Gun Dog Forum

My dogs seem to crap a lot while out hunting. Anyone else experience this?

Mike

Yep.

Fecal Slap or they just have to poop. Eitherway, we still find birds.

Yea but after a hour or two you would think it would stop.

When do you feed?

Evening

Try feeding as close to 24 hours before your hunt as possible.

You didn't say if the dog was male or female?

Some dogs will mark this way as well.

Both male and two females.

Mine urinates in command lol, poops before we take the ride to the field

I have a friend that treats throughout the day and his goes quite a bit, how much do you feed in the evening? Do they all get the same exercise? if you over feed they go more often and it's looser. Same goes for my friend with a lot of treats.

Feed a higher calorie food that you can feed less of. Give them a chance to go before the hunt. Also I expect it's getting runny by the end of the day. Condition the dog to running on non hunting days. If your dog is used to running miles seveal times a week they should learn to handle it better. But deal with the food first and give them a chance to go when they are less excited before they know they are going hunting.

My high strung, high energy dog has some issues with this but it has WAY improved since we switched to Dr. Tims momentum.

All of our five dogs do it. I call it "the huntn' skinnies." I suspect it's from whatever food hasn't been processed from the night before and how much we overfed them at that time.

Was at a trial this weekend and my young male decided to pee 25 yards from the breakaway. We all stopped for him, judges, scouts, and gallery. About 3 minutes later he was done. Got a good laugh and applause when he finally took off. It seems like some of them can be on the chain gang for several hours and save their "bodily functions" for the brace.

Natures way of lightening the load.

I try to follow a sixteen hour window with feeding before a hunt. I also bait feed with water.

No matter what I feed my dogs, even sled dog designed feed, they always take a deuce before we begin our hunt. Why? Just like CJ stated to drop some weight. It is a natural habit to want to be lighter when they run. My better days racing bikes was if I cleaned out before the start, I do not see it any different in hunting dogs.

If you are feeding that far in advance already, and stools are runny, consider how much water they consume daily. I would be more concerned with hydration.

If they are going that much, you might want to try a different dog food. Also, are you going directly from your house to hunt or are your dogs kenneled because you have to travel to the hunt spot. If the dogs are kenneled you may need to make sure they have had a chance to go. Not only that day, but also the day before. A little Psyllium added to their feed can also help. Our Sleddogs were expected to go on the fly, but I preferred they not go at all during a race so I put them on a pretty regimented schedule to keep pooping to a minimum.

My pup will go after the 2nd or 3rd retrieve but then that's it. I guess the added excitement/adrenaline gets the metabolism goin

Dehydrated pumpkin also is good for tightening them up. Just grind it up into a powder in a food processor.

My dog goes at least 2 or 3 times usually within the 1st 30 minutes and I think it has more to do with being so excited to be out hunting and able to run free. I always feed him the same and that's in the morning early and never have a problem. I will say when I hunt swampy areas and he drinks the water he sometimes gets the runs.

I think in some cases it is a form of marking. My male will decorate plants with his fecal matter.

Munster wrote:I think in some cases it is a form of marking. My male will decorate plants with his fecal matter.

That could be, my dog does lots of strange things when he is smelling the ground where other dogs have been. One thing I don't quite understand is he will start to dribble and foam and make a funny sound while intensely sniffing where another dog has left sent, he plows his nose right into the ground. I think it is when he smells a female dog since he is a male. I don't quite know what its all about though.

My avatar dog"Boy" loves to pee on clients when
They get to close to him while he is on point.
That's the only movement he will make while pointing, just slightly lifts his
Leg in ninja stealth mode and let's it go. I warn
My clients before every hunt, but he always gets one of them.

Donnytpburge wrote:My avatar dog"Boy" loves to pee on clients when
They get to close to him while he is on point.
That's the only movement he will make while pointing, just slightly lifts his
Leg in ninja stealth mode and let's it go. I warn
My clients before every hunt, but he always gets one of them.

