Dog Outfit for Duck Hunting Suggestions

Plan to take my 8 month GSP, Whiskey down to the Sea Drift area for some duck hunting. She has done great retrieving bumpers at the lake this summer, but I fear when she hits the colder water to retrieve a duck she will not be happy. So looking for any suggestions on what you use for dog vest during duck hunts. Also I know a lot of the areas we hunt have oyster shells around the blinds and concerned she will cut her paws. Do you put booties on them for protection? Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Check the water temps before you go. I have a lab and its got to get pretty cold before I put her dog vest on. Last yr in ND we did a pond hunt it was 21* and I did not put her vest on.

Good to know. We took her quail hunting last weekend at Chaparral WMA south of San Antonio. We tent camped and she was shivering in the early hours and the temp was probably in the 40s. She is very thin and thus think she has a hard time keeping warm.

Also we plan to take her to Taos for a ski trip and will probably use the vest as double duty.

your GSP does not have an undercoat like bentmans lab does, apples and oranges on that vest deal

An outfit huh.

Check out www.camofire.com they've got some outfits today.

In case you've never used camofire those deals are daily. If you find a good deal buy today don't wait till tomorrow.

If you are hunting an area with any oyster shells I would highly suggest some type of booties for the dog. I've seen some dogs pads get shredded by oysters. If you are hunting down there anytime in the first split the water most likely won't be cold enough to need a vest.

JP,

Yeah will probably try and find some booties that will stay on her. I know several of the blinds I have hunted from are in oyster beds. Good for Redfish bad for uncovered feet.

I like my Avery dog vest when it gets cold. And those grab handles/holes are good for hoisting your mutt up into a boat or blind.

To be honest my lab goes crazy when I put her dog vest. I've hunted up too -17* and she still will not wear her vest

If I know I am going to be doing a lot of cold water retrieving with my Vizsla, he does not get bathed during season unless it is absolutely necessary. Retaining the oils in the coat help greatly with shedding water. I feel it helps more with the cold than the vest does too. The best brand of neoprene vests for my Vizslas I have used has been cheaper bass pro redhead, but they always require some cutting and resewing to match my dogs wasp like bodies. I seldom put a vest on my dog these days. I tend to not use it in thick stickups or broken ice.

Or what Sniper John said. Their natural, unwashed cost is pretty darn effective, but through sticks, ice or barbed wire I really like the protection of a vest. Sticks though, you kind of have to make sure they don't get hung on one swimming

Being a vest originally intended for a large necked fat bellied retrieving breed, even altered for a wasp body, I can't get it perfect and can have some looseness at the neck or leg holes. I prefer not to put a vest on my dog in or on the ice. If he has to swim or climb up through the ice, it will pick up the ice under the neck. I want him to slick through it without getting bogged down and out of the water as fast as possible. And please do not put your dog on ice in Texas unless it is shallow enough for the dog to stand up.

I told my wife it's best I don't bath for the duration of the season either.

My gsp wears a banded brand 5mm dog vest. U can find em on eBay. Trust me if your dogs excited about hunting like most gsps are. The first duck to hit the water your dog will be hooked and cold won't even matter. Mines a fish, loves the water and loves duck hunting more than anything. She actually concentrates more than ever when duck hunting. It's crazy.

The best way to get the vests to fit, is to do like I did take the dog to an alterations place, tell em what u want done, they measured my dog, then altered the vest to fit better. Or you can try to cut and alter it yourself.

are you hunting Seadrift, Minnesota ??? To quail hunt my dogs I pray for 35--40 degrees, but it rarely gets that cold.

Yeah she has gone nuts this summer over the water. She would jump off the boat while trolling and swim laps around the boat. Want to make sure she does not get turned off this winter on duck hunts.

She also has a wasp like body so fit will be tough. I like the idea of taking her to an alteration shop.

Great picture. She looks like she is definitely in the zone.