post hunt effects on dogs

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mrelite
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post hunt effects on dogs

Post by mrelite » Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:45 am

I am curious as to how other dogs physically feel after a couple days of hunting.
My EP pup started this hunting season 3 months ago as a one year old and now he is 15 mths of age, I know he is young and I have tried to be easy on him but he has no intention of taking it easy, He averages 8 to 11 mph so in 2 hours he has 16 to 20+ miles racked up and he often has the wear and tear abrasions that come with going full bore in the desert. Anyway after a couple hours I feel that I need to shut him down for the day then evening comes around and he basically is trashed and hardly eats. The next morning he is ready to go but after an hour he has another 10 miles racked up and I shut him down and take him back to the truck. So after 25-30 miles in two days (it only takes 3 to 4 hours to rack it up) the next 2 days he is noticeably worn completely out and hardly moves, normal or is it out of shape? I am sure part of it is how his paws feel, the desert has lots of mesquite thorns and abrasive rocks, maybe some booties?

I understand that the dogs need to be conditioned prior to the season, with that being said my dog has had at least 2 miles of running almost everyday since I have had him, I am not sure how I would get him more miles on a daily basis. It is almost like as soon as we start to hunt I have to stop the hunt because I can’t seem to slow him down to stretch the hunt out for more than a couple hours in a day and another hour on day 2. How do you get a dog to pace himself? The problem is that it sometimes takes more than a few hours to find the birds but by then he needs to be benched.

randomnut
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by randomnut » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:20 am

I don't think 2 miles is much of a run. I drop the dogs off in the bottoms and they'll run with the truck. I normally do this at night, so temps are cooler. We usually make about 10 miles 3-4 times a week if not hunting.

We hunt mornings normally for quail, then evenings for ducks. Dogs put in about 20-22 miles on average for a morning hunt, and they're absolutely nuts again by 2 pm in the duck blind.

fishvik
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by fishvik » Fri Feb 16, 2018 10:40 am

I have a 10 yo GSP that will hunt about 4 hrs 2 to 3 days in a row. She is like the Ever ready Bunny in the field. She will come home and crash on the couch and get up to eat and then go back to crash in her kennel or couch. I usually give her a doggy aspirin and a joint and muscle supplement. The next morning she is a little stiff but won't let me leave without her. When we get to the field she is the Ever Ready Bunny again. My 6 yo GWP/Lab is much the same even when we duck hunt. My 11 mos Lab never tires out.

Pedro
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by Pedro » Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:48 am

Young dogs often have to learn to pace themselves. As long as the dog is sound and not overheating or dehydrated, leave him down. Even if he trots along beside you, he's learning that he's going to be out for more than one or two hours and eventually he'll settle in.

There's an old story regarding a young bull an old bull.....

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greg jacobs
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by greg jacobs » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:55 pm

My dogs are at about 6 or 8 mph depending on the terrain. By 25 to 28 miles they are tired. Usually don't hunt them more than 4 hours. If I'm going to hunt all day I only put one down then switch them out.

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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by setterpoint » Sat Feb 17, 2018 10:42 am

i use more than one dog you can change them out the dogs stays fresh but at my age i were out much faster than the dogs and if your dog gets hurt and cant hunt for a while your seasons not over i have 4 dogs i can hunt sometimes i hunt 2 at a time

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zrp
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by zrp » Sat Feb 17, 2018 5:27 pm

Pedro wrote:Young dogs often have to learn to pace themselves. As long as the dog is sound and not overheating or dehydrated, leave him down. Even if he trots along beside you, he's learning that he's going to be out for more than one or two hours and eventually he'll settle in.

There's an old story regarding a young bull an old bull.....
X2

You're always training whether you intend to or not. If you want a shoot to retrieve trial dog that burns it up 30 min and then he's done, hunt him 30 min and shut him down. He'll learn to be a sprinter.
If you want a wild bird dog that goes all day, go all day (within reason of course and carry lots of water and protect those feet). He'll learn to be a marathoner

reba
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by reba » Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:29 am

A good dog could run itself into the ground.

You need to control that or do what I did; I got a second dog and run one every other day.

I also give them Annamaet Glycocharge right after each hunt to help restore their glycogen. BTW my GSP's love the stuff.
Last edited by reba on Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

one4fishing
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post hunt effects on dogs

Post by one4fishing » Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:34 pm

reba wrote:I also give them Annamaet Glycicharge right after each hunt to help restore their glycogen. BTW my GSP's love the stuff.
What is this stuff? I’ve heard of people feeding canned pumpkin throughout the hunt. After my first season with my gsp I’m learning he needs a boost during and after the hunt. Chasin chukars is brutal.

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CDN_Cocker
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by CDN_Cocker » Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:59 pm

I think food is critical. Conditioning is important and experience will of course teach the dog to pace better but good food will make a big difference. I run a cocker so he's not covering the same ground as a pointer. But he runs hard for 3-4 hours and aside from a nap in the truck on the way home you can't even tell he's been out once you walk in the door.

reba
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by reba » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:29 am

"Annamaet Glycocharge"

Check it out online.

I get mine from Lion Country.

