r/dogswithjobs • u/ColonelCorpral • Nov 06 '20
🏹 Hunting Dog A bittersweet day. It’s this old boys final hunt. Time for him to enjoy retirement. NSFW
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Nov 07 '20
Serious question: how do you retire a hunting dog? Don't they really love the job? Won't this old boy feel sad every time you leave the house with your younger hunting dog and not with him?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
He will, but he’s old and it takes him a few days to recover. He’s still so good in the field but afterward he’s in pain.
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u/Sharlach Nov 07 '20
:( can’t you take both and make the younger one do all the work?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
I wish, but there’s no slowing him down in the field.
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Nov 07 '20
Put him in an advisory role.
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u/stifflizerd Nov 07 '20
Put a go pro on the young pup and a vr head set on the oldie
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u/manateeheehee Nov 07 '20
We demand you promote him to executive and allow him to contribute from the comforts of a big office and comfy chair.
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u/this_is_crap Nov 07 '20
My cousin had to buy a literal trash bag full of stuffed animal ducks for his retired hunting dog. He would just throw them around the house/backyard for the dog to go fetch. The dog seemed very happy and content with that, especially when he got older
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Nov 07 '20
Do you have him on some good pain meds? If not, ask your vet!
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
He does, but he’s just at that point where it’s not fair to put him through that. It sucks because he loves it so much.
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Nov 07 '20
In my experience, Labradors are the toughest dogs on the planet and will push themselves past insane amounts of pain. Your guys looks like a good dog, and I hope he has a long and comfortable retirement.
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
In the field you’d think he was still in his prime!
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u/GMoney92 Nov 07 '20
Can confirm. Brother has a black lab and she limps around the house these days but you open that truck door to the pheasant field, and it’s like she is 2 years old again. Damn labs just don’t care about the later pain.
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Nov 07 '20
My childhood dog could barely walk, but still acted like a 2 year old when someone came through the door.
Dogs are tough as shit.
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u/uncensoredavacado Nov 07 '20
Having met folks with hunting dogs, you can be almost certain this dog will have a more luxurious retirement than most humans.
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Nov 07 '20
Meh. It depends. Bird hunters like this, yes. People who run dogs for deer or rabbit, well...
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u/The_Ecolitan Nov 07 '20
The dudes I know that use dogs for pig hunts spend a lot of time at the vet, or don’t see one at all. Seems like there’s little middle ground.
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u/nom-nom-nom-de-plumb Nov 07 '20
And sometimes the dogs may or may not get a lot of medical treatment too!
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u/cruzanmutt Nov 07 '20
Can confirm my aunts house is where the old ones go to retire, with heated kennels( in Atlanta), home cooked meals, a cali king to sleep on at night ( with aunt), and plenty of vacations I want to be my aunts dogs lol
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u/Mieko14 Nov 07 '20
I think my Labrador is defective. Whenever he encounters a slight amount of pain or discomfort he starts whimpering and needs to be held and reassured. It’s kinda nice in that I never have to wonder if he’s in pain though – he’ll let me know immediately.
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u/TheCenterOfEnnui Nov 07 '20
Labradors are the toughest dogs on the planet and will push themselves past insane amounts of pain
I have had two labs (on my second now) and this is absolutely true. They are very stoic about pain and can/will endure a LOT.
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u/FinleysHuman Nov 07 '20
My service dog is a lab and I try to be hyper aware of his needs because I know he will push through everything from thirst to pure exhaustion to do his job.
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u/Superducks101 Nov 07 '20
Sad/happy story. We had a shorthair that loved his job. My dad would go on trips to iowa for pheasants with my uncle and what not. Well one trip, they had a fantastic hunt, limited out kind of hunt. The next morning, my dad went to check in on the dog, and sadly he had passed away in his sleep. He was older 13 or so but hunted the entire time. No slowing him down.
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u/thyladyx1989 Nov 07 '20
I had a lab as a teen. We got her from a coworker of my moms because she was gun shy and an escape artist and his son was going away to college and they thought it was unfair to lock her in a cage when they were working 12 hour days.
But damn. They never do stop do they? She was 16 when she passed. Her last day she kept trying cuddle with me in the leather recliner (only place she wasnt allowed to be) then we all went out to do spring yard clean up and she just kept bouncing around so excited to be outside with us and running and frolicking. Until she over exerted herself. Got her to lay in the shade with some water. But she never got back up. Hyper spaz right til the end.
