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Adjusting Your Training
When you have trained multiple dogs, once you find what works for you, it is natural to stick with the same method for each dog you train. If the way you introduce them to gun fire works, why change? If your drills for steadiness are successful, keep it up. That was the way I always felt. But as it turns out, we can get into that mentality and it is extremely difficult to break out of it when the time comes that we need to.
Building the Foundation at Any Age
Most of us know that the best training comes from starting early in a dog’s life. Getting that young pup chasing tennis balls down the hallway is the best way to get that future Master Hunter started on the retrieving journey. But what do we do if the dog we get is a little older, two or three years old, and other than “sit” and playing fetch in the backyard, they have no formal retrieving skills? They are solid with those very basic things, but with no formal training.
Properly Command Your Sporting Dog
Chatter and over-commanding are two common issues between some handlers and their dogs. For some reason, nonstop talking gives some handlers a sense that they’re in control of the dog. They believe the constant communication improves the dog’s situational performance, and that somehow the chatter motivates pups to cast better or to remain more staunchly on point. But most of those commands fall on deaf ears as the dog tunes out its owner. And when it comes to bird dogs, tuning out an owner is never a good idea.
4 Ways to Stimulate Your Puppy’s Mind
A puppy’s brain and nervous system develops rapidly, much faster than their bodies. Sporting breed puppies have a lot to learn, so here are 4 ways to help stimulate their active minds.
Harmony in the Field: A Symphony of Bird Dogs and Wild Birds
In the timeless pursuit of the perfectly honed bird dog, the age-old adage rings true: "It takes birds to make a bird dog." Yet, how often have we pondered the profound layers concealed within this saying? The interplay between a bird dog and a wild bird emerges as an intricate dance, a narrative woven by the instincts of the dog, the natural behavior of the bird, and the dichotomy between untamed wilderness and cultivated training grounds.
Overcoming In-Season Obstacles with Your Bird Dog
Between dangers in the field and training-related issues while hunting, how do you handle and prepare for obstacles that may arise this season?
Opening Day of Dove Season – Are Our Dogs Ready to Go???
It’s that time of year, the excitement has been building and dove season is just around the corner! We have worked our dove fields, gotten our camo out, and polished up our guns. We can hardly wait for opening morning, to feel the rush of birds coming in and the blasts of our shotguns going off!
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.
ALL ABOUT RETRIEVER TRAINING DUMMIES
Training dummies are a staple of a good retriever training program. Whether you call them dummies or bumpers doesn’t matter, but what does matter is picking the right style and color to fit your training situations.
How Nutrition Supports Trainability in Your Sporting Breed Puppy
Sporting breed puppies have a lot to learn. Nutrition that fuels healthy brain function and learning supports a puppy’s ability to master a variety of tasks. Puppy diets that contain clinically proven levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can provide a training edge.
First Season Expectations
You’ve built up to your pup’s first hunting season—but what should you expect from your young dog? The experts weigh in.
Go Slow When Introducing a Dog to Gunfire
Sometimes hunters are so eager to develop their new pup into a hunting dog that they rush things. With some training exercises, if you make a mistake and try to teach something too fast, you can fix the resulting problems by going back and starting over. In others cases, such as with introduction to gunfire, you don't get a second chance.
Bending Drills Teach Dogs to Hunt Efficiently
A dog that searches for birds in a consistent pattern covers ground efficiently and hunts with confidence. Whether you're hunting quail, grouse or pheasants, the result is the same: more shooting opportunities.
Training Your Retriever for Double Duty
If you own a waterfowl dog, chances are that sooner or later you're going to ask it to perform upland duty. It might be a pheasant hunt as a sideline to your Dakota duck hunt, or maybe an afternoon of quail hunting after a morning goose hunt. Most retrievers handle their second job pretty well. You can help your dog perform that job even better.
Breeding a Better Dog
A pair of wood ducks came screaming by as my dad and I folded the drake. Most likely my dad did the folding, but I tried to help with my single shot 20 gauge. He pulled our springer/lab cross and myself through the cattails and marsh grass searching for the drake.
