Keeping dog warm-boat mounted kennel

[Stein]

You could always add seat heaters to the boat.   

Don’t knock it til you try it!

I put some in the rear seats in my truck, only the front had them.  I think I paid about $45 on Amazon and they work great.  If I used my boat in the winter I would really think about it but getting them wet probably isn't the best idea.

[Pnwrider]

You could always add seat heaters to the boat.   

Don’t knock it til you try it!

I put some in the rear seats in my truck, only the front had them.  I think I paid about $45 on Amazon and they work great.  If I used my boat in the winter I would really think about it but getting them wet probably isn't the best idea.

I agree, My duck boat won’t get them, but I added it to my surf boat this year. I didn’t order the boat with that option checked but found the wiring harness in the seat base to be prewired for the heated seat. Ordered a $30 element off amazon and stuck it under the vinyl. I’m actually impressed with how well it works (wife loves it) on those early morning boat rides. One of those things that I now have to have (similar to the heated steering wheel in my truck 😂).

Back on topic, I’ve got a new pup on the way so this thread is super helpful!

[DrakeKill]

I hunt a wirehair, she's 15 this year, doesn't get a lot of dry bird work anymore with her age and hips, but she still loves to get ducks for me. A pointer will shiver when it's still in the 60s, I don't worry about her too much during the hardest parts of winter, because when it's too cold she'll let me know (ie I'm retrieving my own birds at that point). I also hunt from my sneak boxes a lot, so not a ton of room for kennels, or extra heaters.

- neoprene vest for sure
- absorbent on the floor, yep (also helps keep the noise down in the boat when you're sculling in close on birds  )
- 1 thing I hadn't seen on this thread yet, go onto amazon and search "neoprene blankets" - easy to pack on the boat and still effective with a wet dog, rain, snow, etc.
- Just like you, make sure pup stays well hydrated in high AND low temps
- hot fuel (higher carbs and fat) treats after retrieves will kick up the metabolism and body temp

if it's real cold, or retrieves have kept pup in the water for longer than normal, take a break and get in a walk (or auxiliary quail hunt, depending on where you typically go), maybe even loose the vest for a bit, This not only get's good blood flow it also let's her shed any excess moisture trapped in the coat and vest, which can accumulate if they are stuck sitting still in the boat between retrieves over a few hours.

[HaydenHunter]

If you put a kennel in the boat just take the door off so it doesn't bang around and so your dog can get out if need be.  My Daisy dog won't ride in the truck without freaking out unless she is in her kennel, but she will ride for hours without a peep when she's in it.  When we go on the boat I can't keep her from standing on the front deck, even (and especially) when we are underway.

I used to hunt out of a boat blind with a former Marine who took one of his old wool military blankets, cut it in two and folded / stitched each half to make two smaller two-ply blankets.  One went under the dog and one over the dog between retrieves, when the dog was lying down.

[anthropisces]

I bought the MOMARSH INVISILAB last year, which I can adapt for use on the boat. One thing that I don't like about the product is that the dog can't sit upright inside it. She seems like she's always ducking down in it. There is only one option for her which is to lay down.