(lol)Now that's funny! Maybe its just the clients he doesn't care for...

He nailed a guy today, thankfully he had on rubber boots.

Db

I've trained my dog to pee on guys I hunt with.....LOL.

My lab literally craps for the first 10 minutes of the hunt. She walks and craps though. Multi talented. Spreads it out so there is a higher probability that someone steps in it.

Crapping while hunting is good, less to pick up in the yard

SetterNut wrote:Crapping while hunting is good, less to pick up in the yard

That was actually my first thought too...

There is a study out there somewhere that blood plasma protein significantly reduces fecal output and increases digestibility.
I imagine you can buy dried plasma protein from a feed store.

Heh...this last pheasant season, I hunted with several guys who hadn't been out yet with my Lab, Diesel. I warned them that in the first 50 yards, they'd see him crap twice and pee a half dozen times. They thought I was kidding...

I put it down to him being so excited about going hunting. He just can't hold it in. Or, as others have said, he just wants to lighten the load.

MonsterDad wrote:There is a study out there somewhere that blood plasma protein significantly reduces fecal output and increases digestibility.
I imagine you can buy dried plasma protein from a feed store.

That's something I don't have to worry about because I feed raw and there is plenty of blood in his daily diet. Why don't kibble manufacturers add it to their mix if it increases digestibility, sounds like it might be beneficial?

A friend of mines GSP goes as soon as you let her in the back of the truck. I have no idea how you would be able to take her if you didn't have a truck. And another friend has a LS that gets fed raw chicken and he is a mess for the first 3 minutes or so and still attempts to go after that. Think it all comes back to nerves.

Ezzy

Bounty_Hunter wrote:

MonsterDad wrote:There is a study out there somewhere that blood plasma protein significantly reduces fecal output and increases digestibility.
I imagine you can buy dried plasma protein from a feed store.

That's something I don't have to worry about because I feed raw and there is plenty of blood in his daily diet. Why don't kibble manufacturers add it to their mix if it increases digestibility, sounds like it might be beneficial?

Some do. Nature's Variety, Dr. Tim's have it. Both foods have very small stool volume, but what they add is pure, concentrated plasma, not blood meal. Pig and chicken producers use it and are able to reduce antibiotics and other medication because of it.

ezzy333 wrote:A friend of mines GSP goes as soon as you let her in the back of the truck. I have no idea how you would be able to take her if you didn't have a truck. And another friend has a LS that gets fed raw chicken and he is a mess for the first 3 minutes or so and still attempts to go after that. Think it all comes back to nerves.

Ezzy

My dog does the same thing, I mean attempts to go after he leaves a pile or two while out hunting and what he leaves is just a couple drips here and there and I'm wondering if he is draining those glands that are at the sides of the anus as most dogs are supposed to do. Some people have the vet do it but they say dogs that are fed a good diet and get enough exercise will do it on their own?

MonsterDad wrote:

Bounty_Hunter wrote:

MonsterDad wrote:There is a study out there somewhere that blood plasma protein significantly reduces fecal output and increases digestibility.
I imagine you can buy dried plasma protein from a feed store.

That's something I don't have to worry about because I feed raw and there is plenty of blood in his daily diet. Why don't kibble manufacturers add it to their mix if it increases digestibility, sounds like it might be beneficial?

Some do. Nature's Variety, Dr. Tim's have it. Both foods have very small stool volume, but what they add is pure, concentrated plasma, not blood meal. Pig and chicken producers use it and are able to reduce antibiotics and other medication because of it.

Dr Tims produced good solid stool in the kennels but the dogs emptied it out just like every other kibble once excited. Going to happen on any feed.

Exercise brings it on, go take a walk in the morning, it will loosen you up

I start my dogs on Purina Fortaflora a day or two before hunting and throughout a hunting trip. It has helped a lot with the nervous squirts.