Hunting with dog in El Centro

[JamesPierson8]

this Dove opener will be my first trip back to el centro since i was i high school maybe longer.. been about 10 years... i think haha..
anyways i will be bringing my pointing lab down with me from the central coast (atascadero/paso robles area) and i want to get a heads up on the tricks to keeping a dog cool down in that heat. How many retrieves do you usually run your dog before forcing her to rest? im bringing a cooler down full of ice so i can wet her down consistently and put her in it case of an extreme emergency. lots of water. how do dogs do in the canals? are they easily exited?

my lab it about 60 lbs. run her everyday. extremely good shape not overweight like 99% of labs. but, she is only a year and a half and has zero concept of slowing down and is all bird drive. have no interest in pusher her close to the danger zone so i have picked up lots of info on heat stroke and whatnot. just wondering what everyone personally does with their dogs down there.

thank you, James

 

[jbcaptain11]

dang thats a long drive.. happy hunting

 

[Rob P.]

I'd say awareness and being prepared like you have done is the biggest step. I'd add that shade would be a nice thing to have in addition to your other things. Finally, if it's about the experience, then let the birds fly away instead of risking the dog after she gets tired.

 

[busterheel]

Best way to keep your dog cool is to leave it at home. My vet, who also hunts labs, told me not to take mine. It is not worth the potential and obvious hazards of heat, let alone rattlesnakes. My dog is snake broke and venom vaccinated and is too valuable for quail, chukar and pheasant to waste him on the carp of upland birds.
The bigger question is, what does a pointing lab learn from dove hunting?

 

[cjack]

I recommend that you shoot your limit by 7:00am then hit the hotel:lol bashing sign:

 

[jbcaptain11]

+1

 

[JamesPierson8]

Best way to keep your dog cool is to leave it at home. My vet, who also hunts labs, told me not to take mine. It is not worth the potential and obvious hazards of heat, let alone rattlesnakes. My dog is snake broke and venom vaccinated and is too valuable for quail, chukar and pheasant to waste him on the carp of upland birds.
The bigger question is, what does a pointing lab learn from dove hunting?

my dog has been through the avoidance training for snakes as well. vaccination according to most vets was a gimmic so i passed on that.

A pointing lab is still a retriever. She will retrieve like shes supposed to just like from a duck blind. in the upland field she points... then she retrieves. so retrieving for a retriever is always a good thing and a good opportunity to practice doing what she loves.

 

[JamesPierson8]

I recommend that you shoot your limit by 7:00am then hit the hotel:lol bashing sign:

haha thats the plan all right

 

[JamesPierson8]

any report on if there are any birds left down there after that storm?

 

[motor-vater]

Hows she breed? Im gonna run mine after these "carp" Its about the work and a dog with this much drive needs work. My only concern is rattlesnakes. I would prefer not to run a dog tell after the first frost but seeing as how it seems summer just finally started we might spend the whole season waiting for that to happen. I just did the rattlesnake breaking and hope it helps but really you are always taking a chance sending a dog on a retrieve, its not the same as hunting um up! When I line up Fritz hes a rocket ship on a retrieve, probably wont even be looking for a rattler in his path...rayin : I plan to look for local vets ahead of time and call them to make sure they keep antivenin.. As valuable as my dog is and believe me I have a fortune into him, he is a hunting dog.

 

[JamesPierson8]

Hows she breed? Im gonna run mine after these "carp" Its about the work and a dog with this much drive needs work. My only concern is rattlesnakes. I would prefer not to run a dog tell after the first frost but seeing as how it seems summer just finally started we might spend the whole season waiting for that to happen. I just did the rattlesnake breaking and hope it helps but really you are always taking a chance sending a dog on a retrieve, its not the same as hunting um up! When I line up Fritz hes a rocket ship on a retrieve, probably wont even be looking for a rattler in his path...rayin : I plan to look for local vets ahead of time and call them to make sure they keep antivenin.. As valuable as my dog is and believe me I have a fortune into him, he is a hunting dog.

I printed out the list of vets as well... Are there really that many snakes? I hunted there for 10 years and never remember seeing or even hearing about one

 

[motor-vater]

i didnt see any last year?

