this is my first brittany and i am planning on using her alot for duck hunting she retrieves well having done it in the water yet but great on land and is not scared of the water. the best time for duck hunting here is when it is 20 degrees the river won freeze easy how cold can it get before it is just to much for the dog she is kept inside six months old so havent had her in cold to much as pup her parents were kept outside the day i picked her up the mother and father were in there pens and it was a high of maybe 30 just don't know when to cold to jump in the water any opinions greatly appreciated
Brittany and cold water
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Dakotazeb
Well-known member
While Brittanys can do a decent job of retrieving ducks I think asking a Britt to work in cold water on a 20 degree day might be asking too much. They just don't have the coats to take those kind of temps. By using a neoprene vest and drying the dog off after each retrieve it might help but for those temps you would be much better off with a Lab or Chessie.
i figured that was just to cold i been retrieving my own ducks long enough don't care to much about that just didn't know any opinions of how cold is to cold for the dog i would think i could bring her and just don't let her retrieve guess i will just have to feel it out didn't know if anyone experienced the situation she'll be doing plenty of pheasant hunting just im die hard duck thier will be plenty of warmer days for her for duck hunting had to get a brittany just what i always had couldn't get anything else
bobeyerite
New member
George, I have had a lot of experience with Brittany's as you know. I had a female Brit by the name of Misty. She loved water and would go swimming at every opportunity. I have seen her break ice, snow on the ground, Etc. and take a swim just for the fun of it. That makes me say try the dog and see what happens. They are all different, she may like swimming in cold water. I will admit had one Brit, Lady Bertina, if you took her near water she would lift a leg and go gimpy and get real sick in a hurry. As soon she was sure the water was out of question. The leg came down and hunting upland birds, we would go. As healthy as she could be. Like I said it depends on the dog.......Bob
BritChaser
Well-known member
cold water britts
LUnch, Bob and George,
I understand your points about Britts in cold water. Had a Britt named Quarter Note, hunted him in some of the coldest water you can believe in Wyoming, 20 below zero in the worst weather. You know that is the best time to hunt ducks and geese. We always pulled him out of the water, stuffed him in a sleeping bag or nylon bag, let him warm up, and he was good to go. Don't know if this helps. That is what we did. One of the best damn Britts that I have ever owned. My humble opinion. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
LUnch, Bob and George,
I understand your points about Britts in cold water. Had a Britt named Quarter Note, hunted him in some of the coldest water you can believe in Wyoming, 20 below zero in the worst weather. You know that is the best time to hunt ducks and geese. We always pulled him out of the water, stuffed him in a sleeping bag or nylon bag, let him warm up, and he was good to go. Don't know if this helps. That is what we did. One of the best damn Britts that I have ever owned. My humble opinion. Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
very helpful haven't taken her swimming yet from reading says introduce dog in nicer weather first time she has been in neck deep and doesn't seem to mind just couldn't go in with her yet and don't want to force her not nervouse about that the only question i have is did you keep your dog outside all the time didn't know if that made any difference but thanks its nice to know she may not mind the cold at all. this is a very helpful forum thank you very much
lunchbox
you said your dog is six month old? i would not suggest you put a dog that young is that cold of a situation. might want to see what, bob and george have to say. i dont know about a dog this young, how it can stand the temperature, as far, as the cold water, is concernd. my dogs where 2 or 3 years old before we did, what i stated earlier ,in this thread.:thumbsup:
you said your dog is six month old? i would not suggest you put a dog that young is that cold of a situation. might want to see what, bob and george have to say. i dont know about a dog this young, how it can stand the temperature, as far, as the cold water, is concernd. my dogs where 2 or 3 years old before we did, what i stated earlier ,in this thread.:thumbsup:
bobeyerite
New member
I agree Jmac, I would introduce it to this summer and let it swim all it wants in the warm water. It just may not want to swim much at all. Then after it is well over a year old take to the duck blind and see if it wants to do it............Bob
jasper
New member
This is a very good read with a lot of good info in it. I have never owned a Brit but can tell when my lab is too cold. I've covered him up with my jacket before in a blizzard just to keep him warm. If you think it is to cold then it is. Don't second guess your judgment.
Hypothermia and the retriever
Recognizing and treating the hypothermic canine
"....the cold, wet conditions of waterfowling are two of the most demanding environments known, and they can create a very dangerous situation for yourself and your retriever â?? ice.
A well-trained retriever will trust and obey you completely. This makes it our responsibility to not put our retrievers in dangerous situations. Allowing your dog to retrieve on ice is just asking for trouble. For those that do not know, ice is always thinner toward the middle of a pond or river than on the edge, and it is never a good idea to send your dog to retrieve a bird downed on the ice.
