Waterfowlers- Advice on adding dog door to panel blind

bigsky2

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 31, 2016
Messages
237
I've got a Tanglefree panel blind and I am wanting to add a dog door so my dog can actually mark birds when he's in the blind with me. I know I could just bring a dog blind, but I do a lot of walk in hunting and if I could cut down on one piece of gear for those situations it would be nice. Has anyone ever cut into their panel blind and done this?
 
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
361
I've got a Tanglefree panel blind and I am wanting to add a dog door so my dog can actually mark birds when he's in the blind with me. I know I could just bring a dog blind, but I do a lot of walk in hunting and if I could cut down on one piece of gear for those situations it would be nice. Has anyone ever cut into their panel blind and done this?
First off having the dog in the panels can be very dangerous. But it's just you and the dog then let the dog stick out on one end with some cover. Half the time my dog is sticking out of her blind.
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,571
Location
South Dakota
First off having the dog in the panels can be very dangerous. But it's just you and the dog then let the dog stick out on one end with some cover. Half the time my dog is sticking out of her blind.
Why is it dangerous? The dog sits beside you just as any other blind or time your hunting. You shoot the dog goes and gets bird and comes back.
 
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
361
Why is it dangerous? The dog sits beside you just as any other blind or time your hunting. You shoot the dog goes and gets bird and comes back.
Where's your gun? If you have some kind of gun grabber that holds your gun you might be ok. I have seen dogs knock over loaded guns .
 

Oregon

WKR
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
789
Location
Oregon coast
Dogs shouldn't be in the blind with you. That's my opinion, so please spare me the "my dog is always in the blind with me" spiel.
A proper blind (wood frame) has a spot just for dogs. A panel blind does not, the quandary.
We hunt panel blinds a lot. Dogs sit next to blind on a dog stand. Stand was moved forward for picture.
IMG_2870.jpeg
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,571
Location
South Dakota
Dogs shouldn't be in the blind with you. That's my opinion, so please spare me the "my dog is always in the blind with me" spiel.
A proper blind (wood frame) has a spot just for dogs. A panel blind does not, the quandary.
We hunt panel blinds a lot. Dogs sit next to blind on a dog stand. Stand was moved forward for picture.
View attachment 622617
Well mine sits beside me if we are in the middle of a soybean field with the aframe the momarsh is just more to hide. If you have a dog that isn’t steady it would be a problem.
 

Oregon

WKR
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
789
Location
Oregon coast
Well mine sits beside me if we are in the middle of a soybean field with the aframe the momarsh is just more to hide. If you have a dog that isn’t steady it would be a problem.
Ok. Like I said, spare me your stories.
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Messages
756
Location
NorCal
Have the dog lay next to the blind. Camo burlap and a straw bundle or two on their back. The birds don’t care.
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,571
Location
South Dakota
Ok. Like I said, spare me your stories.
Ya not a story I don’t understand what’s so hard about having a steady dog it should be that way before a dog ever goes hunting . Over 50 days this year multiple times in the a frame no problems. It’s no different than sitting in the momarsh. 1 foot or 50 feet from me I expect the same result not moving till his name is said.
 

Oregon

WKR
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
789
Location
Oregon coast
Ya not a story I don’t understand what’s so hard about having a steady dog it should be that way before a dog ever goes hunting . Over 50 days this year multiple times in the a frame no problems. It’s no different than sitting in the momarsh. 1 foot or 50 feet from me I expect the same result not moving till his name is said.
Yeah. You're a stud. It's obvious you're in the top 1% of dog trainers. I'm jealous. I wish I could teach my dog to not spin left or back up a couple steps. If you'd open your mind a bit, you'd realize I suggested, inferred, posted that dogs shouldn't be in the blind. I also suggested that I didn't care one bit about your perfect lab. Just keep telling us about your hammerass lab, and 90% will tell you, damn dog don't belong in blind. I've got a brown dog that picks up 800-1000 birds a year. She still ain't allowed in a blind. It's just not a good thing. UNLESS you're hunting alone. Then it's an easy thing.
 

KurtR

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Messages
3,571
Location
South Dakota
Yeah. You're a stud. It's obvious you're in the top 1% of dog trainers. I'm jealous. I wish I could teach my dog to not spin left or back up a couple steps. If you'd open your mind a bit, you'd realize I suggested, inferred, posted that dogs shouldn't be in the blind. I also suggested that I didn't care one bit about your perfect lab. Just keep telling us about your hammerass lab, and 90% will tell you, damn dog don't belong in blind. I've got a brown dog that picks up 800-1000 birds a year. She still ain't allowed in a blind. It's just not a good thing. UNLESS you're hunting alone. Then it's an easy thing.
Nope im not even in the realm of the top trainers. Your also wrong that’s dogs can’t be in the blind. Guides who have picked up over 1000 birds this year before you even started hunting run their dogs out of aframes. Just because you can’t do something doesn’t mean others can’t. You could teach your dog not to spin or back up. The command is called sit. There is a lot of information out there to take advantage of. Most people just don’t put the time and effort in and then blame the dog for their short comings and laziness.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2012
Messages
471
My dog hunts with me in a panel blind.
If you are using a front and back panel, you can close in the front panel door and flare out the rear panel door. This allows the dog his own space with a view of the decoys. You have to get creative on camouflaging the opening but it is not very difficult.
When using just a front panel I have undone the velcro at the bottom corner of a panel before. Just fold it back up and let the dog watch from there. Not ideal, but it works.
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Messages
756
Location
NorCal
My dog hunts with me in a panel blind.
If you are using a front and back panel, you can close in the front panel door and flare out the rear panel door. This allows the dog his own space with a view of the decoys. You have to get creative on camouflaging the opening but it is not very difficult.
When using just a front panel I have undone the velcro at the bottom corner of a panel before. Just fold it back up and let the dog watch from there. Not ideal, but it works.
This is the answer. Dog and handler on the end. Dog at the door head out marking birds
 

Oregon

WKR
Joined
May 15, 2018
Messages
789
Location
Oregon coast
This is the answer. Dog and handler on the end. Dog at the door head out marking birds
I concur 1000% percent. A panel blind is a 4 person set up. Basically 4 people max. If a dog isn't on the very end, it has to run by people to get out of blind. Like any blind configuration. A dog should always be on the edge. If they're not, they can't see and they have to run across peoples feet to exit blind.
Kurt probably misunderstood my objection to dogs in blind. A dog in the blind is worthless. Can't mark anything. A duck dog that can't mark a bird is a robot. Unless a dog can see, what's the purpose??? Dog must mark
 

spur60

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 14, 2020
Messages
234
No dogs allowed in our A-frame. Had one sitting looking out the side door one day 2 springs ago on a snow goose hunt and his tail or back leg hit my buddy's gun. Gun was caught before hitting the ground or discharging but it's a safety issue we can easily avoid by using a dog blind. I won't tell anybody else what to do on their hunts, but I will at least share why we don't allow dogs in the blinds now. If we set two a-frames the dog sets up in between the two blinds.
 
Top