bird dogs

by Tom Keer

There was so much dog hair on the stairs that I dang near slipped my way down to the coffee pot. I looked around and saw that it was everywhere. There was a pile of white fur in the corner by my bookcase, another bunch surrounded my desk and more was everywhere I looked. The date on my calendar said March 5, but I knew spring had already arrived. The “spring shedding season” was officially here.

Owners of short-haired dogs are immune from the kind of pre-and-post hunt hair care that is common ground with long-haired breeds. Burdocks don’t care if they are entrenched in the fur of an English, Irish, red and white or Gordon setter. Cockleburs will climb aboard a springer as easily as they will a cocker or a Brit. Running Professor Longhair in the woods requires more care and maintenance that that of a skinhead – and it’s been that way for a very long time. 

Long Hair, Don’t Care

A shag on point with his flag flying high is a stately sight, one that we’ve seen in countless paintings, in books and in magazine articles. Long-haired dogs have been part of grouse and woodcock hunting since Edmund Davis, the author of the 1908 book “Woodcock Shooting,” extolled their virtues. “One of the advantages of the setter is his long coat, which prevents briars from hurting him, and also protects him in the cold.” Coat color was also a factor, and Davis addressed that, too. “Black, white and tan I consider to be the best combination. It is easily seen in the thicket, and yet it is not too conspicuous. Lemon, liver and white – the blue Belton – any mixture will answer; but pure colors are not desirable. A black dog is hard to see. A pure white setter, although very beautiful, attracts too much attention, and some contend, alarms the birds. I shall not attempt to describe the different breeds of the setter. Let the sportsman select a well-bred, black, white and tan, and he will be content.”

There are two other absolute truths. First, to remove my hand from the check cord on my 95% white setter you’ll need to cut it off. And second, if you’re lacking good, humored conversation in camp then add the color discussion to the list. Start with, “It’s impossible to see a Gordon setter or a German shorthair pointer in the woods, especially in the early season.” You’ll exhaust those breed devotees otherwise. All kidding aside, it’s likely that Davis’s early hair-length points (pun intended) seem to have seeped into our attitudes. In a way, they’re passed down through the generations much like the genetics found in field trial champions.

Skin and Coat

Read the numbers on any bag of premium dog food and the percentage of protein is among the first that you’ll notice. The muscular physique seen on any breed of short-haired dogs comes from protein, but those amino acids are used elsewhere in the dog’s body, too. Protein is used to build a variety of cells that support many systems, but did you know that the dog’s largest body system, the skin and coat, consumes the most amount of protein? The dog’s skin and coat are his first line of defense against sickness, making Edmund Davis correct in saying that a setter’s coat protects him from the harsh environment in which our dogs work. 

The Usual Suspects

Ruffed grouse are found in 38 of our 50 states, and that means long-hairs can get tangled up with a wide variety of seeds. Cockleburs are among the most common seeds found on our dogs – also known as beggar’s lice, stick tights or stickseed. Because they’ll stick to just about any kind of hair or clothing, my wife, Angela, calls them nature’s Velcro. They’re a member of the legume family that also include a variety of beans, and they’re hitching a ride so they can resow in a new area. Sometimes, we’ll see common or great burdocks as well as other sticky wickets like three-leafed tick trefoils, hedge parsley, and yellow avens. Enchanter’s nightshade is a unique name for sure, but I don’t think any seed has a more peculiar history than houndstooth. A few centuries ago, folks worried about getting attacked by dog-weaved necklaces from the stuff. In England and in the mid-1800s, doctors made a potion from houndstooth and believed it would cure venereal disease. Did the advent of penicillin render houndstooth obsolete? I don’t know …  

All joking aside, prickly seeds can be a problem. Sure, they make dogs uncomfortable, for who wants to curl up and take a post-hunt snooze on a series of tines? It can become a real issue, especially with what we’ve all seen with our dirty dogs: self-grooming. Dogs with burrs stuck in their hair want to get them out. They’ll use saliva to wet the area and their tongues and teeth to pick away at burr. The problem comes if they ingest the burr and it gets stuck in their throat. Solving for that issue requires more time and money than just using a comb, a brush and a pair of blunt-tipped scissors to remove each one. If you forget your comb or brush, then just make one. All you have to do is to bend over the tines on a fork so they make a 90-degree angle. They’ll work just fine.

