Keep Your Hunting Dog Safe Before, During and After the Hunt

A well-trained hunting dog is a pleasure to hunt with and has been called one of the best conservation tools a hunter can take into the field. The dog can locate birds for you that you otherwise never would have known were around, it can find and retrieve dead birds in heavy cover, as well as cripples that otherwise might have been lost. It will hunt all day with you wherever you want to hunt and won't remind you or tell your friends about the easy shots you muffed. The dog will guard the gear in the truck when you're not there, it will share a sandwich with you when you stop at a field corner for a mid-morning snack, and it will enthusiastically break through cover where you could never walk to find a downed bird. It will lay down and be quiet in the blind – now, c'mon, I said we were talking about well-trained hunting dogs – and then hit the frigid water without hesitation to collar a wounded duck or Canada goose. Hunting dogs are pretty tough, courageous and eager to please, but they aren't indestructible, nor are they machines. A dog doesn't know much about pacing itself in the field, so it is the hunter's responsibility to monitor the dog's activity level and to assure its safety and physical well-being.

Hunting dogs should be kept up to date on all vaccination (Rabies, Distemper, Bordetella, and Lyme’s).  Lyme’s disease, which is transmitted by Deer Ticks, is preventable by getting a Lyme’s vaccination. Other concerns for pets in the field are intestinal parasites, fleas, and tick. To prevent intestinal parasites it is recommended you use Heartgard, Interceptor, or Sentinel. A fecal sample should be taken to your vet yearly to test for intestinal parasites. We recommend Frontline to treat and prevent fleas and ticks.


Hunting dogs, especially wet dogs, should have a place where they can get out of the wind and keep warm. Just like people, dogs can become victims of hypothermia, a life-threatening condition in which the body temperature becomes too low. It is characterized by violent shivering and slow and shallow respiration. It truly is a medical emergency and if left untreated, the dog may become listless, unresponsive and die. If you are in the field and suspect your dog may be near or already suffering from hypothermia, warm it slowly. Dry the dog as best as you can, wrap it in something warm and dry, get it to a vehicle with a heater, put the dog inside the cab with you, and warm the cab with the heater while quickly getting the dog to a veterinarian for treatment.


In warm weather, heat stroke is also a common preventable emergency. Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy panting, hyperventilation (deep breathing), increased salivation early then dry gums as the heat prostration progresses, weakness, confusion or inattention, vomiting or diarrhea and sometimes bleeding. As the condition progresses towards heat prostration or heat stroke there may be obvious paleness or graying to the gums, shallowing of the breathing efforts and eventually slowed or absent breathing efforts, vomiting and diarrhea that may be bloody and finally seizures or coma. Temperatures above 105 degrees Fahrenheit are dangerous. If you think your dog is suffering from heat stroke, seek medical attention immediately. Always keep plenty of fresh water on hand.

Safety gear should be worn in the field. This includes safety collars, vests, and even boots. Safety collars allow the dog to easily get loose if hung up on a brush or stick. It has a special center ring that allows the collar to flip.  The vest serves two purposes. The first is to signal to other hunters in the field. The other hunters will see the bright orange or reflective material. A vest alone could save your dog from being shot at. The second purpose for wear the vest, and also the boots, is to protect your dog from wetness, cuts, and burs. Your dog will come in contact with a lot of sticks, stones, and thorns as he runs through the foliage. Keep him protected. If he does happen to get into a thorn bush, always have a first aid kit available. Outdoorsaftey.net makes the #1 selling dog first aid kits. You can purchase one or make your own. But, make sure you have it.

An often-overlooked aspect of keeping a hunting dog alive and well is safely transporting it to and from the field. A dog should never be allowed to be loose in the bed of a moving open pickup. It might be injured sliding around in the bed, or it might be thrown out or jump out while the truck is moving. A dog should never be tied in the bed of a pickup. If it falls out or is thrown over the side, it can be strangled or dragged. The best way to transport the dog is in a crate mounted securely in the bed of a truck covered by a camper shell, or in the vehicle's cargo space. Never transport a dog in the vehicle's trunk. During the winter it is important to keep the dog warm while traveling. In a truck with an open bed, the crate should be secured behind the cab and protect it from the wind. A foam pad will provide warmth and protect the dog from being jarred and bruised on bumpy roads. The crate should be well ventilated and big enough for a dog to stand, turn around and lie down. Waterproof pegboard makes a good crate floor because it allows moisture from the dog's coat to drip through the holes and keeps the dog from lying in a cold puddle. A blanket or a supply of prairie hay can provide warmth.


Last, but not least is dog identification. Hunting dogs should always be well identified with tags and collars for an immediate contact. Name tags should include; name, phone number, and address. However, collars and tags can come off. For a permanent form of identification we recommend a microchip. This can be implanted in one easy and quick visit to your vet.  A lost pet in the wild has little to no chance of surviving. Starvation, disease, and injury are impossible to avoid.

Some information for this article came from:

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's Nebraska Outdoor Notebook
by Tom Keith