One of the best parts of having a string of gun dogs is thinking about how and where to run each one. Ladder in your buddy’s string and there are lots of options from which to choose. But there are practical reasons to rotate your string such as:
1. You’ve always got a fresh dog on the ground: Dogs that are physically energized and mentally alert find more birds. They hit each field or cover with boldness and intensity, and their tails or docks crack because they’re happy doing what they were bred to do. One of the main benefits of having a big string is that you’ve always got a fresh dog to put on the ground. The in-between hunts rest period allows their bodies to recover from a good workout. Even the most well-conditioned dogs need a day off from their intense grind, and if you’ve got a string that’s easily accomplished.
To have a fresh dog on the ground doesn’t always mean going back to the truck, loading up one and collaring up another. Pat Keliher of Thornapple Cockers in Alna, Maine, hunts grouse with at least a four-pack of his English field cocker spaniels. “Over the years I’ve developed a quiet, stealthy approach,” he said. “I’ll walk in the woods with three dogs heeling behind me and with one working out front. Each dog runs for 20 or so minutes after which I call him back. He’ll then walk by my side while I cut loose another dog and so on all day long. Cockers aren’t big, so they have to use their size to their advantage. That means they’ll often go under logs and around stone walls instead of over them. They are constantly working. We hunt at a leisurely pace all day but once we start we just keep going. An in-field rotation means I always have a fresh dog on the ground.”
2. Match dogs to a cover type: There’s nothing like cutting a big running dog loose to look for a covey of Huns on the prairies. It’s equally impressive watching a close-working cover dog snake his way through an alder tangle or a white birch stand. But asking a close working dog to find birds in the expansive prairie might be too big of an ask.
Maximize your dog’s performance by putting him down in an area that matches his run type. Two that I commonly use are based on genetics and age. Put the big running dog down in the expansive field. When you’re done, pick him up and head over to the surrounding coolies, shelterbelts, hedgerows or forest stands. Those areas are better for moderate and close working dogs. Put your dog in a place where he can succeed, and he’ll repay you in dividends.
Age and how it relates to terrain are two other considerations. I’ll always run older dogs in loose areas that are easier for them to navigate. Over the years they’ve distinguished themselves with hard, athletic runs, and now it’s their turn to let the younger dogs with lots of juice tackle the hilly and rocky terrain, the thickest covers and the biggest fields. Dogs over eight years of age are starting to feel the effects of age and a life well lived. While their eyes are bright and their tails thud loudly against kennel walls when you peer in, make their life a little easier. Shorter run times are a good idea as well, especially because it will help with their recovery.
Sometimes you might need to change things up, and that’s based on how the dog is running. If you’ve got a track star that gets excited and outruns his nose and you put him in a big field, you may not get a shot. Rein him in by putting him down in a thicker cover. He’ll need to slow down, and with luck he’ll get some bird contacts. Fast is good, but running over a covey is not.
3. Elevate the overall quality of your string: I used to hunt with a fella who only ran veteran superstars. Pups, derbies and young dogs would get a mop up hunt if they were lucky. When I’d put down my young dogs, he got so irritated that we no longer hunt together. But I did that for a few reasons.
First, the age spacing of my four-dog string meant that I had one rookie, one emerging, one prime time, and one senior citizen. The oldest dog always got an honor hunt, so that meant I’d need to figure out a rotation for the other three. By getting the pup and the emerging dog more work I’d elevate the overall quality of my string.
Second, I could shift around based on what I wanted to achieve. If I wanted to kill birds, I’d put the most experienced dogs in the best covers. But if I wanted to get younger dogs more contacts then I’d put him in that cover. If it was an age-appropriate area I also might put down the senior dog so he can have some fun. No doubt he’s earned it.
A crash course in bird contacts seldom if ever works. Having a string lets you hunt current superstars while bringing along Gen Next.
4. Injury reduction: Everyone knows that gun dogs are wired to hunt. That’s why your setter that just ran for two hours barks non-stop when he gets traded for another dog. There are two good things about that barking. The first is you never need a GPS to find the truck. The second is that he wants to go again. That’s where you’ve got to be careful.
All dogs, even those that have been conditioned, tested or trialed in the offseason can experience fatigue. Antioxidants in your dog food help speed up recovery, while glucosamine and chondroitin fortify their joints, tendons and ligaments. Still, every dog can benefit from rest, and having a string means you can give dogs some rest so they aren’t pushing their bodies so hard that they’ll get injured. And if your dog does get injured and needs some time to heal then you’ve got other dogs to hunt while he recovers.
Our seasons are short enough that we never want to miss any time. Though a string of dogs costs more and requires more time, it’s a lot better than other chores. Cutting the grass and cleaning gutters is overrated anyway.
