Upland Bird Season is now over here in Nevada. I had a great last week of the season, and really a great season in general. I definitely added some great memories this year that I hope I never forget. I will reflect more on those at a later time.
Once again I made it through the year without any major injuries to the dogs which is obviously very important. It really is amazing that year after year they can cover literally hundreds of miles of really nasty terrain without any major injuries. Nothing more than some bumps and bruises, the occasional sore pad, and a few minor cuts. I attribute that to four things:
• First, my dogs run year round with me, off leash, at least three days a week. I like to run, so I always take them with me to places that they can run too. This not only keeps their muscles, tendons, heart, lungs, and feet, in great shape but it also believe that it teaches them how to run efficiently in the high desert terrain. There is no “getting in shape” for hunting season, because they always have a very good base level of fitness. With conditioning you can increase muscle strength in a dog in a couple of months, but you can’t increase tendon and ligament strength in that same amount of time, and that is generally where injuries occur.
• Second, I always feed my dogs immediately after I am finished hunting before we load up and drive an hour, or up to three or more hours home. Anyone who has ever been an athlete knows that recovery is the single most important aspect to fitness, and the most effective time to refuel your body for recovery is immediately after it has been depleted. I can’t imagine running a marathon then climbing in the back of a cold truck for three hours on a completely empty stomach. That is a lot of stress on a body that is already under stress. I believe that this kind of stress causes injuries, and will ultimately shorten the length of your dogs hunting life. Food, water, and a warm kennel will go a long way, and they certainly deserve it as hard as they work.
• Third, I feed my dogs raw food. There is simply no better way to feed your dogs than raw food, without question. The best endurance athletes in the world are not fueling their bodies with McDonalds, filler foods, preservatives, meat byproducts, etc… With that said, there are some really quality dog foods on the market these days that I would feel good about feeding my dogs. A lot of manufactures, though not necessarily major brands, now have grain free dog foods with quality ingredients. Please do a little bit of your own research, and learn for yourself about dog nutrition. Do not believe the advertisements that you read in your favorite hunting magazine without doing your own research. And if I could recommend one book that every dog owner should read it is called, Food Pets Die For. A dogs life is far too short, and if we can extend that life, or the quality of that life because of better nutrition, I am all for it.
• Fourth, a little bit of good luck goes a long way.
Enough about that, here are some pictures from the weekend.
Cash Retrieving.
Porter Retrieving. I could have finished up early with my limit if I did not have my camera in my hand. As I was taking pictures I had singles jumping up all around me. Oh well, I am glad I got the pictures, and I just had to work a little harder for my limit.
Cash after a long retrieve. This is one of my favorite pictures from the season. The lighting makes the photo.
My buddy Justin knocked this bird down crippled, little P-Dog got on its track and I knew that he would get it. We both stood there relaxing while I watched Porter on my GPS. He tracked it for about 200 yards, then I could see on the GPS that he was coming back, and just like he does 9 times out of 10, he came back into sight with the bird. That dog can track a crippled bird down as well as any dog that I have ever seen. Paolo and I watched him track one over 400 yards last season. That particular time we could see him the whole time as we were up on a rim above him. I sure wished that I had a video camera with me that day because picture do not do it justice. I have been around hunting dogs for much of my life, and I am constantly amazed by them. I am sure that you can all relate.
I hope that you all had a great hunting season, and that you have a bunch of new memories with your own hunting dogs. Whether you have been bird hunting for years, or you are just getting started, I really appreciate that you read my blog.
Jay Kincaid
Once again I made it through the year without any major injuries to the dogs which is obviously very important. It really is amazing that year after year they can cover literally hundreds of miles of really nasty terrain without any major injuries. Nothing more than some bumps and bruises, the occasional sore pad, and a few minor cuts. I attribute that to four things:
• First, my dogs run year round with me, off leash, at least three days a week. I like to run, so I always take them with me to places that they can run too. This not only keeps their muscles, tendons, heart, lungs, and feet, in great shape but it also believe that it teaches them how to run efficiently in the high desert terrain. There is no “getting in shape” for hunting season, because they always have a very good base level of fitness. With conditioning you can increase muscle strength in a dog in a couple of months, but you can’t increase tendon and ligament strength in that same amount of time, and that is generally where injuries occur.
• Second, I always feed my dogs immediately after I am finished hunting before we load up and drive an hour, or up to three or more hours home. Anyone who has ever been an athlete knows that recovery is the single most important aspect to fitness, and the most effective time to refuel your body for recovery is immediately after it has been depleted. I can’t imagine running a marathon then climbing in the back of a cold truck for three hours on a completely empty stomach. That is a lot of stress on a body that is already under stress. I believe that this kind of stress causes injuries, and will ultimately shorten the length of your dogs hunting life. Food, water, and a warm kennel will go a long way, and they certainly deserve it as hard as they work.
• Third, I feed my dogs raw food. There is simply no better way to feed your dogs than raw food, without question. The best endurance athletes in the world are not fueling their bodies with McDonalds, filler foods, preservatives, meat byproducts, etc… With that said, there are some really quality dog foods on the market these days that I would feel good about feeding my dogs. A lot of manufactures, though not necessarily major brands, now have grain free dog foods with quality ingredients. Please do a little bit of your own research, and learn for yourself about dog nutrition. Do not believe the advertisements that you read in your favorite hunting magazine without doing your own research. And if I could recommend one book that every dog owner should read it is called, Food Pets Die For. A dogs life is far too short, and if we can extend that life, or the quality of that life because of better nutrition, I am all for it.
• Fourth, a little bit of good luck goes a long way.
Enough about that, here are some pictures from the weekend.
I hope that you all had a great hunting season, and that you have a bunch of new memories with your own hunting dogs. Whether you have been bird hunting for years, or you are just getting started, I really appreciate that you read my blog.
Jay Kincaid
Great comments, information, and pictures! I really enjoyed this.....thanks Jay!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blog. I just got my first pointing dog. I'd be interested in hearing a little more about what exactly you feed your dogs: what brand of food or how you source raw meats. I'd also like to hear about how you train your dogs during the off season. Do you run them on wild birds? Thanks.
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