wooly bugger
New member
Revisiting this old thread because things have changed rapidly with my dog and I am looking for a solution. I have a 10 year old lab that is in great shape but has recently gone deaf. His hearing was maybe 50% for the last year or so, but about around August he seems to have suddenly gone completely deaf. On a duck hunt this weekend I noticed he was missing and after a fearful 20 mins of searching the marsh I realized how dangerous it can be to hunt with a dog that can't hear you. Luckily he just showed up behind me while I was searching, but it made my heart drop. I know the day is coming when I might need to retire him and that day is suddenly becoming more real. This dog has never been a problem for 10 years of hunting he is always kept a good eye on me and his sense of direction and range is great, but I fear I will need to take extra precautions to avoid possible disaster.
I am headed to SD for a week of pheasant and duck hunting and plan to barrow my brother Garmin collar but in addition I am thinking of using a bell to help keep track of him. I have never used a bell in the past because it has made it hard for the dog to hear me, but in this case he already has enough trouble so at least I can hear him. Anyone else have similar experiences or suggestion? The dog is in great shape and I would love to hunt him another year even if it means mostly waterfowl and keeping him on a short leash between retrieves.
I am headed to SD for a week of pheasant and duck hunting and plan to barrow my brother Garmin collar but in addition I am thinking of using a bell to help keep track of him. I have never used a bell in the past because it has made it hard for the dog to hear me, but in this case he already has enough trouble so at least I can hear him. Anyone else have similar experiences or suggestion? The dog is in great shape and I would love to hunt him another year even if it means mostly waterfowl and keeping him on a short leash between retrieves.