Jake Smith: An off-season plan for the hunting dog – Traverse City Record Eagle

Rain. Snow may mix in. Low around 35F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch..
Rain. Snow may mix in. Low around 35F. Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Updated: March 18, 2022 @ 5:02 pm
Ginny, as a pup, asks, “Is this good enough?” Training on the “hold” command cleaned up her retrieving skills. Now, 11 years later, she saunters back with a bird, savoring every step.

Ginny, as a pup, asks, “Is this good enough?” Training on the “hold” command cleaned up her retrieving skills. Now, 11 years later, she saunters back with a bird, savoring every step.
Yes, I’m aware it doesn’t look like much out there these days, but while we’re in the year’s pause — that great big deep breath before shedding the remnants of winter and venturing outside once more — put some thought into a plan for your hunting dog. One that doesn’t involve the both of you sprawled out on the couch binging every episode of “Stranger Things” and before you ask no I am not speaking from experience. Honest.
When you have a flushing dog, retriever, or pointing dog, there really is no off-season, not unless you’re OK hunting only a half-hour on opening day and living with, yet again, the same faults and foibles you dealt with last season. By the same token, your plan for how to carry over your dog’s work and conditioning from the closing day of one season to the opening day jitters of the next need not be boot camp.
How well the dog performs and maintains health starts with nutrition. You may be aware of his diet during the hunting season, but it’s easy to get lax during the down times. Most sporting dog veterinarians recommend continuing to feed the same performance food — typically a 30-percent protein/20-percent fat formula — used during the hunting season but at a lower quantity to adjust for a decrease in physical activity. Don’t rely on your dog’s vote for what that quantity should be — he’d prefer the whole bag. Simply follow the guidelines on the dog food bag, and adjust based on activity.
It’s critical to pay attention to your hunting dog’s weight for it can lead to all sorts of problems, especially later in life. Carrying more weight in the hindquarters year after year will degrade the joints and tendons, particularly in the hind legs. Most hunting dog owners are familiar with the dreaded cranial cruciate ligament tear so prevalent among hard-charging dogs, and weight is a contributing factor. A partial CCL tear in one of our Labradors, Cici, was allowed to heal through rest and physical therapy alone, without surgery, simply because she carried less weight. And being kept trim has allowed Ginny, our 11-year-old Lab, to continue hunting despite a case of hip dysplasia, though she does walk a bit bow-legged and our hunts are more romps in the fall sun and not a mission to find birds.
But it’s more than orthopedic concerns; it’s actual years on your dog’s life. Many years ago, the giant dog food company Purina conducted a first-of-its-kind lifespan study in Labrador retrievers stretching across 14 years. The control group consumed what could be considered “normal” rations; the other, “lean-fed” group were fed 25 percent fewer calories to an “ideal body condition,” and the dogs lived nearly two years longer than the control group. The control group also showed more visible signs of aging — graying muzzles, compromised gaits, reduced activity — at an earlier age compared to the lean-fed group. Talk to your vet about what your dog’s ideal body condition should be.
Piggybacking on nutrition is, of course, exercise and conditioning, something that shouldn’t be crammed into the last couple weeks of summer right before the season. Rather, longer distances and duration need to build gradually over the course of many weeks and months.
It goes without saying — but, apparently, I will anyway — to be aware of the dangers of summer heat, limiting your work to the mornings and evenings. If you take your dog on jogs while you tend to your own conditioning, remember that he’s not wearing those fancy running shoes you are — he doesn’t have the cushioning or a barrier between his paw and the hot pavement. Find a wooded trail to run on or at least a path with grass alongside he can stay on.
Very few dogs ever turned up their noses at frolicking in the water. This low-impact exercise is about as good as it gets for dogs, especially our senior citizens. Be mindful — and respectful — of beaches closed to pets. And if you want to get your hunting dog real-world experience in the woods and fields where you’ll be hunting in the fall, be aware that the DNR has an established “blackout” period — April 16 through July 7 — when you can’t run and train your dog on state game or wildlife areas.
When you do get out, what do you want to work on? Take a moment to reflect on the previous hunting season and give your dog an honest grade. What things did he do well? Where did he struggle? Did he retrieve ducks that fell in the decoys but wouldn’t go much farther out? Did he creep in on point? Did he generally hunt for himself and not go with you? It’s probably a good bet that obedience and manners need some sharpening, but what else?
Every fault has a solution — some easier than others — but it begins with a plan on how to address it, even if that means contacting a professional trainer. If you’re tackling it yourself, start by backing up a few steps in the training program and re-establishing the foundational skills. If your retriever won’t take a hand signal, back up to simple marked retrieves first. In most cases, simplifying is the magic formula. Build upon success of a known and related skill, and work up to the problem area without being unfair to your dog by expecting something of him he’s not ready for.
A tenet of dog training from top hunting and competition trainers — and for maintaining a happy life with dogs in general — is keeping your dog’s attitude top of mind. Simply, all of this off-season work can’t be a chore.
So incorporate fun, and don’t make everything in your dog’s life about the hunt. Do things outside the norm — hiking, camping, boat rides, car rides, walks in unusual places or across different terrain. Let him explore an agility course or set up obstacles for him to jump over or crawl under to stimulate him mentally and work muscles and tendons.
The benefits of mental stimulation and enrichment for dogs is a growing field of research, and many things learned about people as we age can apply to dogs. While Fido can’t grab a pencil and do the daily Sudoku, enrichment activities, puzzles, learning new skills, and experiencing new places challenges a dog’s mind and helps stave off canine cognitive dysfunction, which shares a lot of similarities with human dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Their lives are too short as it is. If you’ve made the commitment to training and hunting with a dog, make sure to enjoy a full 12 months with them and not just the few in the fall. I’m pretty certain no one ever regretted spending more time with their dog.
Jake Smith is the editor of The Pointing Dog Journal, The Retriever Journal, and Just Labs magazines. He can be reached through the collective email address [email protected].
Equipment
Whistle: There are several benefits to whistle-training your dog, from being able to reach out farther to communicate, to cutting through wind and waves, to helping make all family members “sound the same” to the dog. Stay away from the silent whistles; those can be difficult to use consistently because you can’t hear your own cadence. Get a few, plus a lanyard, and if others in the family will communicate to your dog with a whistle, make sure they use the same blast cadences.
Bumpers: It’s fun to toss the tennis ball or a stick or a dog toy for fetching, but when it comes to more serious training for the retrieve, get a few dedicated retrieving bumpers to use. The dog will come to learn that it’s business and not playtime when these come out.
Checkcord: This long length of cord – from 20 to 30 feet or more – is ideal to use with young dogs so you can maintain a connection while he learns to quarter in front or work cover. You may or may not be a fan of the electronic collar – an “invisible checkcord,” so to speak – but every dog should spend time on a checkcord to learn basics and develop reliability before you can trust him to obey off of it.
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