Dogs in Cold Weather

Steve, I often use another board. It started pink but I painted it brown, After some use it looks quite normal on most beaches, plus I have used a burlap cover like another contributor mentioned. Unfortunately my memory is shorter than my list of necessary items. I'm lucky if I remember my gun,shells ,and dog. Plus this year added an extendable pole(12 feet) for grabbing decoys and a wading staff with a magnet one end for picking up empty shells--i'm ofter in rocky areas that make wading difficult,plus my balance isn't as good as it used to be!
 
For you folks with the Sugar coats;
Would one of you be so kind as to take a picture with it laid flat and include some measurements? I think I could make one out of an old surplus wool blanket

Thanks!
 
or support the entrepreneur smart enough to come up with the idea and take it to market

http://thesugarcoat.com/SUGARCoat.aspx
 
I hunt Pearl without hesitation on zero and above days. On colder days, it really depends on if I am guiding or not. Here are some things that I do to try and be proactive in Pearl's outing's

1. She is fed well the night before a hunt, never the morning of.
2. She has a proper fitting neoprene vest.
3. She sits on foam matting and not the bare aluminum of the boat.
4. She has her own coat on colder/windy days. I looked at the Sugarcoats and really liked the concept. I had an older wool lined military jacket that buttons up and I simply button the top one and it sits over shoulders great. Photo Attached. This was today's (1/8/18) hunt, air temp 10 degrees, water temp 34 degrees, wind was 20kts +/-.

That's about it, when in doubt, she stays home or I may bring her just to get a retrieve or two before the hunt ends. I never hunt her without a boat or kayak so I always have the means to retrieve ducks without her assistance AND always have a means to get her should she get in trouble.





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good post; you take good care of Pearl! I second your last sentence about always having something that floats to make a retrieve yourself or be able to help if the dog gets in trouble---could be caught on something or falls thru the ice, etc. is something I always do also. Plus I always have a sealed bag containing gauze and tape with me even if I'm pheasant hunting; you never know when they're going to step on a piece of glass or other sharp object.(i'm pretty sure you probably have a good first aid kit in your boat also).
 
To answer the original question, I don't think it gets to cold per se if you can provide some shelter and protection for them. My chessie does get cold contrary to what many will tell you. If I can get him out of the wind and provide a blanket or jacket he warms back up in a few minutes. After two seasons now he will search out my float coat and get under it if he's cold. He also likes to lay on the empty (or full) decoy bags. I am planning on looking into the SUGAR coats. I really like that idea!



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