If your retriever becomes trapped in sub-freezing water, it will not take long for her to become hypothermic. Most dogs become trapped in these situations when they are not able to get back up after falling through weak ice. Constant submersion in such water temperatures only requires a few minutes for core body temperature to drop so low that you will pass out. Most fatalities from freezing water occur from drowning after their body temperatures, and ability to swim, plummet rapidly sending them to an icy grave.
That being said, it doesn't have to be freezing for hypothermia to occur. Wind chill and constant exposure can also lead to hypothermic producing conditions. Symptoms of hypothermia follow a predictable pattern. The first symptom will be shivering, as the body tries to warm itself. This will progress to weakness, stiffness, and stupor. In the final stages of hypothermia the dog may lapse in to unconsciousness or coma, possibly leading to death.
If you believe that your retriever may be hypothermic, take immediate action to warm him up. If your truck is nearby leave everything and take the dog to the truck. Warm the truck up and put your dog in the floorboard under the heat or blow the heat out the vents toward the dog on the seat. In lieu of a warm truck, build a fire to produce some heat. Vigorously rub your dog. Preferably with a dry towel, but you're not necessarily rubbing to dry him off, as much as you're rubbing to create friction and produced heat and stimulation.
If you have a thermal blanket (the mylar sheets â?? not the plug-in electric type) in your emergency kit, you can use this as a thermal shield to reflect the heat of a fire or create a small warming chamber in the truck. This is much more effective than simply wrapping him up in the blanket. Of course, if no heat source is available or you will need to carry him a long distance to a vehicle, wrapping him is beneficial and will help trap body heat. If this is the case, even if you have him wrapped continue to rub vigorously to warm and stimulate him through the blanket.
You will know that you are making some progress by watching symptoms reverse themselves until eventually your retriever beings to shiver. This means that the temperature have risen to the point that the brain once again recognizes that he is cold and needs to warm up.
Most long-term hypothermic damage occurs to organs (such as the brain) that have not received adequate blood flow during the event, in which case it may be several days or weeks before you or your veterinarian know the entire extent of the damage.
info on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hypothermia in hunting dogs;
Canine Hypothermia Part 1
".... It doesnâ??t have to be frigid conditions for a dog to show signs of hypothermia, exposure in cold water with some wind is all that is needed. Over the next few days we will discuss the signs and symptoms of canine hypothermia, the treatment if your dog is showing signs, and common sense ways to prevent it; but first I want to provide some basic information of what hypothermia is
Hypothermia is when the core body temperature drops due to exposure to cold. It can be deadly if ignored. A dogs normal body temperature is 101-102 degrees Farenheit. Hypothermia occurs once a dogâ??s temperature, taken with a rectal thermometer, drops below 97 degrees. The temperature outside does not have to be below freezing for this to occur. In fact studies have show that 55 degree water, with 40 degree air temps and 10 mph winds are prime conditions for hypothermia to occur in a dog. Most of us duck hunters have all hunted in much worse conditions than these.
=============================
Canine Hypothermia Part II- Signs and Symptoms
Hypothermia can be divided into 3 categories or stages.
1) Mild: The dog begins to shiver and connot control the shivering. Your dog will begin to act lethargic or tired. Typically at this stage the dogs temperature is between 96-99 degrees F.
2) Moderate: Once a dogâ??s temperature falls into the 90-95 degree F. range it lose itâ??s ability to shiver. The dog will lose coordination and appear clumsy, at this point the dog may lose consciousnous. If it gets to this point, your dog lifeâ??s is in serious danger.
3) Severe: 82-90 degrees F. At this point your dog will have collapsed, it will have trouble breathing, the pupils will be dilated and the dog will be unresponsive. If hypothermia gets to this point it is critical that the dog be warmed quickly and taken to an emergency vet center.
Like most things, if you pick up on the signs early, it is very treatable and will have no long suffering effects on the dog. Keep and eye on your pup when itâ??s cold out so you can be sure he can share the blind with you again next time.
===========================
Canine Hypothermia Part III- Treatment
So now that we know what the signs and symptoms are we notice that are dog is shivering and seems clumsy and uncoordinated. Hypothermia is suspected, so we grab our Field First-Aid kit and check the dogâ??s temperature; itâ??s 94 degrees F. What now?
At this point the number one factor is to remove the dog form exposure to cold, and prevent any further heat loss. For most of us duck hunters that will mean drying the dog. Use towels, your coat, anything you can that will absorb the water from the dog. The next step is get the dog out of the wind. If you are in a blind this will not be too difficult, but if you are hutning from a boat or in flooded timber you may want to use your coat to make a wind block for the dog. Body to body contact can help as well. This doensâ??t mean you have to get naked and huddle with the dog, but pulling the dog close or opening your coat and huddling with the dog will help the dog warm up. If you can get the dog to your truck, put the dog in the floor board, crank the truck and use the heater. This is about all that can eb done in the field, but anytime you have to do any of this an emergency vet visit is needed. Once at the vetâ??s office their are number of things they cna do like warm fluid IVâ??s and flushing stomach or rectum with warm isotonic fluids.