Those Little Bast#$@%ds

Unfortunately, many of you know what I’m talking about: ticks. On a white pointer you can spot ‘em right away. Dark-haired dogs are more challenging; however, it’s very difficult to spot those bloodsuckers on a dark-haired, long-haired dog. When running dogs in tick country, be sure they’ve gotten a Lyme vaccination that is augmented by a monthly chewable. I favor Simparica Trio, but other medications work well, too. If ticks are really bad, I’ll add two other procedures. The first is to spray my setters’ coats with Sawyer’s SP 624 Permethrin for Dogs. And if it’s a horrible year for ticks, then consider a post-hunt wash down with a flea and tick shampoo. This past year I pulled three, red-backed ticks from my own post-hunt hide. No damage was done, but maybe I should up my own personal anti-tick game, too.

Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

Edmund Davis believed that a dog’s thick coat helps him stay warm in the cold. There is a flip side to that coin, one that we talk about during the high heat and humidity on the front end of our season: heat dissipation. If a dog’s fur suit keeps him from getting cold, then surely it must contribute to his overheating, correct? Or does the fur serve as an insulator? No conclusive studies show a positive impact of a shaved long-haired dog on core body temperatures.

Hot dogs cool in one of three ways. The first, and primary method, is through panting. With panting, the dog exchanges their hot, internal air for cooler external air. Their intake of cooler air helps dogs regulate their body temperatures. There’s an issue, though, and that comes on a hot, humid, early season day. When hot internal air is swapped for hot external air, dogs don’t cool as well or as quickly.

Dogs cool in two other ways, too. One way is that they dissipate heat through their skin. Cooling through skin is why short-haired dogs are favored for hot regions, and it’s likely why you and I shave our shags. And, finally, and to a lesser degree, dogs cool through their paw pads. My Pennsylvania friend, Roger Hoover, wears short-sleeved shirts in the early season heat, saying that he’d rather bleed than be hot. Short-haired dogs can get cut more easily than long-haired dogs, so keep an eye on their skin and coat.

One year during shedding season, I looked at the hair-filled floors. They were so covered that I thought they’d clean up better with a shave than a sweep. That’s when I pitched out the concept of a short-haired dog to Angela. She had just concluded a 15-minute ponytail comb out so I figured I’d strike while the iron was hot.  

“We should get a pointer,” I said. “That way we won’t have so much hair to clean up.”

“That’s a great idea,” she said. “Can you give me a ride into town this afternoon?”

“Sure thing,” I said. “But what do you need to do?”

“I just decided that it’s time for a change,” she said. “I’m going to get my ponytail lopped off.”

Some conversations end just as fast as they started, but talking about the best hair length for a grouse dog in camp? That ain’t one of ‘em.

Tom Keer owns The Keer Group, a marketing and public relations company that focuses on outdoor sports and recreation. He’s a writer, hunter and fisherman and a setter man.

by Keith Schopp

My Labrador retriever Flora is still a youngster and she often sticks to me like glue in the field and the forests.  She’s a bit hesitant to charge in and flush. And she might be a little too obedient – often waiting for me to release her with an “OK” or “Free” before she hunts and quarters.

I can see the lightbulb starting to turn on. However, I often say to my wife, “Flora’s no Emma.”

At least not yet.

Comparing Flora to Emma is probably my biggest mistake. Emma is that one dog you’re blessed with. The one that never quits. The one that almost always comes back with the bird. The one that seemed to be a natural at six months, still has it, and is now closing in on 10 years.

