Hydrating in the field

[smilinicon]

Through spending time with Sophie, reading books and reading here I learn things as I go.

On our runs, I see that Sophie won't drink water I put out for her early on (although she drinks it up later as we come in). I've read of the importance of hydrating early on to keep a dog cool and help prevent feathers sticking in the mouth.

This is kind of a 'leading dog to water and getting them to drink' post. I note in Tarrant/Smith books the use of a canteen and pouring into the mouth.. anyone do this? Maybe a touch of flavoring in the water?

Hopefully, warm weather will be here soon so I am looking for ideas on both this and ways to keep her energy up through snacking in the field.

Cary

[tuckerdog]

Smilin

Carry a bottle or two of water with you, the kind with the squirt cap. works great.

[ezzy333]

My thoughts are forget the flavoring and let the dog drink if he wants. They will drink from a squirt bottle when they are thirsty.

Ezzy

[Buckeye_V]

We conditioned our dog to drink from a squirt bottle and when it gets warm she loves it. All we have to ask is "Drink?" She'll come running and lap until she is satisfied and then run off again.

[shets114]

A friend of mine uses a camelback. Easy to pack and you have a good supply both for yourself and the dog. Teach them to drink from the spout as you pour.

[Wagonmaster]

I carry one of those little folding nylon bowls you can get at Petco. The dog will more readily take water if it can drink for itself, and when you try squirting in the mouth you lose at least half the water you bring along. I have noticed most of the field trial pros now carry that bowl on the saddle, to water the dogs with. The bowl also goes in the hunting vest when you hunting.

[smilinicon]

yes I too carry the folding bowl, water (and camel back!).

she just doesn't drink very much when I offer it. Not worried about it, just wondering about what I read. I will give her a shot of water if any feathers get in there.

[Vizsla Vince]

My dog will often staunchly refuse water. On hot days ( or long runs ) I will take a squirt bottle, hold his muzzle from the bottom, stick the squirt bottle in the side of his mouth & gently squirt water in. I domn't seem to lose any water this way, & he lets me know when he's had enough.
In the hotter weather, I will even squirt the water on his sides & rub it in to get some evaporative cooling going. This can be very serious. As I recall, I think I read that one year, on opening day in SD, the temps were in the eighties, & alot of dogs expired from heat exhaustion

[Don]

My dog will often staunchly refuse water. On hot days ( or long runs ) I will take a squirt bottle, hold his muzzle from the bottom, stick the squirt bottle in the side of his mouth & gently squirt water in. I domn't seem to lose any water this way, & he lets me know when he's had enough.
In the hotter weather, I will even squirt the water on his sides & rub it in to get some evaporative cooling going. This can be very serious. As I recall, I think I read that one year, on opening day in SD, the temps were in the eighties, & alot of dogs expired from heat exhaustion

You might roll him on his side or back and get the water on his chest and belly. Water will run down on his side's. You've noticed what I've noticed. Just because a dog look's thirsty to us doesn't mean he really is. Either that or a badly heated dog need's to cool off more than it needs to drink.

Take an overheated dog and give it a drink of water but don't cool it out and the dog is still in trouble.

[AZHUNT09]

I WEAR A UPLAND GEAR BELT. IT COMES WITH 2 32oz SQUIRT BOTTLES THAT ATTACH TO THE BELT. IT ISNT HEAVY TO CARRY. YOU GUYS SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT. WWW.UPLANDGEAR.COM. THAY ARE MADE HERE IN PHX, AZ. THE GUY THAT MAKES THEM WILL EVEN DO CUSTOM WORK IF YOU WANT. THEY HAVE A GAME POUCH IN THE BACK AND 2 POUCHS UP FRONT FOR SHELLS AND MISC. I CARRY MY TRANSMITTER IN ONE OF THEM AND GLOVES AND MISC STUFF IN THE OTHER. VERY COMFORTABLE AND COME WITH A WARRENTY.

[Wagonmaster]

Don is right. Dogs do not sweat much, they only lose water through their pads and mouth. Unlike humans which lose water by sweating over pretty much the entire body. We always carry water in hot weather and let them have a drink every half hour or so, but only out of the bowl, whatever they want to take. You can give a heat stressed dog water, but water may not be what it needs, it can still overheat.

Dogs cope with heat stress basically by being able to accept a higher body temperature. Conditioning makes a difference. Conditioned dogs can have a body temp as high as 107 F and recover, where the unconditioned dog may not recover. The difference is that the body's temperature recovery mechanism continues to work in the conditioned dog, and is broken in the unconditioned dog, which will continue to heat up unless cooled by other means. Conditioned does not just mean "in good shape," i.e. from running, roading, etc. It also means in this case, conditioned to physical exercise in the heat. That is a long slow process, may take a year or more of little conditioning steps, and must be done carefully. If you mess up and heat stress the dog beyond its capacity, at the very least you go back to square one, but often the dog will not be the same ever.

We always look for watering holes and let them go in and just rest when it is hot. That is the best measure in the field. We shorten their runs when temps are in the 70's and 80's, and when it hits 90 it is time to pack them in the back of the air conditioned truck and quit hunting. Cooler days always lie ahead and you want the dog to be there for them.

