Hunter's Heart Brittanys

There are many dangers in activities involving you and your dog. Cars, cyclists, litter and disease name just a few. With a few simple precautions, you can make playtime a whole lot safer for both of you.

Night Time Walks

Photo: Our three dogs with lights on their reflective collars Walking with your dog at night can be a fun and relaxing way to wind down after a hard day and make sure your dog gets their exercise. A few simple items can make your walk safer.

Reflective Collars

A few different reflective collars are usually available at your local pet store. The problem is they are usually expensive and offer a very small reflective ring.

An inexpensive alternative is the reflective ankle bands used by cyclists. These usually have a large reflective strip and are attached with Velcro.

Lighted Collars

Photo: Close-up of the Planet Bike BRT-SPOT light In the past, we attached a small bicycle light to each of our dogs' collars. It is light, inexpensive and visible at a distance. Our personal favourite is the BRT-SPOT from Planet Bike www.planetbike.com. We loop the ring through the collar and never have had one fall off. The light runs on two N size batteries that are easy to find at your local camera store. They last up to 200 hours so the light isn't too expensive to operate. The major problem is that our dogs like to go into the water whenever there isn't ice preventing them. These bike lights aren't waterproof. They really took a beating, and we had to take them apart after every walk to drip dry.

Photo: The Auroralite collar Auroralites (shown at right) are the cream of the crop in terms of visibility and practical design. The collars are lighted strips powered by a nine volt battery (you can buy anywhere). They've passed Brittany testing many times; they are, indeed, waterproof. We use Auroralites for all 4 of our hunting dogs; they are well worth the purchase price (about $50 USF each at the time of writing). Available for online purchase from www.auroralites.com

Reflective Clothing

It is important not to forget that your dog will be easier to see if you are easy to see to. We recommend a bicycle jacket or something similar that uses reflective strips. It is hard to be missed when wearing these at night and that is a good thing.

Booties

Dog booties are an excellent tool for protecting your dogs feet from winter cold and salt. They can be hard to use because your dog won't like having them on. It takes lots of practice inside your house to get your dog used to them so they can be useful. We recommend you start your dog with booties from a young age.

Jackets or Vests

A jacket or cape can help your dog stay warm while playing outside in the winter. We personally don't put one on our Brittanys unless it is colder than -25°C without the wind-chill.

A hunting vest is useful for shorter dams that have recently had puppies. Their nipples are sore enough without the pounding and scratching they take during an outing in long grass.

Choosing an Appropriate Place to Walk at Night

We choose a fenced in park with an off leash area for walking our dogs at night. There are coyotes in the area and the fence keeps them out. We also walk all three of our dogs at the same time and the night lighting they wear seems to keep other animals away.