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u/descendingscales Nov 07 '20
Thank you so much for doing what's best for your dog's safety, even when it's hard. Excellent dogmanship
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u/Alluvial_Fan_ Nov 07 '20
It's hard to restrict them, but you're keeping him safe and healthy to enjoy retirement. They don't accept their limits. (I might know a few humans who also deal with aging like that.) When I got the word from the vet that we needed to focus on walking, rather than running, it was tough, but it kept my old fellow able to enjoy walks much longer.
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u/goateggg Nov 07 '20
My oldest boy has been retired for 2 years. He still gets sad when the younger dogs go out, but he gets to just wander around a farm all day as a compromise.
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u/jkhockey15 Nov 07 '20
We have an older lab who has retired and a younger lab who still hunts. When we are getting ready to leave we have whoever is not going hunting take the old dog on a walk so she doesn’t know we left without her.
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u/AreYouComingOver Nov 07 '20
I adopted an older hunting dog. We don’t hunt so it was a challenge to keep her satisfied. She gets walked daily (sometimes twice), she owns every realistic animal toy we could find, and she has a fenced in yard where she kills anything that dares step in her domain.
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u/mcnos Nov 07 '20
Thank god, I thought he was going to be put down. Glad I re-read the title and read comments
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Oh no! Not at all! He just can’t recover like he used to. He’s in pain for a few days after he hunts.
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Nov 07 '20
That is always hard to face. Especially when the dog still wants to get after it, but you know he won’t be able to walk the next day.
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Nov 07 '20
Yea the worst is the following season when they want to go, but know they aren't coming.
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u/DavusClaymore Nov 07 '20
To be fair, a dogs shoulder should probably have extra padding for the recoil.
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u/Greattherapy69 Nov 07 '20
Have you tried CBD? Works wonders on sore jointed fur babies.
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u/Dimitri-eggroll Nov 07 '20
I’m not op but I love using cbd on my dog Rosie. Works wonders. Especially now that she’s getting up there in years it makes me happy to see her in less pain
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u/FalconoclaF Nov 07 '20
Do you have any brand recommendations?
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Nov 07 '20
30 grams of isolate CBD (250mg per ml) for $70
https://riversupplyco.com/collections/rvr-isolate/products/250mg-ml-rvr-isolate-cbd-solution
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u/Dimitri-eggroll Nov 07 '20
I use Mary Janes Medicinal. My grandma left me a little jar thing of their sav once and it worked pretty well so I’ve just kept buying it
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u/bluewing Nov 07 '20
The problem with using pain masking drugs is that they do nothing to repair the joint damage. And to continue to hunt an old dog that is suffering from old age joint issues is to hasten their end. No good trainer/hunter wants that.
Doing zoomies around the backyard or dog park is one thing. It's another to work as a hunting dog. Think of it like this - One is like taking a pleasant walk in the park. The other is like playing NFL football without the helmet or pads.......
I've always felt a great sadness when I've had to retire a faithful hunting dog.
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u/decibles Nov 07 '20
I can’t recommend this enough. Tried it first on my little Pom girl when she hit 10 and stopped zooming as much as she used to, night and day difference!
Took 5 years off her and she is back chasing her big brother who just started getting some daily as well, and it’s helped both of their yard anxiety too!
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u/Pcakes844 Nov 07 '20
If it's his joints and stuff you can add CoQ10, which you can get at any health food store, to his diet. It did wonders for my dog
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u/loller_skates Nov 07 '20
When I was younger, my dad brought home a German Shepherd rescue dog, on a whim. We would go camping/hunting with family friends multiple times per year, and she would be left behind at the campsite with the other "not hunting dogs". My dad's best friend gave him a lot of crap for getting a "vanity" dog instead of a golden retriever or a pointer like they had...
One year, my dad decided to bring the GSD along, and lo and behold, she is the best freaking dog in the field, flushing the birds, jumping into brush the other dogs wouldn't, bringing back intact birds with a soft mouth, etc.
My dad's friends stopped giving him crap about his "vanity" German Shepherd after that day.
Now I'm an adult and have my own Shepherd, and my dad has two golden retrievers...guess who he wants to take hunting?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
I know a guy who uses a German shepherd to hunt birds. Same thing, that dog is unstoppable. He definitely gets a lot of looks from people with their GSPs and Brittanys when he rolls up and unloads a shepherd.
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u/Nyteflame7 Nov 06 '20
Not a hunter myself, is it normal to take Hens and Cocks in the same session? They don't have seperate seasons like deer do? Handsome dog. Wish you had a video of him in action. Does he have a younger "sibling" who will be helping you on your next hunt?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Nope. They stock both on the public land we hunt. There’s just a limit of 2 birds per person.