Meanwhile, my friends call Flora needle nose – like the pliers. She has a long pointy nose for a Labrador, but she’s still a cutie. Young Needle Nose has her good points. She stays close, comes when called and retrieves nicely to hand. And she’s made great progress in her first hunting season.

But she’s no Emma. At least not yet.

What to do about Flora?

Moreso, what to do about dogs that may be slow starters? Dogs that are destined to be fair or good, but not great. And what can we do to move a dog from fair to good to, even, great?

I posed that question to Karl Gunzer, director of Purina’s Sporting Dogs Group and a former professional retriever trainer. Karl’s also a close friend and my grouse hunting partner. He’s seen Emma in action many times and has never hunted behind Flora.

Karl has also seen his share of well-bred hunt test and field trial dogs that take some time to develop – like Otis, the 2024 National Derby Champion Labrador Retriever. Otis was the last pick of a litter of 10 and, according to his breeder/owner/handler Rick Wilke, was fat and lazy as a puppy and had little to no desire to retrieve. Rick Wilke nearly gave up on Otis and almost sold him to a friend before deciding to take more time. Otis was exposed to hunting and birds and caught fire at the end of his Derby career. He qualified for the National Derby Championship Stake and won, beating the best Derby dogs in the country.

“The power of the bird is pretty amazing,” said Karl. “Throwing wing-clipped pigeons or seeding a field with them can do wonders to awaken their natural prey drive.”

Hunting and exposure to birds is giving Flora some confidence.

While I want Flora to extend her search and stop being a boot polisher, Karl says many owners battle the other extreme – dogs that lack obedience and range too far. Dogs that take out the bird field with a crazed 200-yard-dash or bust a trail in the grouse woods with reckless abandon.

“Distance erodes control,” said Karl. “You want and need that balance.”

He emphasizes yard work and basic obedience.

“It’s important for dogs to gain experience in the field, but you should maintain your basic standards,” he added. “Dogs must come when called.  Pointing dogs need to ‘whoa’ when you say ‘whoa’ and so on. If you change direction, they need to go with you.”

Karl says enforcing basic obedience and working a young dog with a leash or check cord can make a big difference before transitioning to field work.

“Put your dog in a situation where you can control the outcome and make it happen right now,” suggested Karl. “Reinforce the behaviors you want and correct the ones you don’t so the dog understands.”

At the same time, Karl says great can be the enemy of good.

“It’s hard for a dog to be good at everything,” said Karl. “As a trainer, you tend to focus and work on things the dog is not good at. If it has trouble with a certain type of retrieve, you naturally work on that – maybe too much. If you always or only focus on the weaknesses, you might wind up losing the strengths.”

For example, a bird dog might excel at finding and pointing birds, but might not hunt for downed birds or retrieve. Or a flusher might not be in a rush to flush – but is great at trailing and retrieving.

“It’s hard for me to say lower your standards and accept shortcomings, but at some point, you should really enjoy what the dog does well. Don’t take that away from them.”

All dogs are different, and some may take longer to mature, gain confidence and become proficient.

My Flora is a good example.

Karl says a common mistake is going too fast – perhaps expecting too much, too soon.

“Slow down and simplify is always a good strategy when you hit a bump,” he said. “You want the dog to have success and build on that.”

Another option is to seek professional help from a trusted trainer.

“A good trainer has seen just about everything and has more tricks in the tool bag for problem solving,” said Karl. “They also have the equipment, the grounds and the birds that the average person may not have access to.”

And what if the dog just doesn’t cut it?

“If the dog enjoys being outdoors with you and hunting, you can mutually find some pleasure in the activity,” he said. “If they don’t enjoy it, if they’re gun shy, it might be appropriate for the dog to live a different life. Maybe a therapy dog, maybe a house dog, maybe a bedwarmer.”