===================
Canine Hypothermia Part IV- Prevention
Perhaps the easiest way to deal with hypothermia and your dog is to aviod it. This does not mean you cancel those cold weather duck hunts, but a few precautions should be taken when the mercury drops.
The first thing is transporting a dog to the field. If you have a dog box, put cedar shavings in the box to help insulate it. If you use the plastic or wire crates, use an insulated kennel cover. This will keep the cold wind of the dog as you drive to your hunting location.
Once you arive, put a neoprene vest on your dog. The neoprene vest does a great job at keeping the body warm even when wet. There are several manufactures and several models to choose from.
Keep the dog from sitting in the water. Sititng in the cold water will zap the warmth right out of the dog; so use a dog stand or find a spot in the boat or blind that is dry for the dog to sit.
Keep your wet dog out of the wind.
Dry the dog often. Try and help keep the dog dry, use towles, or better yet a chamois cloth, to dry the dog off when the shooting slows down.
Keep a bumper in your blind bag. If itâ??s bitte rcold and the shooting is slow, throw bumper (on land) a few times and let the dog run some to retrieve it. Just getting the dog up and getting the blood flowing will help add warmth.
Hypothermia is serious and kills hunting dogs every year. Knowing the signs and symptoms, having some basic knowledge of first level treatment may one day save your dogâ??s life. There is no better cure than prevention, so use good sense when the temperatures are cold, and you and your buddy can enjoy a lot more cold mornings together."
Hypothermia and the retriever
Recognizing and treating the hypothermic canine
"....the cold, wet conditions of waterfowling are two of the most demanding environments known, and they can create a very dangerous situation for yourself and your retriever â?? ice.
A well-trained retriever will trust and obey you completely. This makes it our responsibility to not put our retrievers in dangerous situations. Allowing your dog to retrieve on ice is just asking for trouble. For those that do not know, ice is always thinner toward the middle of a pond or river than on the edge, and it is never a good idea to send your dog to retrieve a bird downed on the ice.
If your retriever becomes trapped in sub-freezing water, it will not take long for her to become hypothermic. Most dogs become trapped in these situations when they are not able to get back up after falling through weak ice. Constant submersion in such water temperatures only requires a few minutes for core body temperature to drop so low that you will pass out. Most fatalities from freezing water occur from drowning after their body temperatures, and ability to swim, plummet rapidly sending them to an icy grave.
That being said, it doesn't have to be freezing for hypothermia to occur. Wind chill and constant exposure can also lead to hypothermic producing conditions. Symptoms of hypothermia follow a predictable pattern. The first symptom will be shivering, as the body tries to warm itself. This will progress to weakness, stiffness, and stupor. In the final stages of hypothermia the dog may lapse in to unconsciousness or coma, possibly leading to death.
If you believe that your retriever may be hypothermic, take immediate action to warm him up. If your truck is nearby leave everything and take the dog to the truck. Warm the truck up and put your dog in the floorboard under the heat or blow the heat out the vents toward the dog on the seat. In lieu of a warm truck, build a fire to produce some heat. Vigorously rub your dog. Preferably with a dry towel, but you're not necessarily rubbing to dry him off, as much as you're rubbing to create friction and produced heat and stimulation.
If you have a thermal blanket (the mylar sheets â?? not the plug-in electric type) in your emergency kit, you can use this as a thermal shield to reflect the heat of a fire or create a small warming chamber in the truck. This is much more effective than simply wrapping him up in the blanket. Of course, if no heat source is available or you will need to carry him a long distance to a vehicle, wrapping him is beneficial and will help trap body heat. If this is the case, even if you have him wrapped continue to rub vigorously to warm and stimulate him through the blanket.
You will know that you are making some progress by watching symptoms reverse themselves until eventually your retriever beings to shiver. This means that the temperature have risen to the point that the brain once again recognizes that he is cold and needs to warm up.
Most long-term hypothermic damage occurs to organs (such as the brain) that have not received adequate blood flow during the event, in which case it may be several days or weeks before you or your veterinarian know the entire extent of the damage.
info on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hypothermia in hunting dogs;
Canine Hypothermia Part 1
".... It doesnâ??t have to be frigid conditions for a dog to show signs of hypothermia, exposure in cold water with some wind is all that is needed. Over the next few days we will discuss the signs and symptoms of canine hypothermia, the treatment if your dog is showing signs, and common sense ways to prevent it; but first I want to provide some basic information of what hypothermia is
Hypothermia is when the core body temperature drops due to exposure to cold. It can be deadly if ignored. A dogs normal body temperature is 101-102 degrees Farenheit. Hypothermia occurs once a dogâ??s temperature, taken with a rectal thermometer, drops below 97 degrees. The temperature outside does not have to be below freezing for this to occur. In fact studies have show that 55 degree water, with 40 degree air temps and 10 mph winds are prime conditions for hypothermia to occur in a dog. Most of us duck hunters have all hunted in much worse conditions than these.
