Cold days, rainy weather, and migrating ducks and geese mean waterfowl season is here. If this is the first season of waterfowl hunting with your pudelpointer pup, make sure you’re doing all you can to ensure the dog’s safety and comfort.
Here, at Cabin Creek Gun Dogs, we get a lot of questions from folks asking if pudelpointers are good for waterfowl hunting. The answer is YES! Pudelpointers are exceptional waterfowl hunting dogs. Our unique bloodline at Cabin Creek Gun Dogs has resulted in what many owners tout as some of the best duck and goose dogs they’ve ever hunted with. While pudelpointers are tough and can withstand very cold temperatures on upland hunts where they are active, preparing your pudelpointer for waterfowl hunting takes some planning.
If hunting waterfowl from a blind, having a platform for the dog to stand on is important. A platform allows the dog to stand all day, out of the water, and stay dry. Forcing a dog to stand in the water can be very cold and unhealthy and quickly turn the dog away from the experience. A dog platform allows you to position the dog outside the blind, so it can mark birds that approach the decoys; they’ll often spot birds before you do.
There are dog stands that attach to trees, folding dog stands that can stand in shallow water, and stands with covers on them which act as a blind for your dog. On really cold, rainy days, a dog blind is a great way to go, but make sure you’ve gotten your pudelpointer pup used to it first, before heading out on a hunt.
If hunting from a permanent blind on dry ground you can build a box frame for the dog and line it with straw or a mat to keep the dog warm. Be sure that whatever you put in the blind for the dog to sit or lay on, allows water to drain.
A neoprene dog vest is also essential for keeping a dog warm on cold days. Neoprene insulates and adds lift, making it easier for the dog to swim long distances and retrieve bigger birds. A vest with a handle on the back is nice in case you have to lift the dog into a boat, blind, or help it up a muddy bank. Make sure the vest fits your dogs body type and size. Pudelpointers are big in the shoulders, small in the hind quarters. Some of our owners have had good luck with Browning’s neoprene vest as well as Cabela’s brands, which can be custom cut to fit your dog.
Before the hunt, be sure to run your dog with the vest on. Make sure it fits right, and if needed, trim places where it’s rubbing, usually behind the shoulders and between the legs and chest. If hunting amid cattails, rushes, and thick reeds, having a dog vest with a sturdy, yet flexible, chest plate is great for helping break through these messes, and it guards them from getting cut. A chest plate also helps protect dogs when busting through ice.
Feed your dog the best food you can afford, as it’s nutritional value will ensure a healthy coat and provide far more energy than bargain brand foods. Doubling the amount of food you feed your dog this time of year so they can put on a few extra pounds, is a good idea if you plan on regularly hunting with them. A healthy, high calorie food will increase your dog’s stamina and create a healthy, oily coat. Avoid giving your pudelpointer baths this time of year, if possible, as you want the oils to build up on the coat so they dry quicker when in the field. If you do have to bathe your dog, avoid hot water and use a very mild soap; no soap at all is even better.
Make sure your pudelpointer drinks, no matter how cold it is outside. Dogs lose a lot of moisture just by breathing, and expend a lot of energy running and swimming. Just like you, pudelpointers must stay hydrated when afield. If they won’t drink make them. Take a squirt style water bottle, grab the corner of the dog’s lip, pull it away from the corner or the jaw, insert the bottle and squeeze water into the pocket. They have to drink it.
Pudelpointers are excellent for waterfowl hunting. Many owners of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs pudelpointers hunt more ducks and geese than upland birds, and love how their dogs perform. In preparing for these cold, wet hunts of winter, make sure your pudelpointer is comfortable and safe.
As always, if you have any questions about our pudelpointers, please drop us a note.
