Gift ideas for your gun dog

XMAS GIFTS FOR GUN DOGS

By Scott Haugen

Another year has come and gone. If you haven’t already shopped for your four-legged hunting partner, I have a few ideas.

And, what the heck, even if you’ve done your doggy Christmas shopping, why not add to it? After all, when it comes to our hunting dogs, there’s no such thing as spoiling them, as their time with us is so brief.

Here are some items I used this year with great results. And what’s more, I’ll continue using them because I love how they perform.

YETI RAMBLER 1/2 GALLON JUG

I know what you’re thinking! “Spend $100 on a water jug for a dog? Are you crazy?!” Maybe, but I’ve been called worse. Let me put it into perspective.

My Yeti dog gear obsession actually started with the company’s Trailhead Dog Bed. I got one two years ago and loved it so much, I got another for my second dog. Someone lashed out at me, saying, “Why would I spend that much on a dog bed when you can get one just as good at ‘such and such store’ for a fraction of the price?” So, I got one of the cheap beds at the such and such store. It offered no

From training dummies to vests and bowls to quality food, there are plenty of holiday gift ideas for gun dogs this season. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

head support and couldn’t be taken apart and washed like the Yeti bed. It wasn’t even close to delivering all the Yeti dog bed offered. I returned it. The two dog beds I have are still like new, and my dogs sleep in them every day. I even take the Trailhead beds on road trips.

Then there’s Yeti’s Boomer Dog Bowl. I’ve had two of these since they first came out, and my dogs have eaten from them twice a day, every day. I take them on road trips, too. I’ve gone through lots of dog bowls over the years, and nothing I’ve found comes close to the quality and longevity of the Boomers. So, I got another for days when we’re out hunting. I keep this one in the back of the truck. It’s been through extreme conditions and held up great; even the rubber bottom is in perfect condition despite being covered in dust many times. And the inside is as slick and clean as when I first bought it.

So, this year I got the Yeti 1/2 Gallon Rambler. I simply got tired of plastic water jugs spilling in the back of my truck when driving through rough terrain. When a 5-gallon jug punctured and leaked all over my extra clothes, boots and backpack, I’d had enough. I got the Rambler and haven’t looked back. It holds more than enough water for me and my dogs for a day of hunting, and it’s rugged and stands up to my less-than-stellar driving in the woods

Yeti builds tough dog gear, and the 1/2 Gallon Rambler is no

exception. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

when chasing grouse, quail, pigeons and gray squirrels with my dogs. In no time the Rambler paid for itself, and after 10 months, it’s still like new!

Info: $100; yeti.com.

AVERY DOG TRAINING BUMPERS

This summer one of my dogs started getting lazy in the water, retrieving bumpers by barely gripping the end. Enter the Avery Sporting Dog PerfectHold HexBumper. The dumbbell design with enlarged ends forced my dog to gain the proper grip and hold, which carried over to our bird training and future hunts.

Info: Comes in three colors, $10.99; banded.com.

I was also happy with their EZ-Bird Pheasant with tooth-lock features for a solid hold, a puncture-proof skin, a soft floating head that won’t break teeth, and a sight/scent tail streamer for focused marks. The realistic paint and anatomically accurate design made training more fun and exciting for my dogs. I’ll be getting more of these in the waterfowl line.

Info: Comes in eight options, $19.99; website above.

TOPFLIGHT DOG VEST

I have pudelpointers, and their deep chests and narrow waists aren’t easy to find waterfowl vests for. However, the Topflight Vest by Alps is great! The 5mm neoprene used throughout the vest not only protects the dogs in heavy brush, but keeps these lean gun dogs warm on long, cold days on the stand and in the duck blind. The multiple bar-tacked areas make for easy trimming, and the contoured neck offers an even better fit. The lift handles, leash clip and duo flotation pads are excellent, very functional features.

Info: Comes in four sizes, $49.99; alpsoutdoorz.com.

NUTRISOURCE DOG FOOD AND BISCUITS

Quality dog food for your hunting pup is one of the most neglected items by hunters. We spend a lot of money and time on our hunting companions, so why not invest a bit more to make sure they lead a healthy, comfortable and longer life?

For years I’ve been feeding my 6-year-old male gun dog NutriSource dog food, which offers compact nutrition and pre- and probiotics. My 8-year-old female pudelpointer gets the NutriSource Element Series, which contains up to 90-percent protein. Both of their recovery times are fast and joint pains gone with these quality foods; their stools are much smaller and fewer, meaning digestion is optimized.

