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Dog Training in the Off-Season
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4/21/2010
Hunting dogs aren’t couch potatoes — they’re four-legged athletes that need to train all year to be able to perform at their best.
by Tracy Breen
Maintaining A Healthy Weight
Jim Miller of Country Side Kennels in Bad Axe, Mich., is a full-time hunting dog breeder and trainer. He breeds a variety of dogs including Labrador retrievers and German shorthair pointers. According to Miller, one of the biggest mistakes hunters make is not spending enough time conditioning their dogs in the off-season. The dog ends up being overweight and out of shape when opening day arrives. “A gun dog should be treated like any athlete. They need plenty of training before the big day,” Miller explains. “Professional athletes train all year for opening day. Hunting dogs should be trained and given plenty of exercise during the off-season to ensure they are physically and mentally ready to hunt on the opening day of the season.”
In the northern part of the United States, hunting dogs don’t get much exercise in the off-season due to cold and snow. Miller believes that even during the cold months a hunting dog needs to spend plenty of time outside: “In the winter I take the dogs out while I shovel the driveway or do chores. I even run them while I go for an ATV ride,” he says. “My goal is to give each dog at least twenty minutes of exercise every day. It keeps them fit and prevents the high-strung dogs from going crazy on the inside.”
Many of today’s most popular breeds of gundogs are prone to arthritis and hip problems as they age. Regular year-round exercise can help limit some of the problems. “Dogs are like people. When we get overweight, our joints ache and we don’t get around as well. When a dog that is supposed to weigh 60 or 70 pounds weighs 100, he’s not going to get around in the field very well. Overweight dogs won’t hunt as well as dogs that are fit and trim,” Miller states.
To prevent his dogs from getting overweight, Miller provides them with plenty of exercise and doesn’t feed them more than they need. A dog that sits in the house most of the day doesn’t need to have his food bowl full all the time. Ask your vet for advice. “Lots of people feed their dogs treats and table scraps in addition to their dog food, which is why they are overweight,” Miller says.
