Innehållsförteckning för March/April 2019 från Gun Dog

WITH THIS ISSUE we bid a reluctant farewell to long-time “Parting Shots” columnist Joe Arnette. Joe was already writing the last-page column when Bob Wilbanks, my predecessor, passed the editorial torch to me in the fall of 1996. As part of that transition, Bob gave me some insights on what I could expect from GUN DOG’s regular contributors, and he said something like this about Joe: “Always gets his stuff in early and you won’t have to do much to it—it’s that damned good.” Bob nailed it. Joe’s copy always arrived early (every editor’s dream) and no, I didn’t have to do much to it…in fact, it was usually letter-perfect, requiring nothing more than a quick read before sending it straight on to layout. But reading Joe’s work quickly didn’t…

A field of dreams! Daydreaming of forthcoming days afield is PIPER, an English cocker from Kinchafoonee Kennels. Piper is owned by John Piper. A work of art! Shannon Sunday of Shoemakers-ville, Pennsylvania, shared this photo of CAYA, a seven-month-old Small Munsterlander. Caya is shown here after her first pheasant hunt. Pointing his first quail is eight-week-old JEM, a vizsla. This photo was sent in by William Rundorff of Aiken, South Carolina. From Palm Glades German shorthairs, this eight-month-old pup is holding nicely. This photo is from George Miragaya of Hillsborough, New Jersey. Vocal, birdy and fast best describes BAYLEE, this focused eight-month-old Brittany. Karon Cushing, of Los Usos, California submitted this photo. A feather in the cap (or in this case, the mouth). The camera loves this Brittany spaniel named…

You can’t beat the warm, tantalizing aroma of puppy breath. All of that was forgotten, however, when an energetic 4-year-old Brittany came into our lives with the words, “Her name is Honey. Here’s her registration papers and heartworm pills. And, oh, she’s a runner.” Honey came into our family, complete with two other Brittanys, as a rescue/surrender dog. She wasn’t in our plans. We were considering the addition of a puppy knowing the dreaded day was soon coming when our oldest Brittany would cross the Rainbow Bridge. As a two-Brittany, hard-hunting upland and waterfowl household we wanted to be prepared, knowing full-well that treasured four-legged hunting companions aren’t replaced. They simply live on with their memories intertwined with other hunts, other dogs, and their own distinct personalities. We did our…

DESPITE WHAT YOU may have read, the housebreaking process is not always easy, painless and quick. But it doesn’t have to be an ordeal, either, as long as you’re prepared with a few simple tools and a plan. First, the tools. You’ll need an airline crate, preferably a small one that fits your puppy; a supply of newspapers, towels or blankets; and a small wire pet enclosure, which you can buy at any pet store. Finally, you’ll need to keep some kind of clean-up tools on hand. I use a small plastic bucket filled with hot water, spray cleaner, and a sponge. Your new pup is going to be lonely and scared his first few nights away from his siblings. I used to put my new pups in their crate…

AT THE WORLD Skeet Shooting Championships in 1983 or 1984, I shot a 100 straight in the 28-gauge event using Briley 28-gauge skeet choke tube inserts in Beretta’s model 682 over/ under. Various models of the 682 are still in production, but my point is that this action is built to take the pounding of hundreds of thousands of rounds. Further, this is the action/lock-up of the 686 Silver Pigeon I. Both actions are the same—super strong. Before getting into more specifics about the 686 Silver Pigeon I, let me talk about the lock-up, which Beretta says makes this action “legendary!”The lock-up is considerably different than most of today’s over/unders. Two conical bolts in the face of the receiver move forward upon closing to enter and engage two matching machined…

A lovely, patriotic song sung now and then by our neighbors north of the border is “The Maple Leaf Forever.” In one of the three verses of this song is the phrase “Our fair Dominion.” In law, “dominion” means absolute ownership. The only sporting breed over which Canada has dominion, in keeping with the word’s legal meaning, is the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever ( NSDTR). That assertion might create howls of protest from some Labrador love . But their howling will be in vain because, despite its name, the Labrador retriever is actually an English breed, not Canadian. Yes, one of its ancestors came from Canada as the Labrador breed stems, as do most retriever breeds, from the now extinct St. John’s water dog. But it wasn’t until the…

1 SPORTY SYREN A 7/8-ounce shot charge turns the recoil of a 12-gauge into almost nothing—we have shot plenty of those light loads from unforgiving over-unders in recent years and you can’t feel much “kick” at all. That’s why we think the Syren L4S Sporting is a phenomenal option for women seeking a 12-gauge. A gas-operated gun, it was designed for lighter target ammunition, and built to suit female shooters. You can shoot it on clays, in the uplands or duck blind. Plus, it’s available in right- and left-handed models. syrenusa.com 2 STOP PARASITES If your dog spends enough time outside it will cross paths with blood-sucking ticks. Treat him with Bravecto, which is available through your vet. The chews are effective for 12 weeks and function to kill 100…

HAVING MOVED AWAY from a career as a full-time professional flushing dog trainer, I now spend my year traveling, consulting, judging flushing dog trials and helping my trainer friends whenever possible. In doing so I am constantly exposed to dogs and dog owners, and I am steadily made aware of the varied challenges that arise within the training process. With some regularity, owners come up against problems with their dogs that simply require some training tricks or shifts in approach to permit better communicacannot be overcome, it is rarely the fault of only one party or the other. To the contrary, the problem can typically be attributed to a poor match, specifically an owner who wants a certain result paired with a dog who simply does not have the genetic…

QUESTION I recently acquired a new English setter puppy about one month ago. He is 11 weeks old now, but has been having diarrhea problems off and on since I got him. At his initial vet visit the stool sample came back positive for roundworms when he was 7 weeks old. He was supposed to have been dewormed and vaccinated when I got him. We gave him the new dewormer as directed and then just recently had the stool sample checked again to make sure everything worked. This time there were no roundworms but there were Giardia. He has had soft stools off and on since he has been here. He can’t go for more than a day with a normal stool, then it is back to soft to…

PROBLEM I’m having behavioral issues with my 31/2-year-old English setter so I decided to write to you, hoping you would point me in the right direction. My setter lives in a loving home and is truly a great family dog. My kids love him. The dog is a sweetheart. I bought him as a family pet and hunting partner. He was pointing woodcock wings at 8 weeks old and is very birdy. Off season, he points and hunts squirrels in my back yard. Preseason, for several weekends, I practice him with live pigeons with my bird launchers in fields nearby. He does what you would expect from a pointing dog. However, this year, to my surprise, he seems to be shutting down on hunts. He starts off well and…