Heat
 

Everybody's trying to get something done with their dogs right before the season should be mindful of Heat Exhaustion. Relative humidity has been around 90-94% everymorning and is a killer. My rule of thumb is if the dogs tongue is half way out, he is done. We also spend $2.00 each day and have ice for each dog when they are finished. If possible, do not put them back into a kennel but instead, stake them out in the shade with an inch of ice in their bowl to lick. When they lay down, rest on their knuckle, they are done so please don't continue training.

Yep. I done seen a high dollar dog kill over dead in a dove field! Seen it wit my own eyes!!

great advice!!

Don't have a lab but that's good advice. Thanks for sharing.

Is it safe to say Raymond not to even bother with a dog for real season. ESP in a rice field where it's easy to find birds or do you think otherwise?

Not at all, it's usually over for 9 and there aren't any gators. Young dogs shouldn't be shot over by handler only handled. No marsh hunting unless pond is clear of gators or length of retrieves are limited. A short tab (piece of rope) can be very helpful in making sure fido stays put when the guns go off. Mak sure all guns understand shooting stops when dog is off levee.

Great advice Ray, we carry camel packs for our K9's when we work and they have saved us on more than one occasion. I have had to put IV's in dogs after long tracks for suspects because they literally will kill themselves trying to please the handler. Our heat and humidity is ruthless.

If your dog does overheat, time is critical. Here's a great article from another forum to combat heat stroke. Big thing is cool them down with ice until temp starts to come down, after their temp starts to come down, stop cooling process immediately to avoid body temp dropping too rapidly and sending dog into shock.
http://www.retrievertraining.net/for...back-by-demand

With Humans you should never cool your self with ice, always with water where the main veins are, neck, wrist mostly. Why would you cool a dog which is also a mammal with ice?

Belly,pads of feet, or ice water enema. I keep a huge syringe in my truck just in case but have never had to use it in 15 yrs thankfully.

Yup, and I told ya'll he was gonna kill it if he hunted it. It was over 100 degrees that day. I seen another keel over on a much cooler day. It was a bird dog. We barely saved dat one but the guy says the dog was never the same after that event.