Innehållsförteckning för August 2019 från Gun Dog

THERE’S AN OLD saying that goes like this: To develop a fine bird dog, a man has to be out of work and not worried about it. The implication, of course, is that developing a fine bird dog requires a serious commitment in time, and the man thus committed can’t be concerned with more mundane matters like, say, employment. By the time you read this, that will describe me. Yes, after a total of 20 years as Editor of GUN DOG, it’s time for me to pass the torch. I can’t deny that doing so generates some sadness—this job has truly been a labor of love, the hoariness of that cliché notwithstanding—but I’ve been looking forward to retirement for some time now, and that time has come. I’m especially eager…

IT IS A common misconception that pointing dogs—especially the running breeds—need freedom, and that it’s inhumane to keep them confined. But back in the real world, unconfined dogs are an unholy pain in the butt at best, and a danger to themselves at worst. Unconfined dogs can, and do, run away, fight with the neighbor’s cats, and get hit by cars. I grew up with German shepherds and Golden retrievers. Like a lot of kids who grew up with dogs, I became accustomed to the presence of dogs like I became accustomed to the presence of everyone else I lived with—as individuals who came and went of their own volition and, for the most part, had the run of the place. Indeed, that worked fine—for German shepherds and Golden retrievers.…

I’M NOT A PhD exercise physiologist, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, or Board-Certified Animal Nutritionist, but I have traveled and presented alongside Purina’s Senior Scientist, Dr. Arleigh Reynolds, who is all three, for the past 30-plus years. Let me share some helpful information that I’ve learned from Arleigh that can help your dog recover from a day of long bouts of exercise, and be better prepared for more work the following day. UNDERSTANDING ENERGY When your dog is working hard during training, hunting, or competition, one of the fuels it uses is called glycogen, which is made up of glucose. Stores of glycogen in muscles and the liver influence endurance. It is important for us to try to replete the glycogen lost during intense exercise. Extreme exercise alters the way…

It happened on a Sunday afternoon about 50 years ago. I was a freshman in high school, and we lived in Des Plaines, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago—not exactly the most auspicious place for a teenager who was really into the outdoors. Nevertheless, I managed to locate an area where I could get away from city traffic and take my two border collie mixes to chase rabbits…and if I was feeling especially daring, I’d sneak my BB pistol along, tucked into the waistband of my jeans under my sweatshirt, to plink at cans, bottles, and maybe the occasional field sparrow or Red-winged Blackbird. I would have been busted, big time, if the cops had ever seen me—remember, this was in the middle of a Chicago suburb—but luckily, none ever…

Herpetologist Brian Smith of Black Hills State University in western South Dakota, who studies rattlesnakes, said hunters can often avoid close encounters with rattlesnakes by steering clear of places where the snakes den up in the fall. In rocky terrain, good places for snakes to den up are on south/southwest-facing slopes that are fairly steep—about 45 degrees or greater. On the plains, keep an eye out in prairie dog towns and other areas that could allow snakes to get into soil beneath the freeze line. Rattlesnakes bask for an unusually long time going into fall and winter, and hunters who encounter them in September or later are probably on a den site. “Stay off of that site, and perhaps at least half a football field away from the site up…

WE WERE SADDENED to learn of the recent passing of Joe Arnette, GUN DOG’s long-time “Parting Shots” columnist, who died peacefully on March 16th after a lengthy battle with COPD. His wife, Kathy, and daughter Lisa were at his side when he passed. Joe was 77. Joseph Lee Arnette was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 7, 1941, the only child of Hugh and Barbara Arnette. After high school, Joe joined the U.S. Army and became a paratrooper and medic with the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon leaving the military, Joe earned an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of North Carolina and a master’s degree, also in Wildlife Biology, from the University of Missouri. He then pursued a doctorate at Utah State University, and completed all but his…

This wireless fence unit from SportDog kills two birds with one stone: Your training collar can double as a wireless fence when at home. When set to Containment Mode, the radio signal on your pup’s collar only picks up signals through the Boundary Wire from the Fence Transmitter you’ve set around your yard. When changed to Training Mode, the collar receiver only transmits signals from your Remote Transmitter, allowing you to train your dog inside or outside of the Boundary Area. A wireless fence collar when you’re home, and a training collar when you hit the field. Perfect! $425; sportdog.com…

1 FIRST LITE SAWBUCK BRUSH PANT Gone are the days of stiff upland pants that are not ideal for long days afield or climbing hot, arid environments for birds such as chukar or Huns. The Sawbuck Brush Pant is made with four-way stretch nylon for maneuverability. Double-panel nylon brush panels line the front and calves of the pants to provide protection from briars and thick brush. A DWR finish sheds moisture for those early morning treks behind a good working dog. $160; firstlite.com 2 JAGDHUND GAMSFELD MEN’S VEST The Gamsfeld is a lightweight vest made with 95-percent new wool and five-percent alpaca. This combination provides a thermo-regulating climate zone against the body, so it can be worn in hot or cold weather. Made with Robur-Band, this material makes the vest…

IT’S NATURAL TO ramp up training drills as the summer months peak and the hunting season looms ever closer. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it does pay to remember that August is the kind of month that can be dangerous to a hard-working dog. The best strategy is to train at first or last light if at all possible. This ensures the coolest temperatures of the day, and will give your dog a chance to work without overheating. The problem with this strategy is, of course, life can get in the way. Not everyone has the opportunity to get out at sunrise to toss a dummy for their dog, which means training happens when it can happen. That might mean the best window to get out for some drills…

QUESTION: I am not a holistic guy at all, but my five-year-old Springer began having mild seizures of 12- to 15-second durations about six months ago. The seizures all occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m., almost exactly two weeks after a Trifexis dose. We switched to Heartgard, and he had a seizure the next morning. I discontinued all heartworm and oral flea medicine, and he had no seizures until I resumed two months later. He has standard recommended immunizations, snake immunization, and had his teeth cleaned nine months ago. My DVMs are not impressed with the timing between meds and seizures, but note that side effects have been reported. He is a house dog, but we train and compete at AKC hunt tests and I plan to do some duck hunting…

“Phantom has lymphoma.” The words hit me with blunt force. I was sitting in my vet’s office in early March of last year, hearing a diagnosis that no bird hunter wants to hear about their beloved gun dog. At seven years of age, it was hard to believe my Small Munsterlander, Phantom, had cancer, and could potentially be taken from me far too early. The month prior, Phantom had exhibited flu-like symptoms following a trip to Pheasant Fest in South Dakota. She was having trouble swallowing, and acted like she had a head cold. I figured she’d simply picked up the dog flu, since she’d been in contact with several other dogs. Upon examination, my vet was concerned about Phantom’s enlarged lymph nodes, and warned she may have lymphoma. I…