Traveling With Your Dog

Traveling With Your Dog

By Frank Register

Upland bird hunters and Waterfowlers travel many miles in search of their quarry. As the eastern states continue to grow in population, hunters must find areas not so populated, in which to hunt.

This can involve many long hours in a vehicle. Where we go so goes pup. Hunters typically use a pickup truck to travel. Most have beds covered by an aluminum cover, in which we carry everything from decoys to you name it. This includes pup. I was always under the impression that pup would be warm and happy in a porter, fastened securely inside this covered truck bed. It is not heated but keeps the dog out of the wind and moisture, both rain and snow. Think Again.

On a trip to Nebraska, last fall, I was caught in a snowstorm that the weather channel said was their worst since 1916. Out in the sandhill country there are few towns and fewer houses. I was traveling with my young Lab gyp, Deuce. She was riding, as usual, in a porter. When we stalled out no houses were in site. Hunting alone, I was not expected anywhere, so I decided to get in the back of the truck, where I had food, water, sleeping bag, a mattress, and a small stove. The winds were howling. A pot of coffee and three hours later and I can personally attest that it was colder than a well digger's belt buckle back there. Deuce was doing fairly well, with only the occasional shiver. My sleeping bag said "good to 32 degrees,” but was not getting the job done. I put on my Gortex hunting coat and pants, and got back in the bag. It slowly dawned on me that dogs, even in covered truck beds, go through some severe temperatures.

We run our gundogs hard, sometimes for hours. These dogs deserve some consideration, especially late in their hunting day. How many times have you seen [or done] someone hunt right up to the truck, grab his hunting dog, push him in his porter and take off down the road. If that dog has been running hard, he is hot. Any good horseman would never expose a hot horse to cold, damp travel conditions. This can bring on health problems to horse, man, or dog.

After strenuous workouts, all three need to cool out SLOWLY. With your gundog it is a simple matter to call pup in about 10 minutes before getting back to the truck. Leash him and slowly walk on to your truck. This cools pup out slowly, by keeping him walking, instead of running. Putting a tired and physically stressed dog in a porter or trailer compartment can produce a sore, stiff dog for the next day's hunt. It can also take time off his life.

When on hunting trips, I try to stay in motels that allow pup in the room.

I house break or porter break all dogs that I hunt with, for obvious reasons. Paying an irate innkeeper for puddles and piles is money best spent in about any other manner. Pup [especially when he gets old] will be much more comfortable in a heated room. The older dog will not be so stiff and sore on his second day's hunt. Any hunting dog will be a lot more dog the next day if he has been cooled out, fed and watered properly, and bedded down warm and dry.

Everyone admires a tough dog. People who treat their hunting dog in a unreasonable manner, just to show how "tough" he is, remind me of the WWII general the press called old "Blood and Guts." The soldiers under him were quick to coin another phrase, "Our blood-his Guts." Pampering a gundog won't make a sissy out of him. After a hard hunt, he should be able to relax in a quite, warm environment. Leaving a gundog in an uninsulated porter in the back of a pickup, in freezing temperatures, may qualify pup as "tough," but sure won't increase his hunting or retrieving ability. Hunting partners who become irritated by your properly looking after your gundog, can be replaced. Good hunting dogs are few and far between.

The time spent waiting out the blizzard, in the back of my pickup has convinced me that dogs hauled in covered truck beds are exposed to drafts, moisture and chills. The stress of travel, cold temperatures, and improper cooling can cause poor performance; and if harsh enough can cause illness and in some cases death.

One of the first items on my "must have" list is an insulated cover for pups porter. Most good dog and hunter supply catalogs have them. These come with vents so pup can get enough air. If covered too tightly, pup could suffocate.

Remember, you don't have to prove how tough your dog is. Take good care of him and he'll hunt for you. If you want to test pup’s travel method, just spend some time in it. That blizzard sure opened my eyes. BEST AFIELD.

Frank Register owns Slipnot Kennels and raises Boykin Spaniels.