Protecting our best friends

[swampbuck]

This past weekend I participated in our anual bunny hunt and have been concerned about the safty of my hound so a got him some blaze in the form of a skid plate.As it turned out the snow was to deep for the color to show and it did get snow packed into it so I took it off my beagle figurein it would be easier on the dog.That said if there's not that much snow next yr I'd definately put it on him.He's blasted brush no problem and doesn,t seem to mind wearing it at all in fact he does have it on in the pic of our motley crew in the bunny hunt thread.

The other thing I,ve been wondering about is foot protection.I,ve been useing this stuff called "tuff feet" with good results but was considering boots.Has anybody tried boots on thier dogs??

The next thing is groin protection,is there such a thing?? I can,t imagine draggin my ????s thru the briars let alone snow all day long only to do it again the next day.

Anyhow how do yall protect your 4 legged friends when hunting tuff conditions?

[Deadsmple]

Good one on you Swampbuck, I'm always glad to see others showing concern for the well being of their 4 legged hunting buddies. Tuff feet is really good stuff. The booties available have their place also. Just make sure that they fit correctly and make sure that your dog gets used to them before he actually needs to use them. If they don't fit correctly they tend to come off often running in swamps. It's also good to always have some of that EMT spray that Cabelas carries. BTW your little buddy sure looks sharp in his vest.  

[BFinegan]

I don't want to sound uncaring or harsh but......what do you think the wolves are wearing this season when they are out hunting?

I have several bird dogs and one of the reasons I have several besides a 30 year addiction to bird dogs and bird hunting is.....it's not really fair to pound the guts out of one dog all day and again the next. I did it when I was younger and I regret it. I simply didn't know any betetr and no one around me did either.  

If you can't have more than one find a buddy who has one and rotate dogs during the course of the day. You will always have a rested dog on the ground and another ready when that one needs a break. A tired dog can't hunt and a dog that can't hunt ........you get the idea. Just because he's out there doesn't mean he's getting anything done. In the winter especially when you have snow on the ground make sure the dogs get plenty of water. Believe me, dogs get very dehydrated in cold weather. Whatever you do, don't wait for opening day or a week before the season to starting hunting your dog. They are no different than any other athlete. They need to be in shape to be ready to play.

If it makes you feel good, go ahead and buy him some clothing. Biggest favor you can do your dog is get him ready ,be sure he's healty, keep him hydrated and find another to share the work load.

If the snow is crusty it will cut pads, legs and chest. We either don't go out that day or wait for the sun to soften up the top layer before we put dogs down. Makes a big difference and all dog flesh is still intact for the next day.

EMT gel is excellent stuff.

[bowdude]

My springer would hunt his heart out in AZ chasing quail regardless of the cactus except one.  Only one would stop him.  Jumping choya. After a hunt I would pull needles out of his chest from barrel cactus, needles from prickly pear all over his body, and countless other kinds.  But as soon as he went through choya he would stop until I helped him.  Anywhere else in the country I think a dog is fine.

   :cool:

[swampbuck]

"If it makes you feel good, go ahead and buy him some clothing. Biggest favor you can do your dog is get him ready ,be sure he's healty, keep him hydrated and find another to share the work load."

The primary reason for gettin him the skid plate was color,I don,t go out with a bunch of guys I really don,t know that well without wearin my orange I figure I should try to do the same for my dog

Gettin him in shape is yr round,yea a good many folks don,t worry about that and hounds ,beagle's in particualar can get fat and outta shape.Somebody should probably watch my waste line as much as I watch my hounds LOL

Findin another to share the work load,mmmmmmmmmm lets see take one out huntin leave the other home,yea the one left home would not be a happy camper LOLI gotta sneak my weapons outta the house if the dog isn,t going with me.I certainly wouldn,t have run him the 2nd day if I thought he was outta shape and couldn,t handle it,someday it will come to that I,m sure but he's 6 now wieghs in @ 43#'s and is in very good shape,been running him every weekend since deer season closed not to mention the exersize I give him just horseing around.

Wolve,s most likely don,t blast thru the same briar's a beagle would and their legs are longer keepng the ball's more outta harms way.Beagles are tuff resilyent animals But dang that hasta hurt alittle.

The bloody stump at the end of his tail is his own dang fault for whippin it around so much,his feet I work on and keep an eye on esspecially since he's an indoor pet vs an outdoor dog that lives in it.I,m just lookin out for his best interest.

PS sweaters are for sissy dogs LOL I dressed mine so he wouldn,t get shot

[B.O.D.]

Tom,

        Glad you and Sonny made it out alive!! LOL
i know how hard it is to reign in a stubborn dog.
My beagle Daisy is 2 1/2 now and she wants to go non-stop.
her tough outer pad layer got frostbit a bit awhile back, the top layer peeled off and she was/is still on anitbiotics and was bandaged for quite awhile.
She is alot better now and has a new pair of leather bottomed boots.
She will run for us this weekend, hopefully she will do okay.
word of advice though, when you use the boots; tape them around the top where the cuffs are, even though they are velcro they can come undone.
At 50 bucks a set they ain't cheap!!    :eek:        
Kudos to you Tom for looking after Sonny's boys...             Thank GOD Daisy is a female...      
BD

[swampbuck]

Thanks BD I'd definatley only get the boots froma  place I can bring the dog in with me for fitting.As it turned out he's right at the split point between sm and med on that skid plate so I opted for the med and my wife shortened up the straps around the neck so it fit,s him very well.50$ doesn,t sound real bad considering.

As for lookin after his boys you,d have thought the guys were gonna line up when they see me checkin him out after I saw blood.I'd be more than happy to check out any of my huntin partner's boy's for injury after they crawl thru a multiflora rose bush with the boys exposed LOL Let,s see if anybody wants to line up now HAHAHAHA

I don,t think it,s possible to offer protection there just thought I,d ask,I've never seen or heard of anything and I,ve had my share of working dogs over the yrs