Pointers in Cold Country

dag said:
He’s not even fazed by it. I should post the video of him making a 100 yard retrieve through the ice choked colorado river last December
He also likes South Dakota birds
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What a pose. I can’t ever get mine to sit still like that.
 
If you are worried about weather tolerance, I would be more concerned with warm weather rather than cold. Dogs normal temp is quite a bit higher than humans. They can take the cold, especially when running.

The heat is another matter altogether. I'd think about something with short hair and smaller. Mass matters! Smaller dogs can handle heat better.

A Braque Francais would be good, especially in the house. I have a Brittany currently and he gets a good hair cut 2-4x per summer. Quite a bit more active in the house but manageable. Vizsla would be good, especially for covering ground out West. I am sure there are others.
 
again thanks for the effort you’ve been putting in. I’m in incredibly avid weekend hunter typically around whatever public lands are close by. Probably more realistically I would hunt hard in September for Upland And then have a focus on getting my freezer filled with the big game. Only to start hunting again mid November all the way to the end of January. I think it would be best if I get two dogs hunt both of them during the overlap of good weather but on the extra cold days such as 0° with 15 mph winds. That’s pretty cold, but it doesn’t seem out of the question for some breeds. I like to hunt the lonely slopes for Hungarian Partridge, and chukars over pheasants during the winter. A lot more wind. Original concern was this type of hunting puts me a long way from the truck, and I don’t want to be constantly worried about my dog. I’ll avoid the true cold snaps. Still seems like a pudel pointer is pretty versatile with weather as well. Again, my wife hates German short hairs based on bad experiences with resource guarding and biting my children, simply for walking in the house of her in-laws. I agree with the hot weather in September, even up high for blue grouse. It can be pretty bad. However, right now I’m in a position to get dog that can do bird. However, I will be taking three hour hikes away from the truck and sometimes more than that. And that will be in the winter. As far as sharp tails in early fall, that’s more of your traditional, shorter hikes .

Great conversation!
 
I hunted in SD last year in single digits with an inch of snow for multiple days in a row and they were fine. I've tried vest over the years and never got along with them. My dogs never liked them and never acted cold in the field. They shake in the box in the truck but they also do that when it's 50 degrees from anxiety and adrenaline I think. I don't worry about them in the field at all but like to have them in a box in a camper shell or in the backseat if it's really cold going down the highway long distances anymore. Getting old and soft I guess.
 
Since no one has vouched for a Small Munsterlander, I'll chime in. I've hunted prairie birds in 80s and 90s and pheasants for a week straight where the warmest it got was single digits with mine and she does great.

Naturally they're a closer working dog (40 yards seems average) but some dogs will push it to 100 if the owner allows. Very biddable dogs that want to learn and make you happy and then crawl in bed with you or the kids at the end of the day.
 
The only problems I have had with ES, EP, or Britts, or beagles getting cold is if they got soaked. Like 30*, with sleet & wind. Hunted all 4 breeds in below zero with snow with no problems. If you are going to hunt EPs in the cold tho, you better not keep them in a 72* house. The 2 PPs that I hunted with did not do good at all in the heat.
 
Fireman03 said:
Save time and find a good deutsch drahthaar breeder. If you wanna chat lemme know. View attachment 12857
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Just my humble opinion and I think that some of the wires have been Americanized to pull some of the love for fur out of them. I would love to find one but I'm afraid they would be hard to find and not be guaranteed. I've also owned the Drat lines. Every one of those loved fur. If you are considering a Drat be ready to accept that. I still love the breed but feel I just don't need that level of prey drive anymore. The biggest downfall of the pointers and setters is not the necessarily the cold. They can handle the coldest temps that I'm going to hunt in these days. But they cannot tolerate cold and wet. I've been caught out in some sleet, cold rain and have had dogs go through the ice. It's a pretty bad feeling to see a dog shivering and trying to dig out a nest 2 miles from the truck. The setter's coat is a single layer that was created for protection from thorns not to repel water.
 
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