|
|
Lone Star Hunting Retriever Club |
|||||||
President’s Message: Onto a different subject, I saw many club members attending hunt tests sponsored by area clubs. Texoma HRC, Lonesome Dove HRC and Big D HRC all put on remarkable tests. I don’t know where to start. Texoma was the first test of the season for most members. Their test went off without a hitch. The boys and girls in Oklahoma did a great job putting this one together. Lonesome Dove did not have a test in 2006 so this was the first in a year or so. The West Texas group put in a lot of time getting handlers to come out to Comanche for the weekend where their test was full in all flights. As many of you know, this was Big D’s 20th year hunt test and it was a big one. From what I hear they had the most dogs of any HRC test. With that many people and dogs the test ran very smoothly. The Big D family did an unbelievable job putting the test together and running it. I sat in the judges chair at all three tests this season and saw some great dog work. With the year coming to a close Lone Star HRC will be having our last event of the year. This will be our Christmas Party. It will be held at Dale and Patty’s house in Plano. This is a fun event, where everyone hangs out and has some good food. This year we will be bringing in Mexican food, which is something a little different but nice. We will be having the party during the split of duck season on December 1st which is on a Saturday night. There will be a gift exchange and our Annual Duck Calling contest which will conclude the Lone Star Triple Crown events. Come and enjoy this event. I will have more info on the time and address of the party. Hope to see everyone there. See you at the line. Kyle
Please send your
membership dues to:
Paid club members
can also place ads on the website. If you have something you want to
sell, please send me the information. Check it out. Club Logo Stickers:
Regular Club Meeting -
Thursday November 15th @ 7:00 PM
Misc: CONDITIONING This is usually the most overlooked portion of a hunting dog’s development. Bird hunters have the “hunt then into shape” syndrome or the “drop the tail gate and let them run” mentality. In the first instance, nothing but disappointment can occur. If you are not in shape, hunting is no fun. What makes us think our dogs can perform if they are not in shape. In the second scenario, according to Ferrell Miller, we are only teaching them to hunt for themselves. Although some conditioning will occur, the results will be less than gratifying if Fido only hunts for himself. Well conditioned dogs can go for days. Unconditioned ones falter after one or two days Walking or jogging are fine for humans but are insufficient for performance dogs. The daily walk may make you feel good and it probably helps Rover’s mental stability but walking at heel does very, very little for his conditioning. Fifteen minutes of throwing a stick won’t cut it. Maybe an hour in water with the stick will help. Performance dogs need a high impact concentrated form of exercise such as roading to achieve the maximum level of conditioning. Roading is easy and convenient for the trainer and extremely effective for the dog. Pulling light carts or sleds is effective but since most of us do not have them we must use something else. Bicycles, horses, 4 wheelers and even cars can be used for roading. If all you can do is walk your dog, fit him with a roading harness and let him pull you. Get him off heel and let him get some exercise. Invest is a roading harness and long lead. Like any new skill roading takes some training for the dog Start your roading program slowly, 10 minutes, and gradually build to an hour 5 days a week for several weeks before the season. No time-think professional. Since dogs cannot tell you when they need to potty or if they are sick or thirsty, do not be guilty of ignoring your dog while they are roading. Stay off the hard surfaces to protect the pads. Without feet, the hunting dog is nothing. Properly done roading will toughen the pads also. Avoid heavy pulling as it can alter the gate and according to John Rabadu, road the young dog very sparingly. Swimming is another excellent exercise for dogs when the handler directs the session from the bank. Repeated long swims to retrieve a bumper or ball are an excellent form of conditioning in hot weather. Just be sure to let the dog dry before putting him in a box without exhaust fans or superb ventilation. Common sense must prevail during exercise programs. Monitor the dog’s weight and appearance. Think “gradual”. Performance dogs cannot be conditioned from scratch in the two weeks before the season opens. H20 MUST BE PROVIDED cells do not work without water.
