As I’ve mentioned before in this column, I now spend most of my summer helping my friends train flushing spaniels in New York’s Hudson Valley. Summers in upstate New York are beautiful, though periods in July and August can be so hot and humid that trainers work early and late to avoid the hottest midday hours. Fall and spring are glorious, but winter is another story. Weather conditions in a northeast winter are unpredictable to say the least, and it is not uncommon to be faced with some combination of rain, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, often in a single day afield. These days, I try to escape to Florida before the snow flies, but when I owned my kennel, I was forced to work right through the winter weather, training, guiding, and hunting. I learned quickly that working flushers in cold climates poses a host of challenges for dogs and trainers alike.

This is not to say you cannot or should not run flushing dogs in cold or wet conditions. Nasty days can be great froma hunting perspective, especially when the fainthearted choose to stay home, and the woods and fields are largely empty. It is critical, however, that a handler or trainer takes certain precautions to keep flushing dogs safe and healthy through challenging late-season weather. Remember, most working gun dogs are so driven that, in the presence of birds, they will literally work themselves into life-or-death situations. Despite the resilience and heart that flushing spaniels show, they arenonetheless small dogs with relatively thin coats. Though I’d never describe them as fragile, they are certainly not Invincible. Often, it becomes the job of the handler or trainer to monitor both the dog and the environment, attending to both sufficiently to keep a dog out of harm’s way through the winter months.

When working dogs in the winter, you must first remember that the environment is not what it was in summer. It looks, feels, and behaves differently, especially when covered with snow and ice, both of which can hide dangers. Barbed wire fences, bottle dumps, and other hazards can be hidden quickly under a skim of snow, so it is important to know the terrain. A skim of frozen rain over snow can create a sheet of sharp ice that can really beat up a dog’s legs. More importantly, however, prolonged freezing temperatures can cause ice to form on both still and moving water, a reality which poses all sorts of hazards. A fresh skim of snow on an iced-over pond can looklike solid ground to a dog in the heat of a flush or a retrieve, and more than one dog has gone through thin ice in pursuit of a bird and succumbed to either cold or drowning. I can say from experience, that a few trainers who have gone out on that same ice to rescue a dog have fallen through as well and nearly succumbed to the same fate. It is imperative that a handler be able to steer a dog away from thin ice, or, in the event of catastrophe, be careful not to create a second victim, and know a vet to take your dog to if needed.

Keeping Your Dog Safe from Ice

There are two specific scenarios that I should mention as they are particularly scary where ice is concerned. In the north woods, it is not uncommon to hunt areas that are interlaced with fast moving brooks, rivers, and creeks. Moving water freezes at different rates, meaning that a river may have thin and thick patches of ice over its length. In the event that a dog or a person falls through iced over moving water, the current can quickly sweep the dog or person under the ice, making rescuenearly impossible. It is always best to steer clear of river ice whenever possible, and to cue dogs away from river crossings. If a crossing is inevitable, cross in open water shallows rather than risking thin ice.

Additionally, ice that forms over mucky, swampy, or marshy ground is often inconsistent and brittle, and dogs can randomly punch through into the mud and muck below. This mud can prove incredibly hard to get out of, and a struggle will both chill the dog and sap its energy. Be aware that if you are running a flusher without a locator such as GPS or bell, a dog can get stuck in the mud and be incredibly hard to find before hypothermia sets in.

Hunting in Winter Conditions with a Dog

Aside from these concrete physical dangers, decreased body temperature is the major threat to dogs that are working in winter conditions. We can mitigate temperature loss by taking steps to keep the dog warm both internally and externally. Just like humans, dogs burn calories to generate heat which keeps their inner furnace working. When running a dog in cold temperatures, especially if wet conditions and snow are factors, a handler should up the food consumption and possibly consider a food with a higher fat/protein content. These slower burning food sources will help generate reserves that can afford the dog a long, slow draw of energy, which in turn can help maintain body heat. Keep water intake and electrolytes high as well, just to keep all functions working at optimal levels.

Externally, the big concerns for a dog in winter are heat loss due to a cold environment (conduction) or evaporation. There are a few easy efforts that can help protect a dog against both. First and foremost, set your dog up for success. A cocker hunting in 10 inches of snow is essentially covered up in that snow the entire time he is on the ground. Though exertion will likely keep that dog warm, a little extra in the coat departmentprovides an added insulation layer. Let the late season dog grow his coat out a bit, and in extreme cold consider a neoprene or other insulative “dog vest.” If snow balls form between the toes, clip the hair in those recesses short, or consider booting your dog. Most importantly, however, keep an eye on your dog, recognizing that he will exert fast in cold, snowy, and wet conditions.

Make the most of short hunts, and when your dog is done, dry him thoroughly with a DRY towel before crating him. This last suggestion cannot be overstated; you must not put a wet dog in a cold crate and assume he will contend well with heat loss. Dry him thoroughly, and make sure the crate or dog box is as sheltered and protected from the elements as possible. A pile of wet towels under a cold dog does not make for the most comfortable or warm environment in which he can recover.

One last point about the box or crate that is critical is that, often, folks transport their gun dogs in crates in theback of an open pickup bed. Ventilated crates get wind-blown in a moving truck bed, and wind, especially blowing over a wet dog, can decrease body temperature rapidly. In winter, put a topper on the truck, buy insulated crate covers, or invest in insulated dog boxes. Moreover, think about adding a waterproof, foam crate pad to each crate to decrease heat loss through convection. Finally, don’t hesitate to double up dogs in one crate or dog box. The extra body heat generated by two dogs can be meaningful on a cold day.

Preparing Your Hunting Dog for Late Season

On a final note, it is key that you keep tabs on your dog’s behavior in the cold of late season. Hypothermia can show up quickly and unexpectedly, usually appearing as a slow-down in pace, shivering, and a “wobbly” dog that struggles withcoordination. Gun dogs in the “heat” of the hunt are especially good at hiding signs of hypothermia. Attend to a dog that might be getting too cold immediately! Pick him up, dry him off, and get him warm as quickly as possible. Hypothermia is a scary condition that can progress quickly, and the only real treatment is to remove the dog from the dangerous environment and introduce external heat sources. Note that as stated above, hypothermia can occur on a drizzly, 50-degree day thatfeels perfectly safe to the hunter; it does not only set in when temps drop to freezing.

All in all, if a dog trainer or handler in the northern part of the U.S. refused to hunt or train in cold weather, there would be very little hunting or training left to do through a big chunk of the year. The key to ensure safe and enjoyable hunting through wintertime is to be cautious about the environment, and the impact it has on your dogs. With some awareness and a reasonably cautious approach, dogs andtheir handlers can hunt through the coldest weather and do so for days on end.