 

[busterheel]

You opened up this can of worms because you obviously have concerns.

Having watched a dear friend's Brittany succumb to a rattlesnake bite two seasons ago, on the quail opener, our group has ultimate respect for these rattling fiends. Temp was 75. In over 10 years of hunting this area, no one we spoke to had ever had a snake encounter in this general area. We now don't hunt until a few nights of freezing temps occur at our spots. Though, this is no guarantee.

I've watched great looking GSP go wobbly by 8am on the dove opener in Blythe just last year. According to my vet, once dog has teetered on, or overheated, there tolerance will be forever diminished. Labs are not built for heat. A friend, some feathered bumpers and some magnum primed hulls in a cool and controlled environment will get you the training you seek, without second guessing consequences. I live in Long Beach and walk the dog from 5-6:15 am, and do field work in a park from 8:30-9pm. I've slept in on occasion, this summer, only to have him pretty fried by the end of a 90 min walk up and down Signal Hill when the temps get near 80 by the end. It will be 80+ at 4am when arrive at your spot.

Rattlesnake avoidance training does work. In the five years my lab and I have hunted, I have seen seven snakes that he has reacted to and driven us away from. Those stange leaps on many other ocassions are the ones I did not care to confirm. The Bakersfield vet who treated the Brittany, asked if she had been vaccinated, because in their experiences, those dogs had a greater survival rate. Sadly, this dog had not. $3,000 worth of antivenin and treatment was spent.

Bottom line, a great dog will go to hell and back for you, but should he have to?

 

[motor-vater]

To each there own i guess. it seems some people take their house dog hunting, My pooch has grown up hunting everyday, i think its more cruel to leave him locked in his kennel, then not let him do what he loves.. Just out of curiosity how many doves did that gsp retrieve, i cant imagine my dog overheating at 7:00 am after 10 retreives.As a handler you definitly should be able to tell when you are running your dog into the ground, no?

 

[motor-vater]

Just to be clear about my statement regarding house dogs its aimed toward the comment that Labs aren't adaptable to the field. 90% of the labs I see hunting are fat and out of shape. Just to clarify

 

[JamesPierson8]

i hear you on that one... my dog on the other hand is in excellent condition. according to my vet it was good to finally see a Labrador at a healthy weight. i would also like to say there is a definite difference between walking a dog and conditioning a dog throughout the year. its not something you can just do for a week or two before the season starts. if the GSP keeled over from heat exhaustion its the handlers fault. you have to be aware of the condition of your dog. assuming it was EIC cleared. as far as the snakes go if i am not hunting in the ditches or brush seems as if if should be just fine. A snake isnt going to be cruising though a tilled field out for all the hawks to see it and have it for a meal. where is it that all these snakes are being encountered? and by lots of snakes what is "lots" meaning?

.

 

[motor-vater]

She looks great!! Lean and mean. Heres my boy a few months ago getting his APLA CPR


He's running for his APR this weekend!

And here he was at 1 year old

 

[JamesPierson8]

Who is doing his training? That's a really good lookin dog! Where's he from and is he in tact? Mine is from hunters point kennel. got her CPR in iowa this last spring.

 

[busterheel]

I suspect you've already been told this was a bad idea, and in your haste to get the answer you want, rather than what's best, you've turned to the court of public opinion in hopes of satisfying your ego.

We all remember our first dog, the ones pro trainers call our mistake dogs, and for good reason.

Check with the breeder of your dog, if he gives the thumbs up, go ahead. If there is a long pause after your question, that's him making note not to sell you another pup.

 

[motor-vater]

Is she off of Bo Jangels??

Julie and Paul Knutson have been training him for about the last 8 months, Hes outta bearpoint "4x GMPR Cheif x Crackers" Julie is absolutely loving him and is looking forward to trying to get him his GMPR after the season. I was going to pick him up last week but because he is running this weekend I decided to wait and hopefully get his APR... Completely intact I tried to train him myself but quickly figured out that living in LA sucks for training hunting dogs, no birds, no starter pistols, no nothing.. He has spent the last 8 months hunting every day, so I'm worried the poor booy is gonna be bored outta his mind when he gets home, hense why I am gonna take him "Carp Hunting" lol..