Be careful training in the heat

Just a quick reminder folks to keep a keen eye on your dogs this summer and watch for signs of overheating. I know of two dogs that died from the heat this summer while in their dog box out training.

Though milder than some years, it is hot out there and as we all know our gun dogs cannot cool off like we can. Most of our dogs are driven, and that desire may cause them to overheat quickly in this heat. It is hard for a dog to pant when they are carrying birds and bumpers. Dog boxes can turn into saunas if you are not careful.

I am sure that many of you have tips regarding this so please share. Here are some of mine:

- remember the basics of cool water, shade and plenty of ventilation
- train in the early morning hours and if in the evening - late
- deeper ponds are cooler than shallow ponds
- let your dog cool off and dry a bit before putting them in a dog box
- keep a fan or AC on your dog while in the box

Good tips!

I'm always very cognizant of how hot Kimber is getting. This morning just after three marks I had to run down to a tank and let her take a dip. There was a decent breeze so I let her rest in the box while I set up some more marks.

If I can only go in the middle of the day it's a few water blinds and we are done.

I ruined my best pointer by overheating him, hypoglycemia, afterwards he could only hunt about 20 minutes and he'd be worn out. I'm paranoid about it now,, but its too late for him.

Good advice here thanks Jay.