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What expenses can kennel owners write off?
Maybe you accidentally started a dog-related business pursuing a hobby, or maybe owning a kennel has been your lifelong dream, either way, you can be sure Uncle Sam wants his fair share of your hard work. My blood always starts to boil this time of year, especially when the government reaches into my pocket and pulls out a whopping 33% of what I earned the past year. After being gouged by the IRS a few times, I've tried to do a better job of keeping up with expenses. I'd much rather invest my hard-earned money back into my business as an expense than let the government have it.
THE LONG JOURNEY HOME
‘Why’, is a man question, not a dog question. Whether hate, or malice, or greed, or power, was someone’s motive for her circumstances mattered not to Belle. ‘What’ mattered to Belle. What could she do for her pup? ‘Who’ mattered also. Who could she trust, and who could she not trust? ‘Where’ mattered too. Where was she, and where was home? She sensed ‘When’ was important also, but she’d have to bide her time for now.
The Poop Scoop
My brace of setter drifted in and out of view. Their range was typical for their shooting dog genetics, and when I couldn’t see them my focus turned to the long skeins of Spanish moss that dripped from every cypress branch. Wind gusts pulsed the moss like a summer breeze luffs weeping willow stems. On one such I could see far ahead and Cider and Bee were on point.
The Long Journey Home
It would have been different had Belle been at home. She would have found a safe warm spot near the hay loft. Randall would have looked in on her throughout the day, more than likely bringing her bits of leftover bacon and biscuits and making sure the pups had a clean place to be whelped. She was royalty at Bent Pine and didn’t kennel with the other dogs. She had the run of the plantation. Her favorite place to lie, be it summer or winter, was under the rail fence of the barn lot. There, she was shaded in the summer by huge spreading oak and beech trees. In the winter she was warmed by the sun shining through those same trees then leafless and unable to fend off the warm welcomed rays. She laid under the bottom rail that was positioned just right to offer a scratch to her long back whenever she chose to do so. It was perfect. The spot seemingly offered a respite, though actual work didn’t exist for Belle. Maybe she enjoyed the spot for reflection, that now, she had aplenty. From her favorite spot she could view anything approaching the main house, as well as view over a mile of cleared bottomland, a bottom that stretched eastward to the Black Warrior River and south for three miles farther than Belle could see from the rails even on a clear day.
Positive Training Methods for Puppies – 4 Tips for Success
Positive training methods are becoming increasingly popular and work well when your puppy is young. This training method rewards puppies for successfully completing a task. Once a puppy understands the kind of behavior that gets him a reward he’ll want to do more of it. Here are four ways to get started using positive training with your puppy.
The Basics of Clicker Training for Puppies
To become successful hunting companions, sporting breed puppies have a lot of skills to master. Clicker training is a great training method for any of the sporting breeds. The method is simple and it marks and then rewards good behavior. Every time a puppy completes a task correctly, he is conditioned with a click. The click is a unique sound that comes from a mechanical noisemaker and marks the precise moment he is doing the right thing. The mark is followed by a training treat to reinforce the correct behavior. Here’s how to use clicker training to teach three basic commands.
Tails We Could Wag
“It's not much of a tail but I’m attached to it,” said Eeyore, the donkey made famous by Winnie the Pooh. When it comes to tails, some hunters require them on their dogs while others do not. But regardless of your breed of choice, did you ever wonder why some tails are bobbed while others are not?
How to sell dogs during a recession
There is a lot of debate in the media right now about whether we're headed for a recession or already in one. The Feds talk about making a soft landing with the economy, but I keep seeing the stock market dropping and the interest rates rising. There might be some tough days ahead, or there might not be, but it never hurts to be prepared. Selling dogs is tough, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it, it's even harder in a recession. During a recession, you may face some challenges placing your dogs. This article offers sure-fire tips to stack the deck in your favor should the economy take a turn for the worse.
Overcoming In-Season Obstacles with Your Duck Dog
You’ve waited to hit your honey-hole spot for the perfect day. You know that you’re hitting the migration just right, and if you’ve played your cards correctly, you’ll be limited out by early morning.
NOT ALL SINNERS GO TO HELL
Harry was a close and cherished member of the Winterhawk Bird Dog Club. He ran dogs throughout the walking circuit in the 80’s, and was particularly known for running his favorite, Harry’s Gentle Ben. I’m pretty sure he got Ben as a pup from Delmar Smith, and Ben won in the best of competition. Winterhawk Bird Dog Club had some stout competition in those days, accounting for many championships at all levels of the field trial sport. On hunting trips Harry and Ben held their own too, and then some. This may all sound ho-hum until you know Ben was a Brittany Spaniel. Big, stout, and leggy, he’d run and hunt with the best of the pointers and setters back then.
An End and a Beginning
The economics of the business had always been fragile. For-the-public trainer-handlers
Canine Language and Understanding Your Dogs Communication
Much like their human counterparts dogs just want to be heard, of course. Dogs bark to communicate with other dogs and with humans. There is the woof, woof-woof, the triple woof with many different ranges and pitches that can make canine speech difficult to decipher. We will start out with the single or double barks that are usually mid-level as you are walking in the door from work to say “hello”. Barking in sequences of three or more and doing this repeatedly often means they sense danger or think someone is near that they do not know or that should not be there. When a canine persistently continues to bark at a low or medium level they are saying please come get me, I am lonely. A short bark that is loud often shows fear or surprise with the dog conveying come check this out.
Bird Hunting Partners
Few living today knew the days of wild bird (quail) hunting on foot on ordinary farms across much of America. I did, and it kept me sane and gave me much joy.
Finding a reputable hunting dog breeder
Start by researching a breeder specializing in the hunting dog breed you're interested in, such as the English Pointer, Labrador Retriever, or Cocker Spaniel. Seek recommendations from experienced hunters, trainers, or local hunting clubs who might have firsthand knowledge about the breeder.