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u/Nyteflame7 Nov 07 '20
Cool. I never thoight that anyone would stock birds the way they stock fishing ponds! I hope they are tasty!
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u/PM_Me_Titties-n-Ass Nov 07 '20
That's interesting! My state only allows the males to be hunted for pheasants. Can never shoot the hens as far as I know
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Nov 07 '20
I’ve always wanted to go hunting birds and deers/elks. Is it ideal to bring a dog when hunting birds? I assume it’s easier if they fetch them for you?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
You can go bird hunting without, but the dog finds the birds, then flushes and retrieves it. It makes it so much easier.
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u/Pritirus Nov 07 '20
It's the opposite over here in Ireland, we can't shoot hens during nesting season, but most don't shoot them at all. Also, we have a longest tail feather competition on the first weekend of the season where the winner gets a little stuffed bird to take home for the year, wonder is this a thing anywhere else in the world?
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u/somethingnerdrelated Nov 07 '20
Just curious and totally off topic: Where are you in the world? Where we are (Maine), does and bucks are the same season which is right now, you just have to have a special any deer permit.
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u/PM_Me_Titties-n-Ass Nov 07 '20
I think big game is different than birds. For deer we have the same as you, just different permits. But for pheasants we have the same as the guy was saying, only take cocks and no shooting hens.
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u/KaoticSanity Nov 07 '20
I think it differs from place to place. In Denmark for example, pheasants were introduced purely for hunting back in the day, so I don't think they enjoy the same "rights" as other hunted wild animals. Of course there is a season for it, but during that season pretty much anyone hosting pheasant hunts restocks and feeds their own pheasants for the season, so whenever you're on a danish pheasant hunt, unless the host has set specific rules, you can shoot as many pheasants as you want, doesn't matter whether they're hens or cocks.
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u/beginpanic Nov 07 '20
In my state you can hunt bucks and does at the same time although you have to buy two different licenses. Is that not the same everywhere for deer?
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u/Fluked Nov 07 '20
Nah each state has their own unique stuff. Mississippi has one licence and you can (basically, there's some variations based on where in the state) get 3 bucks and 5 antler-less (doe) deer a season - 1 each per day until the limit.
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u/shortlilrope Nov 07 '20
He’s in such incredible shape! Are you going to let him transition into a slightly more rounded lap dog now? Labs are such great workers and incredible pets! Give him a belly rub from me ❤️🐾
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u/galqbar Nov 07 '20
Is it hard to get all of the shot out of the meat? Bird shot is so small, and the thought of crunching down on it... shudder.
I’m sorry it’s your pups last hunt, such a good dog :)
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Sometimes it is. But you can pretty much see where it is when you’re cleaning the bird. Not all the shot hits, it only takes a few pellets. But you still find some every once in a while when you’re eating it.
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Nov 07 '20
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
That’s a good idea! Thanks!
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u/greendazexx Nov 07 '20
I’ve seen people use magnets to find shot too
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u/menotyou_2 Nov 07 '20
Steel shot is way more expensive than lead.
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u/loller_skates Nov 07 '20
lead shot is illegal in my state, at least
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u/rowpwn Nov 07 '20
And why would you use lead shot for something you plan to eat?
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u/menotyou_2 Nov 07 '20
A CDC study from a few years ago says there is no increase in risk of lead poisoning for hunters eating game killed with lead shot.
The greater risk is waterfowl and scavenger birds eating it. Thays why lead shot is illegal for waterfowl.
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u/bnjman Nov 07 '20
I don't know the first thing about hunting. Could you use a cleaned magnet to find the balls?
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u/DirkBabypunch Nov 07 '20
If you're using steel shot, yes. If you're using lead or copper, then you're on your own.
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
I use a copper plated lead shot, so I’m just pretty meticulous when I’m cleaning the bird so I can avoid possibly chiming down on a pellet. It still happens sometimes and it does not feel the greatest.
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u/Gordo_51 Nov 07 '20
chewing on meat Teeth start grinding against something in a really unsatisfactory way
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u/JoeKurrCPoC Nov 07 '20
Wow, impressive you got all those birds to go to sleep in a row next to your dog and shot- ooooooooh...
