It’s been another good bird year in Northeastern Oregon and Southeastern Washington. Adolescent pheasant and quail are prevalent along brushy roadside ditches and fallow farm fields. Valley quail are on at least a second clutch and big family coveys are rising everywhere.

Sept. 1 ushered in the upland bird season with mourning doves and forest grouse in most western states. Visions of retrievers bringing doves to hand or the sleek coat and high tail of a pointing dog locked in on ruffed or dusky grouse dance about our minds as the upland hunter plans their field time for the year. But early in the season, excessive heat can be a concern for a working dog, particularly those who have enjoyed an overly restful offseason.

Heat exhaustion or hyperthermia is a real threat for dogs running hard in hot temperatures.

A dog’s internal body heat runs around 101 degrees Fahrenheit, and, just like humans, overworking oneself leads to a rise in core body temperature. When the summer air temperature is near the dog’s core temperature, the dog cannot effectively cool down.

Panting and heat transfer through the skin are two obvious ways a dog cools off, but breathing or working in air temperatures that are as hot or hotter than the dog’s core temperature can be dangerous. Blue Mountain grouse country is typically cooler than the valley bottom dove fields, but in either location, allowing your dog frequent breaks, copious water, and a shady spot to wait for a dove retrieve can help your hunting buddy avoid heat exhaustion.

If your dog becomes lethargic or seemingly stubborn and loses focus, it’s time for a break and recovery before the dog’s condition worsens. If you suspect your dog is suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, take it to the veterinarian immediately.

Splash cool water on its paw pads and belly and use cool wet towels to help dissipate body heat.

On the flip side of hyperthermia is hypothermia or excessive heat loss that lowers the core body temperature. This is rarely a concern with a hunting dog running for birds in the later part of the upland season, but hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can be a big concern and, at times, can be related to excessive cold.

One icy early December morning, my middle-aged setter, Yuba, put in a hard morning chasing valley quail and pheasant on the Snake River. Freezing rain deposited an ice sheath on every stitch of vegetation the night before and she was soaked to the bone after an hour of pushing through big bunchgrasses and brush. She showed no signs of distress until the end of the hunt when she began to stumble and appeared to be operating on autopilot.

Upon scooping up my little setter, I carried her to the boat and barely stepped on board before she fell into a grand mal seizure. Her 30-pound fighting weight was no match for the cold and wet and she burned through all her stored energy in a few short hours.

The solution to hypoglycemia is similar to overheating — frequent breaks and plenty of water, but also plenty of energy. I always carry honey and tubes of high-calorie supplement gel. Some dogs are more prone to hypoglycemia than others, and if it happens once, it can happen again. Even with my awareness of Yuba’s condition, frequent breaks and energy supplements have barely kept her from seizing, even on sunny winter days. Shorter hunts may be the only way to keep a dog who is prone to this condition safe and healthy.

Running bird dogs means facing exposure to myriad other risks. Rattlesnakes in September and early October, leg-hold and conibear traps, porcupines, cheatgrass and barbed wire. Vigilance and good decision-making are key to keeping you and your dog safe in the field. Always carry a multi-tool, leather gloves, and zip-ties to assist with wire tangles, releasing the dog from a trap, and pulling porcupine quills. Leg-hold traps are less likely to harm your dog and are simple to release, but every bird hunter should venture online to learn how to release a conibear trap before each bird season.

Cheatgrass and cunning birds like chukar are a match made in heaven, but it’s best to avoid areas of heavy cheatgrass and other foxtail grasses until after a frost or fall rain causes the seeds to drop. Once a cheatgrass awn embeds in a dog’s skin, throat or ear, it can be extremely difficult to remove and can sometimes kill the dog from infection before the awn is ever found. The barbed seeds move through the dog’s tissue leaving an infection trail, but the awn itself is difficult to find with imaging technology.

Even parts of an awn can be problematic. My youngest setter, Zeta, picked up a seed during her morning potty break last month and saw the veterinarian to remove the hair-like awn tail from inside of her lip. Within hours, the awn tail worked deep into her tissue and caused infection. When I returned home from work, I found her with a swollen face and a gunky eye. Incessant pawing at her face from the pain in her mouth resulted in conjunctivitis, and I found the awn puncture in her mouth when inspecting and flushing her healthy eye.

Regardless of how good bird hunting can be in the early season, the risks discussed here are best avoided. With a little consideration for your best hunting companion and the conditions afield, and having some back-pocket tricks to respond to emergent situations, you both will enjoy a long, rich upland hunting partnership.

• Excessive panting or difficulty breathing

• Increased heart and respiratory rate

• Vomiting or bloody diarrhea

• Drooling or excess salivation

• Mild weakness or stupor

• Failure to follow commands or lethargy

• Refusal to drink water

• Collapsing or staggering

• Gasping