when the tail and feathering bunch up, shave them too.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:17 pm
by mudpuppy1299
Any dog that rolls in sh** is the hardest to clean up! Any long-haired dog seems to be a pain unless they have been shaved. I have a Vizsla now, and that dog can look like Pigpen when we leave the field, but it doesn't take long for her to dry out and not have a spot of dirt on her. She is the most maintenance free dog I have ever owned, it's great!

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:52 pm
by SetterNut
You will find a big difference in setter coats. The longer the coat the more junk gets in them.
My HighCotton Llewellin has a pretty short coat, and doesn't pick many burr up, My old Gordon had a coat the sucked burrs in from 30 yards.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 4:24 pm
by britspan
I'd have to say a brittany.. Never had a dog so enthusiastic about rolling around in a dead deer, rotten fish etc..

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:39 pm
by ACooper
Depends if you are in an area with stick-tights, cockle burrs, and other various goat heads, stickers, and cling ons. Being the case that I do live in an area with all of the above, I do not plan to own a setter, britt, or springer, though I have considered an english cocker... lord help me.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:56 pm
by SetterNut
ACooper wrote:Depends if you are in an area with stick-tights, cockle burrs, and other various goat heads, stickers, and cling ons. Being the case that I do live in an area with all of the above, I do not plan to own a setter, britt, or springer, though I have considered an english cocker... lord help me.

There are places that I avoid hunting with my setters that are loaded with cockle burrs. The only good thing is that there are not many birds there anyway.

The long hair has its good and bad points, as does the short coats. Just have to pic what you like.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:08 pm
by Wildweeds
Truer words were never typed................. Had a springer spaniel that would................................ jump in and swim in the dairy cattle manure lagoon to chase off mallard ducks,coverd in chit from collar to toes and about 1 inch thick................................ power hose from the milkhouse fixed his red wagon................... he didn't like the hosing he got and after half a dozen hosings..................... stopped the habit.
mudpuppy1299 wrote:Any dog that rolls in sh** is the hardest to clean up! Any long-haired dog seems to be a pain unless they have been shaved. I have a Vizsla now, and that dog can look like Pigpen when we leave the field, but it doesn't take long for her to dry out and not have a spot of dirt on her. She is the most maintenance free dog I have ever owned, it's great!

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:11 pm
by birddog1968
Pointers pretty darn easy but had my young dog turn a corner on the end of a windbreak in Ne, and hit the biggest nastiest sand burr patch I ever saw. She was covered head to toe and froze in place. I had to drive in with the 4 wheeler and hoist her on board. She learned her lesson. wish i had pictures of that.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:17 pm
by jarbo03
birddog1968 wrote:Pointers pretty darn easy but had my young dog turn a corner on the end of a windbreak in Ne, and hit the biggest nastiest sand burr patch I ever saw. She was covered head to toe and froze in place. I had to drive in with the 4 wheeler and hoist her on board. She learned her lesson. wish i had pictures of that.
Sand burrs suck! Goat horns are nasty too. Have had to carry my britt out of a milo field, a buddy also had to carry his lab out. All this while my lab continued working birds like nothing has happened, got to end of field and removed over 30 from his paws, he never limped once.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:49 pm
by birddog1968
mine have no problem with them in the paws....it was armpits around eyes in ears and nose, belly and privates that caught her attention :lol: she was covered in thousands of them.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 10:59 pm
by campbellj21
mudpuppy1299 wrote:Any dog that rolls in sh** is the hardest to clean up! Any long-haired dog seems to be a pain unless they have been shaved. I have a Vizsla now, and that dog can look like Pigpen when we leave the field, but it doesn't take long for her to dry out and not have a spot of dirt on her. She is the most maintenance free dog I have ever owned, it's great!
+1 to that, especially when I have to transport in my SUV, first time it happened I had nothing except an old towel, from now on I always have some kind of waterless shampoo and some rags to at least lessen the sting until we get home and I can was him thoroughly.

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:26 pm
by zzweims
My labs were the toughest. Setters take longer to 'de-burr' but a lab takes way longer to 'de-stink'

Aline

Re: Hardest Gundogs To Clean Up After Hunting

Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:44 pm
by SetterNut
The dog with long hair and a heavy fine undercoat are tough with burrs,
My old Gordon had a really heavy coat. My two current Llewellins are not much work.
But they are inside dog, so they get baths on a regular basis.

If you are going to have a good looking truck, you got to keep in cleaned and polished.