Flora is already a part-time bedwarmer. She’s also flushed and retrieved some wily North Dakota roosters. Next up is ruffed grouse in Minnesota this fall.

We can’t wait. She’s no Emma, but Old Needle Nose is going to be okay.

Keith Schopp is a freelance journalist and retired communications executive with a passion for sporting dogs and conservation. Based in Southern Illinois and North Dakota, Schopp enjoys following his Labrador retrievers and German shorthaired pointers wherever gamebirds can be found.

by Keith Schopp

Something was terribly wrong with Claira, our four-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer.

Just 30 minutes into a Southern Illinois quail hunt, she came hobbling back, tail tucked and barely able to walk. Her lymph nodes and neck were swollen, and her front legs were stiff at the shoulders. Claira was a dog that never quit hunting – until she did that December day in 2008.

The initial diagnosis after preliminary bloodwork: Cancer. I was devastated. Claira – the sweetest and best bird dog I ever had and only four! We were referred to a specialty clinic. They tended to agree with the cancer diagnosis. Another gut punch.

But wait. Maybe it wasn’t cancer. Maybe, just maybe, it was something else. The specialty clinic veterinarian ordered more bloodwork and screening. Bingo. It was a tick-borne disease. And not just one. Claira had Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis and a third tick-borne disease I can’t remember. We’d never been so happy. Antibiotics and doxycycline did their magic and Claira lived to be almost 17.

“Medically, we call that a co-infection,” said Dr. Sharon Albright, DVM, CCRT and manager of communications and veterinary outreach for the AKC Canine Health Foundation. “Claira was infected with multiple tick-borne diseases and that’s actually common in dogs and humans. Diagnosis can be a challenge and sometimes the symptoms overlap with cancer or other diseases.”

Dr. Albright says Claira’s story underscores the need to advocate for your sporting dog and to work with your primary care veterinarian to discuss tick-borne diseases and appropriate testing options.

“Sporting dog owners know their dogs so well,” said Dr. Albright. “You have your hands on the dog on a regular basis and can notice subtle changes in performance. Trust your gut. If performance or behavior is not normal for this animal, then you need to act and see your veterinarian. If you suspect a tick-borne illness, ask about testing.”

Tick Tock

The clock is running. Infection rates for tick-borne pathogens including Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and babesiosis are on the rise and can cause serious debilitating and even life-threatening illnesses.

“If you spend enough time outdoors with your dogs, chances are they’re going to be exposed to a tick-borne pathogen,” said Dr. Albright. “We know the geographic range of various tick species is expanding, testing capabilities are improving and overall tick-borne disease awareness is increasing. The combination of all those factors is contributing to apparent rise in infection rates.”            

Dr. Christine Petersen, DVM, PhD and associate dean at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, agrees and said data shows tick-borne infection rates are increasing significantly. She points to the Companion Animal Parasite Council website that tracks incidence of various diseases including heat maps for the U.S. and Canada.

“If you just look at Lyme, the most well-known and studied tick-borne infection in dogs, we’ve gone from about 162,000 confirmed cases in 2012 to more than half a million cases in 2024 alone. That’s real.”

Tick-borne diseases are found in all 50 states and Canada, and the main tick vector for Lyme is found in the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, upper Midwestern states and adjacent areas of Canada.

Realizing the risk and growing threat to canine and human health, the AKC Canine Health Foundation created the Tick-Borne Disease Initiative in 2016. To date, CHF and its donors have invested more than $1.1 million in 16 grants to study tick-borne disease.

An Occupational Hazard for Sporting Dogs

Dr. Petersen turned her tick-borne attention to sporting dogs for a CHF-funded study from 2019-2021. Working with the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association, Dr. Petersen and her team went to field trials across the upper Midwest to perform physical exams, collect blood and test dogs for tick-borne illness. Dr. Petersen and her team examined the different clinical responses from infected dogs and sought to determine why some of those dogs suffer no ill effects while others may experience severe clinical signs including fever, swollen/painful joints and even kidney disease. The wide range of clinical responses is likely caused by interactions between the tick-borne bacteria and each dog’s immune system.

