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Summertime conditioning

Well according to the other thread.Almost everybody hunts during the summer.What do you do to get your dog conditioned to the heat and humidity?Also what feed and amount have you seen help this process?Thanks in advance

Re: Summertime conditioning

quote:

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Originally posted by Jackson87
Well according to the other thread.Almost everybody hunts during the summer.What do you do to get your dog conditioned to the heat and humidity?Also what feed and amount have you seen help this process?Thanks in advance

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if it is a real hot night I will not go.. the other nights I watch my dogs they tell me when enough is enough.. you may only make one drop for a few nights to start with then make two drops... every time I walk them past a creek or water I allow them to drink... the key is to keep water in them...

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I don't do a thing different either other than hunt them and that keeps them in shape. I feed 26% Protein and 18% fat dog food year round. If you hunt them and don't lay them up that is the key to keeping them in shape. I make no changes other than Instead of hunting all night or to 3 or 4 in the morning. I'll only make 2 drops or if they put one up early on the 1st drop I go home no use to push them they did what I wanted. Also when its super hot at night I try to hunt creeks or river bottoms. That way my dogs have water if they want it and it's usually cooler around them. Everything that lives and breaths needs water even mr.coon and they really like them crawdads in the creek. Also a lot of blackberries around the creeks in my area. The key is watch your dogs and DO NOT over heat them they will let you know when their done. I have seen my dogs lay in the creeks on hot nights after putting one up. I let them lay until they are ready to go and then we go home.

The key to summer hunting is having a healthy dog to begin with and get them in shape.
Feed a good quality food.
Give fresh water everyday KEEP HYDRATED!!
Keep them De-wormed
Don't feed before hunting
Exercise them if they are over weight. I have run mine beside a 4 wheeler for a mile or 2 a day if they need it.

Its like comparing people. A guy that is overweight and only gets off the couch to hunt 1 night a week is going to have a hard time in the summer keeping up with a guy that is in shape and hunts 5 nights a week.

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I road them , first its 2 1/2 miles then 5 1/2 miles , then to be @ 10 miles. 3 x a week before the humidity gets here.To be at 10 miles by memorial Wkend is what I shoot for (accomplished). When the humidity reaches above 75° we do 2 1/2 miles comfortable.

Also I swim them if Im strapped for time.
But I enjoy biking with the hounds.

I hunt them every night through winter and spring and when summer gets here their in shape. I hunt the same way in summer as i do in winter!! All night every night

__________________
jason

Good food dea. I top it with super fuel when I am hunting a dog !! And road them I go 6 miles a night at 6-9 mph after dark on the off nights that the dog is not getting hunted !! That's all you can do but the super fuel will help them from getting dehydrated as fast and I still dont hunt when the humidity and heat is way up !!! It's not worth it !! When it's on the hotter night I will take the -8-9-10 month old pups and just hunt them around corn ,bean fields and only for a chase or two!!! Again it is not worth the damage you can do to a dog on a real humid or hot night and the damage is irreversible once it is done!!!L and stay on then don't let them set there and tree for any longer then they have to and you can also carry alcohol pads and wipe there ears down and that will open there pours and help them cool down faster !! It's also knowing your dog as some aren't smart enough to slow down and they will go until they pop !! My best females and there brothers will go from a chop to throwing a couple bawls in there when there hotter at night but again some dogs don't have enough sense to slow down they will go until they have a heat stroke !! Another reason I prefer a 60-70 bpm tree dog !! And one that's sits on its rump it might not look as good but they don't where themselves out near as fast and they stay away from trouble!!

Conditioning in the summer takes a lot more effort and "eye" than it does in the fall months. Road work is not conducive to getting a dog acclimated to the type of work it takes to hunt coon. I have always viewed road work as a basic, every day type conditioning work. It isn't bad for them but won't get their biochemistry operating in the manner that hunting in heat requires. Rest is vital at all times of the year and even more important in the heat. Road work on a bike is essentially aerobic activity. Hunting coon in hills, briars, and the like is more of anaerobic activity due to the repeated maximizing the circulatory system on a repeated basis. To get a dog ready for this, you have to work them in the same way. Not necessarily running them through hills and briars but developing conditioning efforts that maximize the circulatory system repeatedly without causing them to go beyond the point of overheating and being able to recover. Summer is also a time when you have to have an "eye" for hydration. Dogs can become overhydrated and burn up quick. Conversely, dogs can also become under-hydrated for obvious reasons. What a dog is fed also contributes to hydration issues more than people realize. Feeding lots of carbs and filler requires a greater water intake for digestive purposes. If you are feeding cheap, you will almost always have hydration issues during the heat. Many simply don't know how to identify it. Anyway, fat adaption also gets very dialed in and is a good thing during the summer. The idea that protein causes a dog to run hot is a joke. Poor protein will cause a dog to run hot due to extra strain on the kidneys of trying to filter the junk protein and the associated carbs/filler that comes along with a junk protein feed. But this will happen at all times of the year and is more pronounced during the summer. Keep the heavy, QUALITY protein coming when working your dogs, regardless of the time of year. That is the only way for their muscles to repair themselves. It helps the dog's system stay in an anabolic state instead of a catabolic state. The difference is that in an anabolic state, the dog's system has the vitamins, minerals, and fat to restore the depleted levels form working. A catabolic state is when their system utilizes their existing muscle mass to replenish their system. Feeding junk feed keeps the dog much closer to the catabolic state, which obviously is not desirable.