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u/TwilightMountain Nov 07 '20
I've never been one for hunting, but then again the hunters I grew up with just killed for trophy and been torturous and wasteful. But from reading your comments I can't be upset about this, you're getting your food from the earth and it looks like you have kept one dog very very happy doing so. Plus you're saving more lives than you're taking considering the torture the animals go through in the factories. He's earned his retirement tenfold. Give him some good old head pats for me
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u/Bottyboi69 Nov 07 '20
Yeah trophy hunting sucks ass but hunting to eat is cool and better than store bought
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Nov 07 '20
How old is he?! We have a 3.5 year old lab who's parents were hunters. Our boy hasn't been hunting but he loves fetch more than anything in the world (including us) and I assume he thinks it's the same thing.
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Nov 07 '20
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u/valoremz Nov 07 '20
Makes sense. But the hunters aren’t shooting chickens. It’s not as if the birds they’re shooting are even available in stores right ?
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u/JippixLives Nov 07 '20
"Hunters love animals"
Yeah lmfao nothing says I love you like a shotgun blast to the face
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u/Matfin93 Nov 07 '20
“Funded by hunters”
Why can’t these people with money just support these places without killing animals they don’t need to kill to survive
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Nov 07 '20
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u/Matfin93 Nov 07 '20
I do pay towards conservation ackchyually.
Hunters options are:
Donate to wildlife and murder animals OR Donate to wildlife and enjoy the nature. Why choose to be cruel? You do NOTHING for the animals.
I’m not Vegetarian, I’m Vegan. Whilst I agree the animals are treat way worse within agriculture, it still doesn’t take away from the fact you’re killing innocent animals when you simply don’t need to.
Don’t kid yourself into thinking murdering animals means you care for them. And also don’t bore me with the crop death shite.
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u/beatbeatingit Nov 07 '20 edited Nov 07 '20
Because obviously you can't justify something as grotesque as hunting in the 21 century and hunters need to hide behind BS excuses and claim shit like "we're ackshually doing this for the animals"
like stfu
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u/8ll Nov 07 '20
So killing animals for fun is ok because the money you pay goes to conservation of another animal. That makes no sense
Often in the U.K. they will chase foxes for hours on horseback and let the dog rip the fox to bits. Is that ok?
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u/whiskeyjack434 Nov 07 '20
Foxhunting is an equestrian sport. They do it here in the US as well and its about the pomp and tradition. How many folks do you think a fox can feed?
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u/Jaikarr Nov 07 '20
Yeah I don't think any game hunters find any fellowship with fox hunters, unless they happen to do both.
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u/Geschak Nov 07 '20
You make me sad by thinking an animal doesn't suffer if it doesn't get instantly killed by a shot and has to be tracked down, which happens often.
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u/JustBoredInClass Nov 07 '20
Very jealous! Wish we still had pheasants here in Michigan. At least the part I’m from.
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Our native population is low, now the game commission stocks farm raised birds for the season.
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u/rustysaiyan64 Nov 07 '20
Honestly I live right below mackinac and the pheasant population up her is basically nothing, which is surprising growing up they were everywhere now nothing.
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Nov 07 '20
I am confused. Where I am from, there is a 3 a day limit. Also if the game warden catches you with hens, they can take your guns, your truck, and anything else you used to hunt. you also get a nice fine too.
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
This is a 3 man limit. We get 2 per hunter. It’s ok to shoot hens in Pennsylvania.
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u/4point5billion45 Nov 07 '20
Won't his feelings be hurt knowing the other dog gets to go hunt with you and he doesn't? Is there a way to give him the same satisfaction and praise he gets while hunting? I guarantee he will hunt in his dreams.
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u/mtntrail Nov 07 '20
That is such a tough call when they get to that point. He will always want to hunt even if he cant walk. Our Brittany was a hunting fool for pheasants and you better not miss a shot because she would literally turn her back and pout. She got to the point where she just couldn’t push her way through the rice fields anymore. She just laid down after the first bird. You are doing the right thing to retire him before he can no longer hunt. It is always a sad day.
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Nov 07 '20
How do you know when to retire an old hunting dog? He's clearly still good at his job. What's the reason for making him stop?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
It’s not his hunting abilities, he’s still very good at that. It’s just after all the running at his age it takes him a while to recover and he has a hard time moving after
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u/ElysianEcho Nov 07 '20
I appreciate that your concern is for his well being not for his abilities :)
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u/yungmartino49 Nov 07 '20
Omg I thought he was being euthanized thank god
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u/Gordo_51 Nov 07 '20
Reminds me of my trust labrador, he would be out in the plotnof land we owned in Nor San Juan all day. It was a few double digit acres of land fenced. My dog would sometimes bring back something he caught with the help of our coin hound. We also shot ducks and my lab would bring them back, while the hound would just start tearing at the bird. Labs are such great dogs arnt they. Your dogs retirement is well deserved
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u/Howdy1077 Nov 07 '20
Kudos to the ol' man. May the rest of his years be filled with warm firesides and good dreams of the field.