Don’t skimp on treats, either. A buddy lost a month of hunting after his Lab reacted negatively to a poorquality treat he ate at a gas station this fall. I use NutriSource Biscuits which are meat-rich, protein-dense, and made with real fruits and vegetables. These foods seem pricey, but you actually feed less at each meal.

Info: nutrisourcepetfoods.com.

THERE YOU HAVE IT, enough options to cover your dog’s needs, and maybe some of yours. By the way, I’m not endorsed by any of these companies. I choose and use what gear I like, and I like all of these.

May you have a blessed Christmas and holiday season. Good hunting. CS

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time writer. See his puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

LOVE GUN DOGS? THIS BOOK’S FOR YOU

Central Washington’s Rob Phillips is out with another great book, this time a nonfiction work about all the hunting dogs that have come through his life as an avid and far-traveling bird hunter.

I received an advance copy of A Dog Life Well Lived earlier this fall and really liked it. Between amazing points and long-distance retrieves, motel room disasters and a neardrowning, it’s flush with the thrills and chills of the hunt, the dedication of hard-working gun dogs and the bonds between man and his age-old four-legged hunting partner. Phillips traces his love of dogs back to a bored teenage summer and his mom’s edict to hit the bookmobile – he hated reading as a kid because, as he would later realize, he was dyslexic – where he checked out a copy of Jim Kjelgard’s Big Red. That quickly led to reading the sequels Irish Red and Outlaw Red and a burning desire to own an Irish setter. That didn’t quite work out as he’d hoped, but his parents did bring home an 11-weekold Labrador retriever named Tara and the pair became boon companions in the fields, woods and marshes of central and eastern Washington, where they chased grouse, doves, ducks and pheasants.

After graduating from Washington State University with a degree in advertising communications, marriage to wife Terri and the birth of their first son, Kyle, came Phillips’ second hunting dog, Zebediah, and the pattern was set, as over the coming decades he seemed to always have a dog or two, or even three, around the house and backyard, nearly all of which were Labs.

Phillips – who retired in 2021 after a 41-year career at a local ad agency and is busily adding to his successful fictional Luke McCain/Washington game wardening series – is on point with A Dog Life Well Lived as he memorializes all of the hard-working members of his pack with heart-warming and humorous essays. They may not all have been AKC-registered dogs, but they’re all endearing in their own ways and Phillips fleshes out the unique personalities of each, and along the way his own as well.

As a longtime newspaper hook-andbullet columnist – one of the last in the state, in fact – at the Yakima Herald-Republic, Phillips’ prose is naturally shot through with hunting advice, dog health and care issues to watch out for, and other useful tidbits, making this more than a memoir. All in all, making this more than a memoir. All in all, whether you’re a dedicated wingshooter, or just someone who loves hunting in general or dogs, or both, this is a good read.

A Dog Life Well Lived comes out December 2 and is available online at latahbooks.com. –Andy Walgamott

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Black Hills Ammunition’s 10mm HoneyBadger has deep flutes designed for optimum terminal performance without reliance on hollow points. The bullet penetrates deeply, cutting through bone and muscle to get to vitals. This is important when relying on your handgun for protection, including the possibility of bear attack. This is a solid choice for defense!

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ALFORD DESIGNS LIMITED, LLC

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Our beautiful, handcrafted leather embossed and leather-lined concealed embossed and leather-lined concealed carry purses feature a special V-shaped carry purses feature a special V-shaped pocket inside for your small pistol, plus a pocket inside for your small pistol, plus a cut-resistant strap. All our products are cut-resistant strap. All our products are made in Virginia. We offer patentpending cut-resistant leather straps that can be purchased separately. Offering fine handcrafted leather products since 2015.

VAULT PRO USA

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Our sleeping bag cover is a great way to protect your sleeping bag and add a little warmth. You can even sleep under the stars on a starry night! Roll your sleeping bag, pillow and sleeping pad up and it’s a perfect bedroll to keep all your sleeping gear organized.

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LEE LOCK

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The Crab Cracker allows you to measure your Dungeness crabs to determine which ones are legal to keep, and then crack them in half over the top of a 5-gallon bucket, thereby separating the two clusters from the shell and guts. Crabs cleaned this way take up half as much space as whole crabs, so you can cook twice as many in your kettle.

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California Wild Sheep Foundation is dedicated to putting and keeping wild sheep on the mountains by enhancing their environment with water installations and researching diseases, so that future generations may enjoy the majesty of the iconic California bighorn. Join us today and be a part of the future of wild sheep!

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