Outdoors/Adventure

Dogs' best trait? Dragging pet owners out of the house.

A big German shepherd bounded excitedly through the snow, inches behind the racing hare.

The bunny scooted into a culvert under the highway with the dog hot on his trail. The showshoe hare fit; the dog did not. The bolts holding the culvert-marking stake snagged behind my shepherd's collar, and he was stuck. He was rammed in so tight, I couldn't get my hand in alongside his neck to free the collar from the bolt.

That dog, Collin, got me into more predicaments than I care to recall. He has been gone for 35 years and people still ask me if I still have "that big, black, German shepherd?" Dogs have a way of transcending time. They also will get you out of the house, out of your comfort zone and into the outdoors.

How many times does one come home to be greeted by a happy, bouncing dog? You had a tough day, but the dog wants to go for a run, so outside you must go. After a few minutes the world takes on a different look. The woods and even the sidewalk take on a different aspect when seen through the nose of a dog.

Low-snow winter aids working breeds

I don't know the dog population of Alaska, though nationwide the American Pet Products Association estimates there are 70-80 million dogs. I have heard it said that Fairbanks has more dogs than people, though that is anecdotal. Sled dogs make up the largest portion of the Interior dogs, but there are plenty of others. It seems like I know a dozen families with labradors.

Labs are one of the most common working breeds. Alaska labradors have only a short waterfowl season. However, they can get out for grouse all winter. A low snow year like this one is good for working breeds. They are not limited by a heavy snow pack and can still work in the woods. Grouse season is open in most areas until late March.

Unit 20 allows hunting until the end of April for both grouse and ptarmigan. Unit 13 is a popular destination too -- but remember that 13B, near Paxson has been closed for ptarmigan since the end of November. The sharp-tail grouse population is high everywhere and while they are not a common grouse south of the Alaska Range, this winter there are enough around to hunt successfully.

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The good thing about winter bird hunting with your dog, besides giving the dog a good excuse to bound through the woods, is that hunters can track wounded birds and minimize loss. Not all dogs are wonderful retrievers. Many of them don't have a real soft mouth. I have picked a few feathers from my food after German shepherd retrieves.

Poodles as bird dogs

Poodles make excellent bird dogs. Get them off of the lap and outdoors and one finds there is a real hunting dog buried inside. They do have a penchant for squirrels that can be disruptive when asking them to retrieve a downed spruce grouse.

Spruce grouse may be a species to avoid at this point of the season. They have been eating spruce needles since late September so their flavor will be a little strong. There may be a marinade that minimizes the taste of spruce needles. If so, grouse hunters would be glad to know about it.

One doesn't have to have an interest in hunting to get the dog in the woods. All that is needed is a dog that can walk. Dogs are a nose with wheels. Take the dog out for a stroll and look at their world. We humans are (blessed? saddled?) with a very poor nose, and deciphering what dogs smell can be fun.

My big shepherd had an amazing nose though occasionally the "sight hound" in him would take over. I finally pried him out of the culvert by slipping a knife in and carefully sawing through his collar. Dogs make memories. Get them out of the house on these great spring days and let them make you smile.

John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

John Schandelmeier

Outdoor opinion columnist John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.

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