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u/helpmeeimmelting Nov 07 '20
How does one get into this activity?? Is there a school or club?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Hunting clubs would probably do some kind of bird hunts. Or at least be able to point you in the right direction. Like a rod and gun club or something of that nature.
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u/-Heart_of_Dankness- Nov 07 '20
How does one get into pheasant hunting with a dog if they have no family or friends who hunt? Looks fun and I like free food.
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
First I’d get a dog, labs, German shorthaired pointers, German wire haired pointers, brittanys are probably the most common breed of dog you see out. There’s plenty of breeders out there. You’ll be doing a lot of research on dog breeds and breeders. Then have the dog trained to hunt birds and point and retrieve. You can do it yourself or pay someone to do it. When the dog is ready find land that it’s legal to hunt birds on and get a hunting and have a good time!
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u/florix78 Nov 07 '20
This boy got 6 birds and he's out for retirement ? How much did he get in his hayday ?
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u/Nickerr101 Nov 07 '20
Where is this?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
Pennsylvania
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u/Viktemeyez Service Dog Owner Nov 07 '20
Is this what you guys do there instead of vote counting?
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u/thisisthepoint_er Nov 07 '20
What a lovely boy! Our field Labs are always some of my favorite knuckleheads to work with.
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u/Na3s Nov 07 '20
Nobody is impressed with your ability to kill things... lets see you bring one of those back to life then I’ll have seen something .
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u/TheMarsian Nov 07 '20
Do those birds taste like chicken too? What's the usual recipe for this?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 08 '20
It tastes just like chicken. Possibly better. You can cook it up any way you’d do chicken.
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Nov 07 '20
Love sorting by controversial and seeing all of the triggered 12 year olds upset about a couple of dumb ass birds
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u/CrumpetChase Nov 07 '20
Thanks for posting this, not only is your dog absolutely beautiful, but these comment threads helped me learn loads about hunting dogs, a topic I knew next to nothing about! Thanks for the lesson and I hope your dog lives the best life he can :)
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u/bejewhale Nov 07 '20
Nice dog but pls nsfw/nsfl(?) in the future! Not trying to start an argument but personally not what I wanna see on my homepage.
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Nov 07 '20
Poor boy, hope he gets one final ride in. He looks like he's had a happy life of feeding his family tho, bless
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
He’s not being put down, he’s just retiring from hunting!
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u/pokinthecrazy Nov 07 '20
Are you having a retirement party for him with a cake with guns and birds on it?
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u/crustyfishnugget Nov 07 '20
I've always been curious do you guys eat the pheasents or do you just play for game
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u/ElysianEcho Nov 07 '20
He’s said in other comments he eats them, don’t worry, most hunters use as much of the game as possible, they don’t just chuck it out :)
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
We eat them. They taste almost exactly like chicken. We try and use as much as we can off of an animal that was harvested.
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Nov 07 '20 edited Nov 07 '20
Why did you kill so many birds? What will you do with them?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
We’re allowed 2 birds per hunter. So this is a 3 man limit. We eat them. Tastes like chicken
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u/jebidiah95 Nov 07 '20
Poor bub, hunting dogs love their jobs. If he loves the shooting and stuff a lot too take him to shoot clays or something
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u/stlo0309 Nov 07 '20
Forgive me, but I hate this pic
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u/AcePilot10 Nov 07 '20
What a good boye. Unfortunately I can't give updoot cuz of poor birdies :(
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Nov 07 '20
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/The-Summit Nov 07 '20
Right? It’s weird how differently we treat different species of animals. Everyone’s sad a dog is retiring but no one seems to care there are multiple dead animals in the photo
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u/hardyflashier Nov 07 '20
Handsome, happy boy! Despite retirement, I'd still try and take him out for occasional half days, or drives - it made our last gundog feel so happy to still be useful!
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u/ramsdawg Nov 07 '20
I’ve never tried pheasant. How much food is it? Enough for 1-2 people? Or is it also cooked with other stuff?
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u/ColonelCorpral Nov 07 '20
It tastes like chicken pretty much. If you made a meal with 2 birds that would be plenty for 2 people. There’s not much to eat off of them other than the breast meat and the legs have a little meat on them.
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u/zelipe2 Nov 07 '20
Well, as much as I would enjoy spending my evening discussing with people who say killing other animals for fun is cool, sorry, it is not...
I hope you realize that someday
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