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diplomat019
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Question

Post by diplomat019 » Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:23 pm

I have a 2 questions. Here is the backdrop on my dog. 2 year old male gsp. this was his 2nd hunting season. I hunt him as much as i can, which is mainly weekends with the occasional day off.

1-Lately when i have been taking him out he has been pointing what i think are mole or field mice holes. is this normal for a dog his age? immaturity? not enough field experience? i haven't really done anything about it, because i was unsure. he points, ill go look at the cover to see if there is a bird and its nothing. eventually he gets the picture and leaves it alone, or ill just call him off.

2-he ripped like half of his front pad off hunting. i let it heal up and took him out. ripped it off again. what can i do to prevent it happening again while hunting. seems to be healing good as of now. anything i can apply to it aside from a boot while out?

thanks!

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MGIII
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Question

Post by MGIII » Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:33 pm

I don't have answers for you but my brittany points at pack rat holes too. In fact he caught one 2 weeks ago. My understanding is immaturity and not enough field experience. I usually just tell him "no bird" and keep him moving. Id like to hear some answers to your questions too.

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DudeRN
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Re: Question

Post by DudeRN » Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:14 pm

Musher's secret might help. I haven't tried it yet, but it has a good reputation. Bag balm is always a good protector and healer, too.

http://musherssecret.net/

http://www.bagbalm.com/

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Brazosvalleyvizslas
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Re: Question

Post by Brazosvalleyvizslas » Thu Jan 22, 2015 7:33 am

Tuff Paws for the pads or anything else that is based on "tincture of Benzoin' (SP)? It is a preventative measure and BURNS like crazy on open wounds but if used as suggested, is very helpful.

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ROTTnBRITT
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Re: Question

Post by ROTTnBRITT » Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:31 am

I would suspect that your are not finding enough birds to keep him wanting to find more. He is getting bored and finding other things to hunt. Keep calling him off and moving on and he should learn to ignore them.

Pads take a bit to heal. I keep my dogs quiet for 2 weeks before I work them after they tear or cut a pad. They open back up easily if not healed completely.

RayGubernat
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Re: Question

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:16 am

You have your answer on the field mice thing. I install a command for my dogs. "NO FUR...LEAVE IT" which means "That ain't what I want you messing with, so leave it...NOW". I use it for rabbits, snakes, deer, gutpiles, muskrats...whatever.

A far as pads are concerned...some dogs hit the ground harder than others and will continually injure pads. The only real solution for those dogs is to boot the dog. For most dogs, toughening the pads will go a long way. Dogs that spend a good bit of their time on things like river gravel will have tough, elastic pads. I put 3/4" river stone all around my kennels and made a walkway from the kennel to the back deck of the same stone. The dogs run through it all the time and I really think it helps.

I have tried a bunch of different things to protect dog pads over the years. The ones that dry on hard, like Tuff Foot, work for a short while, but if you use them repeatedly, the pad gets brittle and will literally crack open, making things much worse. Stuff like Musher's Secret and other lanolin/wax based products protect the foot and keep it supple. A straight up cut can be closed up with crazyglue after it is cleaned, disinfected and thoroughly dried. If one of my dogs cuts or wears through a pad, if it is not quite healed up, I will wrap it in Vetwrap or CoFlex for protection and cushioning and over wrap with Duct tape. If I put it on right, that is usually good for about an hour before it wears through. If you are going to hunt the dog longer than that, I suggest a cordura nylon or rubber boot over the Vetwrap. Just be careful and do not pull the Vetwrap tight because you can actually cut off circulation with that stuff. The more you wrap, the tighter it will become so use care.

Also, I suggest leaving the nails a bit long. They will take some of the pressure off the pads, especially the front ones, which seem to take the heaviest pounding.

RayG

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UglyD
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Re: Question

Post by UglyD » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:57 am

My dog has been known to pint voles but not during a hunt- pads- tried everything- some dogs a boot is your only choice- Mushers secret isn't going to help that- same experience with the Tuff foot- brittle pads. I run then on gravel rods and it does seem to toughen the feet but the one dog will always experience problems where the other does not

RayGubernat
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Re: Question

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Jan 22, 2015 11:18 am

I forgot something.

I got a "formula" once from a respected all age pro for toughening up dog's feet and healing abrasions, while allowing the dog to continue to run. It consisted of pine tar, iodine and potassium or sodium iodide. It is a gooey mess which will dry onto the dog's feet and the iodine will chemically "toughen" the pads while the pine tar acts as a sealer, cushion and bandage. Obviously, the iodine will also prevent any kind of infection.

You can also use Hawthorne "SOLE PACK which is meant for horse's hooves. It is essentially the same thing. Until the stuff dries up, it is VERY messy. Use GOOD gloves.

There are several equine hoof remedies that contain Crystal Violet or Methyl Violet or something similar. They all work to coat and heal up the abrasions to some extent. Again this stuff stains, BIG TIME, so use gloves.

RayG

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UglyD
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Re: Question

Post by UglyD » Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:06 pm

Gentian Violet - I use it on my pack goats- dogs and myself- stains- unreal healing though

reba
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Re: Question

Post by reba » Thu Jan 22, 2015 12:32 pm

WHOA, HEAR, DEAD BIRD, NO RODENTS*, NO SHEEP**

*Covers them all.

**Doesn't matter if it's a deer, elk, antelope, cow etc. one command NO SHEEP

I have a GSP that has pointed bobcat, wolf, porcupine, coyote, lion, badger, WHOA worked real well.

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Sharon
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Re: Question

Post by Sharon » Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:23 pm

UglyD wrote:Gentian Violet - I use it on my pack goats- dogs and myself- stains- unreal healing though
I bet your partner loves that on the sheets. :)

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Fun dog
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Re: Question

Post by Fun dog » Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:16 pm

I'll chime in with a little of what I learned from my sleddogs. Good feet was a requirement for breeding so we didn't have that many problems, but occasionally you'll get that one dog or conditions that were just plain detrimental to feet. As has been noted things like tuff foot and gention violet do lead to tuff feet, but can turn them brittle. What you really want is pliable feet which is why udder balm and mushers secret may be a better choice. We used to make our own ointment which consisted of udder balm, desitin (the ointment) and a bit of tea tree oil. The desitin has a lot of zinc in it, good for healing, and also stays on the foot well. The gravel idea is excellent. The feet on our dogs that were on gravel were much tougher than those of the dogs on other surfaces. For smaller dings we often patched the dogs pad. Cut a bit of elasticon or mole skin just larger than the ding. Then super glue it on the pad. It's best to remove the patch at the end of the day to prevent infection. If the dog has completely removed the pad from his foot you may just need to lay the dog up to heal and it can take up to a month. And of course booties are a wonderful help. I like the mushers booties. They are light and flexible and easy to toss in a pack. They come in different weights for different conditions. Just use caution if it's warm out.

diplomat019
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Re: Question

Post by diplomat019 » Thu Jan 22, 2015 8:41 pm

thanks for the replies.

Good to know the different remedies for the pad. I wanna say i rushed him back out too soon before it fully healed and thats why it re-opened. poor dog was missing half of its pad skin or whatever its called. id have to guess he sliced it off on a rock or something. anyways he's better now. been keeping him calm and inside.

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