Running in the snow??

Huntin54 · Post by **Huntin54** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:17 am

I have a few questions about running the dogs in the snow.

How much snow is too much snow to run the dogs in it???

When is it best,
When its just fallen and fluffy, or when it has a crust on it???

We have about 14 inches of snow here. Is that too much and will it hurt them.

One dog is a pup 6 months. The other is 1 year and a few months the other is 4.

The younger ones are around 13in. and the older one is over 15in.

Rabbit Fever · Post by **Rabbit Fever** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:28 am

No you wont kill your hounds. Snow is all i run in. We have on the ground about 30" of snow right now and my hounds run all day long. The hard crust is dificult on the dogs feet and legs. The real fluffy snow doesn't hold much moisture so scenting could be hard for the hounds. the best snow conditions i find are a wet snow with temps around 15-25 degrees. Good hunting hope this helps.

rimfirematt · Post by **rimfirematt** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:19 am

The dogs will let you know. IF they just flounder around and cant go anywhere then yeah, it probably wont be good running.

Kind of snow is also important. Icy crusty stuff is really hard on the dogs feet. Both my dogs are sittin here lickin there feet consnantly right now. One was starting to bleed pretty bad, so I bagged the hunt for the day.

Dry fluffy stuff is bad for scenting, plus I dont think the rabbits mess around in it much anyway either. They sit tight till the walking is better.

IF you can make a snowball out of the snow, then it will be a good day

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:18 am

My hounds have always run the best in fresh snow. Don't let the temperature fool you. I have seen days that are 40 degrees Fahrenheit that the hounds couldn't hold a track , and days around zero that they pounded. The older the snow is, it seems to get a little tougher to run. You never know until you drop the hounds what the day will bring. The hounds can run in some pretty deep snow. Hare will usually follow it's own trails when the snow is real deep.

Richard Gould
Snowy Mtn Beagles

Boomerx · Post by **Boomerx** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 7:01 am

For me, it's always at it's worse when the ground temp is colder than the air temp. (too warm is no good) We've had a great week of running here in Ontario and it's been about 5 to 10 above F. with fresh snow. If you see haze rising off the snow, it's usually poor scenting. Corn or sugar snow is awfully tough on hounds. It wears their pads down like sandpaper. I try to catch them after 3 hours or so in these conditions. Really deep powder that's over a hounds head is only good for the first hound on the line. It just caves in after them, leaving nothing for the followers.