Can you guess what is the single most common cause of injury and death amongst gundogs at this time of year (according to my vet)? Barbed wire? Traffic accidents? Dog bites? Sharp sticks? None of these. Answer: dehydration.
Particularly now when the temperatures can be still quite high, it is doubly important for a hard working dog to have regular access to clean water throughout the shooting day. Dogs can collapse and die very quickly if left to dehydrate and it’s so easy to forget to take water with us.
I have taught my dogs to take water from a plastic bottle (the squeezy cycling sort that fits in my side pocket) and always make them drink a little after every drive. There are plenty of other devices you can buy such as the one below that many trialers use.
Why not ask the keeper to keep a 20 litre can of water in the beaters’ truck? It could save your dog’s life.