While duck hunting...

I have a lab pointer mix, about 1.5 years old and this is our first duck season. He lays in the canoe on few dog mats laid out on the bottom and a blanket on top of that. He has a neoprene vest too.  Haven't shot any birds this year so he hasn't gotten wet yet but was shivering on our last outing as it was low 30's temps.  I draped my coat over him to keep him warm as he curled up on the blanket. I also tucked a body warmer in his vest and he was fine after that but never needed him to get in and get wet. Is duck hunting with dogs an early season thing? I won't be taking him out for the rest of the year because I don't wanna worry about him getting cold, possibly hypothermic if he ends up jumpin in the lake.  How do y'all do it?

Thanks

Did this dog end up with more a pointer coat than a lab coat (thin and little or no undercoat)?  A pointer (assuming English pointer) is a lot worse in the cold than a lab unless they can keep moving.  Labs and Chesapeakes hunt in some pretty extreme cold conditions.

Sounds like you are on the right track, add in some towels to dry the dog off if his coat isn't water shedding like a lab's.  

I have a slick coated German Wirehair Pointer that gets soaked to the skin in water so cold is always a concern.  I don't waterfowl hunt much, but I'd be taking lots of precautions or not doing it at all in proper winter conditions.  I didn't buy a duck dog, I bought a kick ass upland game dog that can also do ducks up until the point it is too cold...  this is the compromise.

You really need a purpose built cold weather hunting dog breed for sub zero hunting temps if you don't have a heated duck blind.  Hypothermia and frostbite are hard to detect early on a dog and most dogs will shake it off like nothing is wrong in the field.  The damage comes on the ride home and I've known a few dogs over the years to have an early end to a hunting season because of frostbite to a paw, occasionally they can even lose a paw.

+1  be very careful, early season only.......there is a reason labs are "designed" to retrieve and pointers point


Ice not a big deal on a lab, but she will come in and sit by the heater at times.

You might have a thin skinned dog, labs are tough as nails in the cold, my hound dog will die if he isn't in a constant state of motion though.

Even at 1.5 years my lab still wasn't hefty enough to stay super warm.

He has a nice layer of fat on him now, and big thick double coat....he takes naps in the snow now.

Great point guys.  He's got the head and instinct of a lab, but the body of a pointer.  His coat is pretty thin and he carries little fat.  Sounds like he's gonna be my squirrel/rabbit/early duck dog.  Awesome considering he's just a mutt I rescued.  Smartest most obedient dog I've ever owned.

Does he live need or outside?

Inside dogs have thinner coats too.

He's an indoor dog.  Taking him pheasent hunting in the next couple weeks!

I'm sure he will be a great all season dog for you, just remember when it's cold to keep him out of the water and keep him moving.

Labs are just made to get soaked, then go sit and wait for another flight to come in. My hound dog can get wet this time of year, he just can't sit in it.

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I keep them insulated from the ground with a foam pad between retrieves and usually a vest when its cold.