Protect your bird dog when running on the most difficult ground.
Our rugged Arizona desert can be brutal on a bird dog’s physical condition and psychological abilities when hunting and running these harsh grounds. Dog’s pads and core can truly indicate the battle scars years of desert hunting will put on a bird dog and getting your dog use to the right protective gear should not be a problem. Also, knowing what grounds are really bad -vs- not so bad will help you make good decisions on what type of protection might be needed i.e boots, vests, goggles, etc.
Booting – there’s a lot of options to consider; fit and style.
- Proper booting can help extend your hunts.
- Rubber boots are the best for desert runners and will pick up less cactus.
- Choose a boot that will hold up and has enough ventilation holes to help keep your dog cool.
- A great life hack – Bicycle innertubes can be modified into dog boots.
- Lewis Boots are good but can get $$$ if you are consistently blowing boots off the dog.
- Flex wrap is ideal for the pre wrap around your dog’s legs but do not put the wrap on to tight.
- A good duct tape or electrical tape works well to secure the boots on your dog’s paws.
Vests – I do not use vests on my dogs but a lot of folks do.
- The right fit is important so there’s less chafing around the openings.
- Choose a color that stands out – helps with locating your dog visually.
- The snaps that secure the vest on the dog, make sure these are low profile so you will encounter less snags.
- No pockets on the vest or anything extra, will help reduce the vest getting hung-up while running thru thick cover.
- Vests are like a coat of armor and really helps with everything that has thorns.
@AZPointingDog, LLC