“It was a joy to be with those dogs in the field while they’re working,” said Dr. Petersen. “We went to six or seven field trials as part of that grant and probably saw 600 dogs and their people. If we did a snap test on 100 dogs at a trial, eight or nine of those dogs would test positive. We were handing doxycycline out in the field and treating those dogs the same day. That helped my whole team feel a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.”

Dr. Petersen calls risk of tick-borne illness an “occupational hazard” for sporting dogs.

“You quickly learn why sporting dogs are at higher risk,” she said. “Those dogs go where the ticks are. Whether it’s pursuing grouse or pheasants or competing in a field trial, just doing their job puts them at risk.”

She also added that it’s important to remember that these diseases also can have serious effects in people. “It’s a ‘yes and’ problem for sporting dog owners. Our dogs can be the canaries in the mine for us. It’s always good to do tick checks after coming out of the field. Find a friend for your back and wear insect spray on your socks to avoid carrying blood-sucking hitchhikers!”

Signs and Symptoms

While most dogs that test positive may not present symptoms or get sick, Dr. Petersen said joint swelling, lethargy and “shifting lameness” are classic symptoms of tick-borne illness. “With shifting lameness, a dog will favor one leg, then later change and favor the other.”

She adds that bloodshot eyes, loss of smell or scenting ability and change in performance are also signs to watch for.

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

Dr. Albright said safeguarding your dog as it navigates tick-infested forests and fields requires diligence year-round.

“Those darn ticks are crafty,” said Dr. Albright. “Just because it’s winter and cold doesn’t mean dogs are safe from a tick bite.”

The tick prevention toolkit includes inspecting your dog from nose to tail after every outdoor event – think tailgate check; using a tick preventative product that can be applied topically or administered orally and considering vaccination for Lyme borreliosis for dogs that live or travel to regions with emerging or endemic Lyme disease.

“Work with your veterinarian to understand what the risks are for each dog and come up with the best strategy for testing and prevention,” said Dr. Albright. “Ask about products you can use to prevent flea and tick bites and disease transmission. Remember, nothing is 100 percent. You should also consider how often your dog swims or gets wet and how that could impact the effectiveness of topical tick prevention products.”

Purina’s Partnership with AKC Canine Health Foundation

Since it began in 2002, the Purina Parent Club Partnership (PPCP) Program has provided more than $9.25 million for canine health research, breed rescue and educational efforts to positively impact the general health and well-being of dogs. Some of this funding has helped to support studies that investigate tick-borne illnesses – like Dr. Petersen’s work with English Springer Spaniels.

The PPCP program enables Purina Pro Club members to earn Purina Points by purchasing qualifying Purina products – like Purina Pro Plan – and submitting proof of purchase. An annual donation from Purina is shared between Purina Pro Club members’ designated parent breed club and that club’s Donor Advised Fund at the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

“That money generated by the Purina Parent Club Partnership Program is in the hands of the parent breed club and the research they choose to support ties to that club’s interests and needs,” said Dr. Albright.

Tick-related Resources and Recommendations

“Sporting dog owners must be vigilant and advocate for their dogs,” said Dr. Albright.

For a deeper dive into tick-borne illnesses and the latest in research and recommendations, Dr. Albright suggests visiting the following sites:

• Tick-Borne Research Initiative
• Companion Animal Parasite Counsel
• American Animal Hospital Association – Canine Vaccination Guidelines
• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine – Consensus Statement update on Lyme borreliosis in dogs and cats

Keith Schopp is a freelance journalist and retired communications executive with a passion for sporting dogs and conservation. Based in Southern Illinois and North Dakota, Schopp enjoys following his Labrador retrievers and German shorthaired pointers wherever gamebirds can be found.