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quote:

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Originally posted by ole hoss
I hunt them every night through winter and spring and when summer gets here their in shape. I hunt the same way in summer as i do in winter!! All night every night

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quote:

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Originally posted by artwebbky
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TOUGH GUY

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lol yeah I hunt them until I AM ready to go . I've usually had enough of the heat and bugs in my face long before the dogs get hot lol

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EAT MORE POSSUM !!!

swim them

I luck out and have a pond to swim them in. This helps with the heat. They seem to keep muscled up and water doesn't slow them down when hunting time rolls around.

__________________
Bill Endress

A lot of good info.Thanks guys.

quote:

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Originally posted by artwebbky
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TOUGH GUY

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__________________
jason

I often hunt one pup then drop another pup leaving the previous pup in the box. Could this cause a dog to over heat? I would think it could get a little stuffy in there, while the truck is parked?

i do it every night. i usally water the pup in the box while waiting on the other pup to get struck and treed. i havent had any problems. i got slideing vents on my box so they get plenty of air. just keep a eye on them and they will let you know what they need.

__________________
jason

quote:

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Originally posted by CSnowgren
Conditioning in the summer takes a lot more effort and "eye" than it does in the fall months. Road work is not conducive to getting a dog acclimated to the type of work it takes to hunt coon. I have always viewed road work as a basic, every day type conditioning work. It isn't bad for them but won't get their biochemistry operating in the manner that hunting in heat requires. Rest is vital at all times of the year and even more important in the heat. Road work on a bike is essentially aerobic activity. Hunting coon in hills, briars, and the like is more of anaerobic activity due to the repeated maximizing the circulatory system on a repeated basis. To get a dog ready for this, you have to work them in the same way. Not necessarily running them through hills and briars but developing conditioning efforts that maximize the circulatory system repeatedly without causing them to go beyond the point of overheating and being able to recover. Summer is also a time when you have to have an "eye" for hydration. Dogs can become overhydrated and burn up quick. Conversely, dogs can also become under-hydrated for obvious reasons. What a dog is fed also contributes to hydration issues more than people realize. Feeding lots of carbs and filler requires a greater water intake for digestive purposes. If you are feeding cheap, you will almost always have hydration issues during the heat. Many simply don't know how to identify it. Anyway, fat adaption also gets very dialed in and is a good thing during the summer. The idea that protein causes a dog to run hot is a joke. Poor protein will cause a dog to run hot due to extra strain on the kidneys of trying to filter the junk protein and the associated carbs/filler that comes along with a junk protein feed. But this will happen at all times of the year and is more pronounced during the summer. Keep the heavy, QUALITY protein coming when working your dogs, regardless of the time of year. That is the only way for their muscles to repair themselves. It helps the dog's system stay in an anabolic state instead of a catabolic state. The difference is that in an anabolic state, the dog's system has the vitamins, minerals, and fat to restore the depleted levels form working. A catabolic state is when their system utilizes their existing muscle mass to replenish their system. Feeding junk feed keeps the dog much closer to the catabolic state, which obviously is not desirable.

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Can u take water for ur dog and give it too them at the tree in a comp hunt when ur shining the tree ???

quote:

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Originally posted by johnsoncreekblu
Your on the right track but at the same time you are so so far away!!!!
A dog can never be OVER HYDRATED !!!! What you mean to say is DEHYDRATED. Hydrated is when we have plenty of fluids and Dehydrated is when we have lost our fluids.
How does a dog lose fluids? Urine, Stool & Panting are 3 ways a dog can increase their chances of Dehydration. Stress will cause dogs to produce more Urine & Stool, and even pant more. Feeding a lower quality dog food could make your dog have a increased volume of stool. Hunting in higher temps and high humidity will cause them to pant more and use more bodily fluids which will increase their chance of dehydration.
When hunting in hot summer conditions, you should keep your dogs in good shape, fees a quality feed, force hydrate before going hunting and take water with you to give your dogs between drops.

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__________________
Michael Rosamond
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When brightness matters!!

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PKC SCh CH Grnch They call me Howler too

boy we are gettin scientific now!!!

__________________
jason

Seems like the a lot of the smaller dogs can handle the heat better also.I got a small 45 pound dog that will hunt her heart out and run like she's being shot at all night.She hardly ever slows down.Then I got a 65 pound dog that is very sensitive to the heat.They both are hunted the same.

Carbs cause water retention. Excessive carbs cause excessive water retention. Not much scientific to it.....there is an ideal level of hydration to aim for. Excessive water retention in the muscles because of a carb heavy feed will slow a dog down, heat them up quicker, and cause them to stay hot longer.

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If you hunt your dog several nights a week year round, and pay attention to their health and well being; keep them wormed, keep the fleas and ticks off them, etc., you probably won't have a problem. If you're a Saturday night hunter and your dog is wayyyy too fat, you're probably going to have some problems. In about fifty years of hunting I've had one dog over heat, a B&T that ran a hard race in a corn field on a hot night. Tom

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quote:

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Originally posted by pigsit
If you hunt your dog several nights a week year round, and pay attention to their health and well being; keep them wormed, keep the fleas and ticks off them, etc., you probably won't have a problem.

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