As the "dog days" of summer are arriving with all the subtlety of a blast furnace, we’ve got to remember our four-legged, fur-bodied hunting partners aren’t necessarily smart enough to know how to keep cool. I’ve seen my young German shorthair pointer insist on racing around the yard although the thermometer reads over 90. My husband’s very wooly Chesapeake Bay retriever will sprawl on the asphalt driveway for a nap, even when its surface is too hot to stand on with bare feet. In addition, my older shorthair will relentlessly hunt toads although his tongue is hanging somewhere below his knees.
In short, great gun dogs that they are, when it comes to getting in out of the heat, they’re not too smart.
In 2003, the opening days of pheasant season in South Dakota had temperatures ranging from the high 80s to the low 90s. It is estimated that over 100 dogs died from heat stroke during those first few days.
Not only do dogs run harder and cover far more ground than we do, their proximity to that ground boosts the ambient temperature around them. Bill Dillon, who has hunted and trained bird dogs for over 40 years, says in his article about dogs and heat and those terrible opening pheasant days of 2003, "...the temperature at your dog’s level closer to the ground is higher than the temperature at your level and especially so in heavy cover. It can be as much as 30o hotter where they are than what you’re experiencing, so now 90o F becomes 120oF."
Other critical facts to keep in mind are these: A dog’s temperature is around 101oF. Three or four degrees higher, the dog’s ability to regulate internal temperature is impaired. At 107o – 108oF, the internal organs begin to fail.
Our canine hunting partners are too important (and beloved) to let something as preventable as heat stroke occur. Here are several essential tips for keeping your gun dog cool:
Water, water everywhere. In hot weather, the rule is "when the tongue is low, it’s time to go." Carry ample water and give your dog a drink frequently. In the truck, store water in a tip-up, tip-down container like the molded plastic Kennel Spring, which holds about 2 gallons. Turned up, the water cannot leak out or spill. Turned down, the water flows into a trough for the dog to drink from.
In the field, collapsible bowls made of polyester with a waterproof rip stop nylon liner fold into a pocket. Some hunters cut an 8-inch pliable plastic or rubber ball in half to make a foldable water bowl. These are handy if your dog never learned to drink from a squirt bottle. If your dog will drink from a squirt container, consider using very well rinsed squirt-top chocolate syrup or ketchup bottles. Their flat shape sits nicely in a vest pocket. Squirt bottles with flip caps over the squirter, like those sold by Nalgene or Ugly Dog Hunting, keep the squirter clean, so you can share the bottle even if you keep it in the gamebag of your hunting vest. Upland hunters can opt for a hydration system like the Quilomene vest in which a water pouch sits in a special pocket up between your shoulder blades with a water tube running through the game bag to the front.
Note: don’t let your dog take in too much air while drinking, particularly from a squirt bottle, because that can lead to bloat. Also, dogs should be rested and cooled down with their heart rates back to normal before taking in a lot of food or water.
On the road. Monitor the outside temperature for dogs riding in crates in the back of pick-ups. despite air movement, summer temperatures may be too high. And be sure to keep your dog hydrated during travel. Inside, even with the air conditioning on, vehicles can become very dry.
If you’re flying your dog and the airline wants to put water inside your dog’s crate during the flight, consider asking for ice cubes. There will be less spillage, and if your dog doesn’t like chewing them, the water will gradually become available.
Although you’ve probably heard it many times before, don’t forget the obvious: no running on hot pavement, no tying to a stake out in the sun and no leaving your dog inside a vehicle on a warm day.
Signs of trouble. Heat stress symptoms include aggravated panting, heavy salivation, dark red gums, and poor coordination. You can test for dehydration by pinching a roll of skin on the back of your dog’s lower neck. If it "sticks" up, the dog may need hydration. Flush the dog’s mouth with cool water, remove saliva, give him or her small drinks of water, and, if possible, immerse the dog in cool water – not ice!
You know how your dog runs and moves. My older shorthair will pant and run with his tongue out when it’s 40oF, but without the saliva and pressed-back ears, he develops in the heat. I know that when I’m hot, he’s hotter. If I’m in shape for the hunt, he’s got to be in even better shape. Preparation, attention, and insight keep us cool – this is one area where I know for sure that I’m smarter than he is.
