Broken Nails
Hello All,... I have been treating my 5 year old Britt for a
small barb-wire puncture wound on her right front leg, but still
hunting her. I then started noticing her favor her left front
after a day in the field. On my second examination I found a
small hair-line "crack" on her front left pad. It's
a about 1/2" long and doesn't appear to be a lacertration.
It's not very deep, but seems quite tender. I know this is a
tough place to treat, but what's the best method in your opinion?
I'm hunting pheasants here in North Iowa and the season runs
until early Jan. How long should I sit her on the "bench"?
My brit had a similar problem, and I thought treating it with
antibiotic cream and tuff foot would be enough. Turns out he
did need rest. Hunted him a couple of times during treatment,
but he got much worse and we lost the last two months of the
season. Let your dog rest until fully healed, and then treat
yourselves to a southwest hunting trip (the quail season runs
well into Feb.). Just don't let this become a chronic problem.
Gun dogs work on their feet, and once the feet are bad, you've
got an extremely well-trained couch potato! Take care, get healthy,
kill some birds! |
Labs Versus Chessys
I have read all about their temperament, their unique coat, etc.
Actually two questions, in relation to their temperament, how
different are they from a Lab, and do they shed like Labs do?
I used to have 2 labs and now I have a chessie. They are very
much the same. They love to fetch, hunt, and the water. Although
chessies have 3 coats. One that is underneath for insulation,
and the middle waterproof one, and then the top layer. With all
those coats you would think they shed more than labs, but actually
my lab shed a lot more. I hope this helps!
Outside dog
I am researching breeds for a good retriever. The dog would be
subjected to duck weather (icy, cold water) on a yearly basis
as well as warmer South Carolina weather on a regular basis.
Also, I am not going to keep my dog inside. Girlfriend/future
wife is allergic so its either her or a dog inside. She doesn't
like to sleep outside. I've got a 30ft x 30ft fenced in back
yard and I plan to add a 20ft x 20ft kennel to increase the size
before buying a pup. SC weather |
is hot and humid during the summer, with
mild winters but an occasional night of below freezing.
Give me some advice folks. Is the GSP for me? I love what I've
read so far and have met several GSP's that seem to be what I'm
looking for in a dog. Thanks.
I personally would rent a hunting dog for Duck season or buddy
up to a close friend that has a hunting dog. A lot of game farms
have dogs right on site you can rent for the hunt. Reason is,
having a dog outside in a kennel, you lose 2/3rds of the joy
of owning a dog. Research studies have shown that the sharpest
hunting dogs are the dogs that live in house with their masters
in the multitude of research articles I have read. Kennels are
for human convenience only and not beneficial for the dog. A
GSP is a very high energy breed, they bark and disturb neighbors
if they are tied up or locked in a kennel. They require a lot
of human attention and open exercise. That is why a lot of GSP's
end up in GSP rescues as the owners do not have the time or desire
to spend with their high energy GSP. Runners, hikers etc. are
great owners for these dogs. I would adopt 2 Labs if I had to
keep them outside in a kennel for companionship if I absolutely
needed a hunting dog. Good Luck. I am an owner of a Rescue GSP
and love him dearly.
Setting Versus Pointing
Anyone out there with a Gordon setter that actually "sets"
instead of "points" birds?
Yes I have two, one from working stock and one from mixed show
and working stock. The worker sets mostly and sometimes goes
into a more classy 'point' the other mostly 'points' but occasionally
sets. Seems to depend on what's going on around them at the time. |