=============================
Canine Hypothermia Part II- Signs and Symptoms
Hypothermia can be divided into 3 categories or stages.
1) Mild: The dog begins to shiver and connot control the shivering. Your dog will begin to act lethargic or tired. Typically at this stage the dogs temperature is between 96-99 degrees F.
2) Moderate: Once a dogâ??s temperature falls into the 90-95 degree F. range it lose itâ??s ability to shiver. The dog will lose coordination and appear clumsy, at this point the dog may lose consciousnous. If it gets to this point, your dog lifeâ??s is in serious danger.
3) Severe: 82-90 degrees F. At this point your dog will have collapsed, it will have trouble breathing, the pupils will be dilated and the dog will be unresponsive. If hypothermia gets to this point it is critical that the dog be warmed quickly and taken to an emergency vet center.
Like most things, if you pick up on the signs early, it is very treatable and will have no long suffering effects on the dog. Keep and eye on your pup when itâ??s cold out so you can be sure he can share the blind with you again next time.
===========================
Canine Hypothermia Part III- Treatment
So now that we know what the signs and symptoms are we notice that are dog is shivering and seems clumsy and uncoordinated. Hypothermia is suspected, so we grab our Field First-Aid kit and check the dogâ??s temperature; itâ??s 94 degrees F. What now?
At this point the number one factor is to remove the dog form exposure to cold, and prevent any further heat loss. For most of us duck hunters that will mean drying the dog. Use towels, your coat, anything you can that will absorb the water from the dog. The next step is get the dog out of the wind. If you are in a blind this will not be too difficult, but if you are hutning from a boat or in flooded timber you may want to use your coat to make a wind block for the dog. Body to body contact can help as well. This doensâ??t mean you have to get naked and huddle with the dog, but pulling the dog close or opening your coat and huddling with the dog will help the dog warm up. If you can get the dog to your truck, put the dog in the floor board, crank the truck and use the heater. This is about all that can eb done in the field, but anytime you have to do any of this an emergency vet visit is needed. Once at the vetâ??s office their are number of things they cna do like warm fluid IVâ??s and flushing stomach or rectum with warm isotonic fluids.
===================
Canine Hypothermia Part IV- Prevention
Perhaps the easiest way to deal with hypothermia and your dog is to aviod it. This does not mean you cancel those cold weather duck hunts, but a few precautions should be taken when the mercury drops.
The first thing is transporting a dog to the field. If you have a dog box, put cedar shavings in the box to help insulate it. If you use the plastic or wire crates, use an insulated kennel cover. This will keep the cold wind of the dog as you drive to your hunting location.
Once you arive, put a neoprene vest on your dog. The neoprene vest does a great job at keeping the body warm even when wet. There are several manufactures and several models to choose from.
Keep the dog from sitting in the water. Sititng in the cold water will zap the warmth right out of the dog; so use a dog stand or find a spot in the boat or blind that is dry for the dog to sit.
Keep your wet dog out of the wind.
Dry the dog often. Try and help keep the dog dry, use towles, or better yet a chamois cloth, to dry the dog off when the shooting slows down.
Keep a bumper in your blind bag. If itâ??s bitte rcold and the shooting is slow, throw bumper (on land) a few times and let the dog run some to retrieve it. Just getting the dog up and getting the blood flowing will help add warmth.
Hypothermia is serious and kills hunting dogs every year. Knowing the signs and symptoms, having some basic knowledge of first level treatment may one day save your dogâ??s life. There is no better cure than prevention, so use good sense when the temperatures are cold, and you and your buddy can enjoy a lot more cold mornings together."
BritChaser
Well-known member
birdshooter
Well-known member
I have a friend who's first Brittany was an excellent water dog. Could find cripples as well as any lab. He hunted her in colder water (with vest) and while her coat was thick for a Brittany, it isn't the same as a lab. I'm with Bob, give it a try, but pay close attention to them after they come out of the water.
I think coats vary amongst dogs within the same breed, some are thicker and some thinner. I know it is with my two shorthairs. It also will be different depending on whether they are kept outdoors or indoors. Outdoor dogs generally have heavier coats during the fall and winter and have acclimated themselves to colder temps.
I think coats vary amongst dogs within the same breed, some are thicker and some thinner. I know it is with my two shorthairs. It also will be different depending on whether they are kept outdoors or indoors. Outdoor dogs generally have heavier coats during the fall and winter and have acclimated themselves to colder temps.