Hunting With a Dog in Cold Weather
Hunting With a Dog in Cold Weather
I’d rather deal with cold than heat. My dogs are like me, they would rather work and play in cooler temps than heat. I’m guessing your dogs do too. Just because our dogs may prefer cold weather over the blazing heat, there are still some best practices we need to consider when it comes to hunting with a dog in cold weather.
KNOW YOUR DOG
More than a preference, some dogs LOVE colder weather. When it’s snowing, one of my dogs enjoys curling up outside in her run rather than sleeping on her bed inside the heated kennel. Like humans, not all dogs are the same. Your dog might put up with the cold because they enjoy the activity you’re doing together, but they’d much rather sit on the couch watching Bonanza during the cold winter days. Even if our dog enjoys cold, it’s important for us to check in with them and monitor their behavior and health. We don’t want to make the mistake of just “letting them hunt or play” and miss how the cold is affecting them.
DIET
When we work and hunt our dogs, they burn calories. As they work to produce and conserve heat, our dogs burn even more calories. We can help our dogs stay in tip-top shape, ready to work and maintain their body temp by putting them on a high-protein diet. It’s also important to remember that keeping our dogs hydrated during the colder months is just as important as during the warmer months. I simply adjust the rations I feed throughout the year.
FIRST AID
If you don’t already have a first aid kit in your hunting gear, stop reading this article and get one purchased. No matter the weather conditions we are hunting in with our dogs, we’ll always be grateful we had a first aid kit. I travel from my kennel location near Grinnell, IA to other destinations, so, having our vet’s contact info handy or the contact info for an emergency vet or if we are traveling, a local vet’s contact info is imperative. One of my first aid practices is to check out my dog’s face, chest, legs and pads for lacerations, hitchhikers and ticks. If you have a longer-haired dog, take your time and be thorough.
GEAR
Whether our dog is busting through snow-covered grass or retrieving in the cold water, they’ll likely appreciate a vest that helps them stay warm and dry. Not to mention, vests can help protect our dog from cuts, lacerations, and punctures. Consider a neoprene vest for the water and a blaze orange vest for the field. For a vest to properly work, it needs to be a snug fit for our dog. This will keep air and water out and warmth in. We must trim the vest anywhere it rubs on our dog. A vest that rubs will hinder our dog’s range of motion and most likely irritate their dog’s skin.
Because of the cold, snow/ice-covered ground, our dog’s feet bear most of the cold weather burden. Consider shin covers, neoprene dog boots or paw wax/balm to keep their feet/legs conditioned and warm. Boots can help protect our dog from the hazards that are hiding under the snow and ice and help our dogs retain their body heat. The wax acts as an invisible boot that provides an added shield for our dog’s foot. Just like our skin gets dry, cracks and hurts when it encounters the cold for longer periods of time, the pads on our dog’s feet will do the same. Applying wax before, after and during the hunt, helps keep our dog’s pads strong, flexible and protected.
If you don’t have an insulated dog box or your dog doesn’t ride in the cab with you, consider an insulated kennel cover. In the proper conditions, our dogs produce enough heat to stay warm on their own. A kennel cover takes your kennel from a two-star to a five-star hotel. Bring a couple old towels with you so you can dry your dog off before you load them up at the end of the hunt. This will help them warm up and get comfortable faster.
Our dogs are more than “just dogs”, they are family and they work twice as hard as we do when we hunt. That said, no matter the temps, think of them as you plan your next adventure.
By Kyle Dana
December 2024
