Dog on the ice

[David Frank]

I have a 6 1/2 ymonth old puppy and am wondering what most of you dog owners do when you head out ice fishing. I'm not concerned about the fair weather days, as he can hang out with me outside the shack, but when it is frigid cold out and my wife and I are in the shack (clam voyager) I'm wondering what to do with him. He goes everywhere with us so I don't want to leave him home all day while we go fishing, but I don't want to leave him out in sub-zero temperatures either. I am also a little concerned about having him in the shack with us, as there is not much room for him to safely move around with the buddy heater burning hot. I'm sure some of you have come up with something that works so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You,

[rundrave]

i take my 2 spoiled german SHORTHAIRS out on the ice all the time. Im usually in my portable regardless of weather. I have a flipover shack and I just leave room in the bottom of the sled for a blanket and they stay warm enough and usually just lay there until they hear a fish being caught.

a lot of obedieance comes into play here as well but my dogs get by just fine.

many winter days consist of a double day of ice fishing and pheasant hunting for me. tire the dogs out with a few roosters during the day and then hit the lake on the way home for some walleyes at dark.

[Down Deep]

Dogs are a rugged and I wouldn't worry too much about the dog. You could always put it in the vehicle if you don't have room in the tent and there is always the option of a fleece dog jacket. Do your dog a favor and put some booties on it. Frozen snow and ice can really damage a dog's feet.

[SP180]

Just remember obedience. I love a good dog, but i dont like dogs that come over and mess with my stuff when i do not own them. A lot of people bring there dogs and allow them to run all over and many people are not in the mood to entertain someone elses animal.

[PerchJerker]

I put a rug or old blanket in the bottom of the sled for my portable. When my dog gets tired exploring, or cold, I let her in and she lays in the bottom of the sled. She rests her chin on the edge of the sled, gets the warmth of the heater on her face, and watches me catch fish.

[BoxMN]

Just be careful of leaving jigging raps on the unused poles... My dog Blue learned that one first-"paw" Got it right in her back when she ran around a pail. Also be 100% to put the auger blade guard back on... my dog Rudy knows that one first -paw too.... a few stitches on her front knuckle taught me tha tone... poor dogs

But as far as temp goes, they just lay down in snow and sleep, though mine are half husky....

[Duffman]

When I bring out the solo shack, there's no room for her in there, so she lays on a carpet piece that I backed with two layers of those blue foam sleeping pads.

When I bring the doublewide shack, she's enjoys a little more luxury, I think she prefers the doublewide.

[Todd_J]

Thanks for all the ideas folks. I was wondering the same thing with my 18 month old Labordoodle.

[CrappieNut]

One of the times we brought my lab Gus with, the first thing he did was fall in the hole, he shook uncontrollably, even with my fiancée holding him in a blanket

He’s 80lbs

anyway a dog can get frostbite on their feet in as quick as 15 min if it gets around zero degrees, so i agree on the booties are a great idea

[skee0025]

I love dogs dont get me wrong, but if you have to ask, its probably a good idea to leave them home for the day. The number one concern should be the safety of the dog. If there not enough room in the shack and its too cold outside, leave it home, its not going to hurt the dog to stay home, but it could hurt the dog to bring it.

[fishNcrappie]

was fishing quite abit at a local lake and got to know friendly old dog. must have been someones that lived on the lake. every time i get to my spot sure enough this dog was there within 15 minutes. only thing this dog was guilty of was leaning against your leg lookin for attention. this went on for couple months. actually caught myself looking for the dog when i'd get out there. anyways, few times went by the dog didnt show up. got to talking with some fellow anglers and come to find out someone shot the dog. story was that a guy thought the dog was attacking him so he shot him. maybe/maybe not. i dont know but looking back at how old the dog was and all he wanted was some attention. hard to see that one. good idea to keep a watchful eye out for your dog. i dont mind seeing dogs out running around. i'll even share some venison with them and few "good boy/girl". just dont like the ones barking all the time. or hearing the owner yelling his/her name every 5 minutes.

[ZEEK1223]

with everything above being said, I always watch the feet of my dog. They get frost bite just like us........

[David Frank]

Skee, I'm certainly not trying to start an argument here, but the reason I ask is because the people on this site share a wealth of information. This is my first dog and only want the best for him. There is plenty of room in the bottom of the sled for him to lay, but I just wanted to get the input of others and learn as much as I could about any other options. Toby's safety is my number one concern. I have learned a great deal about how to begin training my dog from the people of this site. At only 6 1/2 months old, he was on his first SD pheasant hunt this past weekend and was retreiving birds to hand. The tips from the people on this site are what guided me throgh my training process. I appreciate your concern, but want to make sure you understand that I only asked the question for the dog's well being.

Thanks to the rest of you for your tips, advice and experiences.

[dashhound]

my shorthair comes with me all the time. He is never more than 15 feet away during set up and comes in the shack with me all the time. a well trained dog is a must. There may be other dogs and you must be able to keep your dog by you with verbal commands only. My dog loves to sniff the fish when they come up otherwise he sleeps on my jacket and drinks from his own hole

[David Frank]

I agree that obedience is a must. We have been working on this with Toby A LOT! He sits and stays when told. We live accross the street from a moose lodge, so we have had plenty of opportunities to work with him on sitting and staying rather than going to investigate every time he sees other people. I am not worried at all about him sticking around or bothering others as he listens very well.

Thanks again for all of your input. I think I will designate one of our old blankets as "Toby's ice fishing blanket" and put it in the bottom of the sled. I will also look into getting him a pair of boots so he doesn't get frostbite on his feet. I will also take your advice to pay special attention to any extra hooks, as well as always keep the auger blades covered when not in use.

Toby was with on every fishing trip of the summer in our boat, and I can't wait to have another ice fishing partner as well!

[SP180]

Sounds like you have the basics figured out. Good luck, have fun and tell us how it goes.

[Ron Vroom]

One word of caution. Be careful about letting your dog run on glare ice. A vet friend of mine has treated a number of dogs that suffered back and leg injuries after they lost footing and had their legs splayed out while running. Best to have a little snow cover so they can maintain footing.

[Iambjm]

My friend used to take his labradoodle ice fishing on their lake until someone started blowing off firecrackers. It spooked the dog, he took off and disappeared. Happy ending to the story, a guy who rescues animals rescued him 6 weeks later, starving and sick. He was lost in January when we had subzero weather for 2-3 weeks. He doesn't take him with anymore.