Simple Trick to Keeping Your Dog Hydrated Whilst Hunting

Conditioning and training dogs during the hot months of summer and early season requires careful attention to hydration. There's no question about it, my dogs will drink from the foulest mud puddle in the field, but I'd rather they didn't. Stagnant water in the field could harbour germs and diseases that I'd prefer my dogs to avoid. I'm also not keen on having a load of jugs of filtered water clattering around in the back of my lorry. So, I knew I needed a solution, but didn't want to spend a fortune. After a few prototypes, I discovered the ideal solution for me and my dogs, and if you have even basic carpentry skills, you can do the same.

My creation looks rather smart, but it’s just a simple PVC pipe with an end cap that contains a tap on one end, and a plug with a removable threaded plug on the other. The threaded plug is so it can be cleaned—you will need to put some PTFE tape on the threads. I have a self-tapping screw on the top of the pipe that is screwed into the water tube while travelling so that the water doesn’t spill out, and I remove the small screw to let air into the system so the water will pour from the tap. You could also use a different tap that allows air into the tube in addition to letting water out, I am told. My water tube hangs from a ladder rack that supports my rooftop tent, but you could easily mount it in the bed and above the wheel arch by attaching it to the bed rail.

A six foot length of pipe that is four inches in diameter holds almost four gallons. Filling your water tube will require a little ingenuity. The tap on your house is a male end, and so is the tap on the water tube. I made a small adaptor that is simply a short piece of hose with two female ends. One end goes on the water tube and the other attaches to the hose. I keep it in the lorry and can fill the water tube anywhere there is a hose. I do not plan to leave water in the water tube during the winter, as freezing would break the pipe.

This has been a great solution for me and my dogs and we think it will work well for you. Keep your dogs cool and healthy!

Happy Hunting!