Please understand I hunt 6 Western states over 100 days per season. My dogs are really big runners and they need all the care I can give them. They also sleep in bed with me.

BTW I call myself a chukar hunter; but we also hunt sharp tail, huns, three different type of quail, pheasant, sage grouse and ruffed grouse.

Leeza
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by Leeza » Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:15 am

Well keep in mind you are hunting in a unique environment. I always struggled with dehydration in dogs in New Mexico and Arizona. That is correct that a young dog can kill himself there with too much running and will pay the price that evening.
If you want to stay out for extended time periods you will have to break at the tanks and pattern your hunt on tank locations so he gets enough water. You really can't pack enough there.
A dog like yours will likely "bonk" like any other athlete and when you feed him is as important as what you feed him. He will benefit from something during a long hunt and a feed immediately after at or in your truck when he cools down. If you wait until evening to feed him you are too late.
If he is a wreck in the evening, he is dehydrated more than anything and is behind the curve so to speak. That is why he only lasts an hour the next morning. He may learn to pace himself after a couple seasons of this but don't push it in that environment by "leaving him down". That is a real risk with a dog that is already at his limits it appears.
Leeza

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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by RayGubernat » Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:35 am

mrelite -

There are a lot of good suggestions already mentioned. I would like to give you my 2 cents as well.

I would seriously look into the glycocharge. If given to the dog within 1/2 hour of cessation of activity, it can replenish the dog's glycogen levels(ready energy), almost completely, by the next day. Without the glycocharge, the rate of replenishment is less than half.

A high quality feed is also key to a dog's endurance. I would consider a high quality 30/20 kibble(like Pro Plan Performance) especially for a young dog. There are plenty of good quality feeds out there.

I would suggest that a 2 mile run is basically just a warm up for a dog such as yours. It is, in my opinon, nowhere near enough exercise to "condition a dog to running and hunting for three or four hours. Once the dog is "in condition", such a regimen will keep the dog pretty close to peak, but that is all.

The absolute best way to condition a dog to running and hunting for extended periods...is to actually do it in training. Carry plenty of water...enough to both hydrate the dog and to wet it down in case it starts to get overheated. Also, and I cannot stress this enough.... WATCH YOUR DOG LIKE A HAWK for signs of heat stress. A young dog that has desire will run until it falls over on its nose and may well harm itself. Building endurance is an incremental activity. You push a little at a time. If you push too hard too quickly, you can and will set yourself back and perhaps even lessen the dog's overall endurance.

I condition my dogs for field trials, which means I want the dog to go flat out...full tilt...for an hour in front of a horse...holding nothing back. I do this by(among other things) slow roading the dog against resistance. If a dog can pull steadily for 45 minutes while in harness, it can run full bore for an hour or more.

However, that is not what you want or need. You want a dog to hunt at a more controlled pace, for an extended period. I suggest a combination of slow roading against resistance and free running, but keeping the dog relatively close during the free run. Having a couple of pigeons in a bird bag can help to keep the dog close to you and focused on you. When you call the dog in for water, don't give it a lot...just a few squirts, check out its breathing, its balance and such, and then send it back out. This teaches the dog several things. First...you are where the water is and you are who and what will keep it from dying of thirst. Soooo, keeping tabs on you becomes a really good idea to the dog. Second the fact that you have a bird bag encourages the dog to stay reasonably close to you, because it knows you have bird...and birds are fun.

Over time and repetitions, the dog will learn to hold some of it back when you first cut it loose and will settle into a more maintainable pace. My son took over one of my dogs as a hunting dog as a five year old. This dog was as hard charging of a dog as you could imagine. He could, and did... blow the doors off most trial dogs. The first half dozen or so time he took the dog out it was "off to the races" for the first hour or two but when the hunt dragged on for three and four hours, 'ol Blue was one whipped SOB.

He soon figured out that the game had changed. When the shotgun came out... he knew it was going to be a long day and he dialed it down. Yours will also. It just takes repetitions. Build up...then break down a little and then build up some more. Rinse and repeat.

You have all the time in the world with such a young dog. Enjoy.

RayG

Mike da Carpenter
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by Mike da Carpenter » Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:34 am

Excellent post Ray. Makes perfectly good sense, and as for me having a 4 month old GSP, its advice I can use especially since he won’t be used for trials just hunting.

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mrelite
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by mrelite » Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:56 am

I want to thank everyone for the replies, you all put out some great info to reflect on and it is much appreciated!

Shellottome
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post hunt effects on dogs

Post by Shellottome » Fri Mar 09, 2018 9:28 pm

My dogs hunt as long as I want to hunt.......


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mgrucker
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Re: post hunt effects on dogs

Post by mgrucker » Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:43 am

I gave my dog Elements R Recovery Beverage which looks similar to the Annamaet Glycocharge mentioned earlier. I think it definitely helped my dog recover faster. If he really overdid he would spend the next day wiped out and shaking and this got rid of the shaking and cut down on recovery time. The only problem is that I sometimes can't get him to drink anything right after coming out of the field when it is supposed to be most effective. I think I will try the Annamaet stuff this year and see if that goes any easier.

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