[Don]

We have people come in from out of town to the trial grounds outside Madras and they'll stay all week training for the up comming trial. It get's pretty hot out there so most train in the morning and quit by noon the latest, that's in the fall. What we used to do is run on the grasslands closer to home but we didn't start until about 10am and quit at about 100 degree's. It would be hot but we only ran the dog's about 45min and submurged then then put them up. Any dog's we didn't get to, we'd put down at about 6pm and it was still hot.

Most people's dog's don't do well in the heat for no other reason than the owner's won't train in it. I never saw where a dog was any worse off training for 30 to 45min than it was running a 30 min field trial brace. I think it's important to run them in hot weather but just not as long as normal. Soak them down first and have a water tank, wash tub works, out to soak them in if they get hot.

Ever wonder how a guy trains in southern Arizona? If they quit because it got hot, they'd never train but, ya need to use some common sense.

[Wagonmaster]

Well, I can answer that training in AZ part, not cause I have been there to train but have talked to them, and also worked on the desert myself for a summer. The desert warms sometimes to 120 during the day. But it has virtually no humidity, and cools at night. So if you get up at the crack of and start to train, you will get some hours in before it gets to warm.

We used to do the same in northern ND on the prairies. Had to be up about 4 - 4:30 and could train only until about 10:30 - 11 most days.

I admire both you and your dogs, Don, if you can train at 100 F. The dogs maybe could do it I have not asked em, but I am a northern boy and looking for AC at 90. Besides which in many parts of the country the snakes are out at that temp.

[birdhunt]

I use old liquid dish soap bottles[flat shaped ones]............they have the best "squirters" I have found.......just carry them in my game bag, or pocket if I have cargo pants on. My boykin goes down if she gets overheated........not a problem in Iowa or eastern Kansas because there is usually a water source, but western Kansas is where I have had problems..........I agree with the previous comments about how important keeping them cool is, especially in my case.

[smilinicon]

thanks all. Heat is coming and I want to be ready. Thinking of getting a cooling mat for the crate also.

[ezzy333]

When would you use a cooling mat in a crate?

Ezzy

[Wagonmaster]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a cooling mat?

[smilinicon]

driving home on a hot day. I have an unisulated van.

mat holds some water and evaporates for cooling effect. Contruction keeps most of the water away from the dog. Like a Pampers diaper.

Saw them in a catalog and thought I would ask about it.

[ezzy333]

If its cool enough in the van for you it will be cool enough for a dog. As long as there is air movement heat shouldn't be a problem. I have always hauled mine at least without any.

Ezzy

[Windyhills]

Those cooling mats are designed to help in the dire situations mentioned by others earlier, when the dog is in heat distress or in danger of becoming so. Best situation is getting the dog literraly immersed in water (but ONLY if that water is cool enough!) , but in the abscence of that these seem like a good idea to add to the dog kit for folks who work in warmer weather.

Now allow me a personal rant:

Someone mentioned dog deaths in South Dakota some years back. South Dakota's problem from the dogs standpoint is that for both their youth hunt and the first handful of weeks of their pheasant season, you can't hunt until noon.

There is NO biological reason for such a late start and many reasons to start it earlier--as pretty much every state around it does.

Made the mistake of heading out for the early youth hunt a few years back. Temperature at noon that day was low to mid-80's F. Nice breeze made it bearable for my daughter and myself until it hit 90 or so. Our GSP was in decent shape but we knew we would have to alter our approach. Hunted a couple of times--brief hunts--near a water body--and sent the dog into the water immediately after we worked each area. She rode in the AC truck cab instead of in the back under the topper. Two/three short hunts and then we scouted the rest of the day until the last few hours when it cooled off enough to work again.

Out of shape dogs and some of the heavier or darker breeds really are in danger in those conditions, IMO. Some hunters will push things for a variety of reasons. Some may be ignorant to the danger to their dog--others may feel a strong desire or feel pressure to hunt anyway if they are not locals and have a lot of money tied up in the hunt.

That late start has killed dogs in the past and it will kill them again. For no good reason.

The youth hunt is particularly bizarre to me--here you have a special early hunt designed to fire up youngsters in the sport, with the hope that it can help create some life-long hunters.

And you send them out early in the year, when temperatures are often hotter than later in the season--and don't let them start hunting until noon?

Thanks I feel better now.

[Chaingang]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a cooling mat?

John,
I have seen these advertised before. There are several manufacturers for these things if you Google cooling mats. Most are water activated with these so-called cooling crystals in the mat which when activated will keep cool anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Heck, one even has a cooling collar, which may even feel pretty good on yourself

http://www.futurepets.com/Cool_Mat_Dogs.htm

Never tried one so I can't say how they work though.

[gonehuntin']

I use the camelback (on my Mother's vest) plus a bottle and the folding dish. I also picked up a neat trick from another guy. I carry a one gallon garden sprayer in my truck with water and ice in it. If the dog's really over heated, I do as Don said, roll him over and thoroughly spray his underside with the sprayer and cool water. Neat little trick.

[Don]

Garden sprayer???? Now there's a good idea. A gallon of water out of that will go a lot farther than out of a milk jug!