TAPEWORMS Tapeworms are one of the most common types of worms found in dogs. Diagnosis is made by seeing the segments in the stool. Microscopic examination of a fecal specimen usually does not diagnosis tapeworms. This is because the microscopic eggs and segments are not passed regularly. There may be several in a bowel movement and then none seen for a week or two. If seen only once, they prove that the dog has tapeworms. Tapeworm segments may be found on the surface of freshly passed stools, where they look like small grains of rice or cucumber seeds. Segments may or may not be seen moving. These segments may sometimes be seen “crawling” out of the rectum or attached to the hair in the rectal area. They sometimes may be found in the dog’s bedding. When dead they resemble dried rice. Tapeworms must go through an intermediate host, which is primarily the flea in dogs. Infested birds or rabbits can also spread the parasite to your dog. Fleas eat into the segments passed by your dog and then become infected with the tapeworms. Effective medication is available through your veterinarian. Over the counter medications are usually not effective against tapeworms. Prevention is far easier than treatment in the battle against tapeworms. 1. Keep your dog free of fleas 2. Do not allow the dog to eat birds, rabbits, rodents, etc. 3. Treat infested pets as directed Humans cannot be infested unless they eat infested fleas! Provided by Claws & Paws Veterinary Hospital
ROUNDWORMS The Toxocara canis species is the most common roundworm. Round worm eggs are shed in the feces on infected dogs. Though they are not infective when shed, they become mature and infective within a short period of time. Once shed, roundworm eggs are extremely hardy and can remain infective for several years. Huge accumulations can build up in the soil if dogs are confined to the place for long periods, which is why dirt kennels or doghouse runs are not recommended. The surface of brushed concrete can be cleaned and disinfected to help control parasite problems, but because concrete contains pores, it must be properly sealed to avoid harboring parasites and bacteria. Dogs can become infected with roundworms in four ways:
Adult dogs that swallow infective stages tend to be more resistant to roundworms, as their immune system is fully developed and thus able to stop the worm’s development. However, when a dog does become infected the roundworms compete for nutrition in the small intestine. Roundworms often make a puppy looked “potbellied.” Other signs are diarrhea, listlessness, and poor growth. A veterinarian can determine whether a dog has roundworms by microscopic examination of fresh fecal material. If so the veterinarian will prescribe the appropriate medication and treatment schedule to prevent reinfiction.
The heartworm is actually a long slender worm that is contracted from mosquitoes while still in the larval stage. If an infected mosquito bites your dog, they inject the larva into the tissue at the bite site and the larva migrates to your dog’s heart. Once in the heart, the heartworm will continue to develop, grow, and reproduce. The baby heartworms, or larvae, cannot continue to grow in the dog they must have an intermediate host. When the dog is bitten by another mosquito, it will suck larvae in with the dog’s blood. Growth of the larvae occurs and the mosquito re-injects it into the same or another dog. Because of this, the prime point of stopping a heartworm infection is at the migrating larvae stage; before they reach the heart. This not only prevents them from growing into adults, causing heart damage, and producing offspring, but it also prevents the damage done during migration. Prevention of heartworms is easy. Many of the old timers still use Ivermectin straight once a month. A good rule of thumb here is a little will go a long way. Daily pills called flaribits are still available and several once a month products are available from your Veterinarian. Prevention should not be started until your dog has been tested for heartworms. Preventives can kill a dog that is infested with heartworms. Without a good pumper, your sporting dog will lack the needed get-up-and-go. It is very easy to prevent heartworms. If you have questions about how, contact your veterinarian
Why your dog should compete, condition, and hunt with an empty gut. Have you ever had your dog come in from a strenuous workout “empty out” and have his stool lined with blood? According to Dr. Arleigh Reynolds Ph.D.., this is due to small tears in the gut lining caused by the weight of the digesting food or stool on the gut as the dog works. It can not be healthy for any performance dog to be bleeding into his gut lining as he works. This can be avoided by taking care that he “empties out” before running and feeding 12 to 24 hours before work. Because the gastrointestinal tract and the muscular tract both require a large amount of blood to function, neither can work to optimum when both are working intensely at the same time. Exercise is often associated with loose or even bloody stools. This condition is referred to as “stress diarrhea” and may be due to exercising while the gastrointestinal tract is processing a large meal. The very cutting edge research suggest that feeding 12 to 24 hours will allow the dog to metabolize his stored fat supply thus assuring more energy is available for top performance. In other words, feeding 12 to 24 hours before exercise will allow your dog to” be all that he can be”. |
||||||||
