Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2021 från Gun Dog

THIS MORNING I saw a splash of green of a growing plant peeking through the dry, brown foliage that has littered my yard the past few months. It was a welcomed change. That seems strange to type since change is often associated with fear. However, this small plant brought a spark of hope to overpower the dampened mood the dull grey of winter often puts me in—and the mood 2020 overtook all of us with. A hard year to say the least—but 2021 is here and the new year brings change that is very much needed. This year is the perfect example of why we should embrace change rather than fear it. Why do we fear change? Is it because we are set in our ways and it comes with…

The DogBone Adjustable Leader is a hybrid of the many styles I’ve used over the years, all of which are directly taken from the classic British slip lead. The adjustment tab on the collar allows for an effective fit on any sized dog. When sent on a retrieve, its tab is not too long and will not get stepped on and trip your dog. If I can’t get them to do it well at heel, I don’t stand a chance at any distance, which is why good heel work is an absolute must in training. The Adjustable Leader includes a free digital heel work training video. $45; dogbonehunter.com…

Over the course of a long career in flushing dogs I have seen to the ownership, care, and training of many puppies. It is always rewarding to watch a pup come into his own, and to see good genetics see the light of day as the training process unfolds. Sometimes, when the stars align, you even wind up with a National Champion. Honestly, though, raising a puppy is a big investment in time, and a significant responsibility. To see a puppy through adolescence and into early adulthood (in other words, to finish a pup) is a two or three-year process. With seventy-seven years under my belt, a likely return on a three-year investment begins to feel a little bit risky! But then, last summer my friend and training partner Dan…

So, you just brought home a sporting pup—now what? By this time, you’ve read all the books, watched all the YouTube videos, and picked up this magazine to fine tune your young dog. The good news is you have come to the right place. The groundwork for future training starts as soon as the puppy walks through your door at eight weeks old. Your training can begin with obedience, but you also can instill early steadiness training—a crucial skill for later in your dog’s hunting life. For the next few Notes from the Field columns, I will walk you through how to start steadiness training in your young gun dog, the importance of the “whoa” command, and how to achieve a solid end result. BUILDING THE GROUNDWORK Our objective with…

IF YOU ASK gun dog owners and breeders when a puppy’s training should begin you’ll likely get a wide array of responses. Some might say that early training begins as soon as the pup is removed from the litter, as early as eight weeks. Other trainers prefer to let the dog reach three or four months of age. In the strictest sense of the word, however, “training” begins much sooner than that. Neurological studies have shown that puppies begin interacting with the world around them the moment that they are born. Even before their eyes are open, young dogs are learning to navigate their small universe—finding food, staying warm, becoming mobile. These first days of development are critical to the trajectory of a dog’s entire life, so some breeders begin…

My father-in-law, Bruce, learned to shoot his dad’s fixed full choke Ithaca semi-auto shotgun in high school. He is comfortable with it, has shot it straight for decades, and rarely misses. He also doesn’t hesitate to shoulder the gun whenever, and wherever, a rooster flushes. On the Kansas 2020 upland opener, the birds were running fierce, so when my dog put the first rooster up 10 yards ahead of us, Bruce promptly turned that first rooster into swiss cheese. What do you do with “adequately shot” birds? You either dice or grind, in my opinion. From there, you have a few options for ground pheasant: burger, sausage, or meatballs in this case. As a general rule of thumb regarding any form of wild game sausage, I incorporate 40 percent pork.…

In kicking off our first column it seems only fitting that we should discuss puppy development. Puppies represent the raw material after all, and it’s the lessons you teach and the decisions you make that chart a puppy’s course through its formative first year. At Ronnie Smith Kennels, we firmly believe that a puppy’s first year is critical, and in that first year, we as trainers must help shape a dog’s response to new experiences, to stimuli, and to the stresses inherent in learning new behaviors. For that reason, let’s dig deeper into some do’s and don’ts, remembering that the journey of developing your bird dog begins the moment your new pup comes home. Picking a puppy is essentially an academic exercise. It requires research and objectivity, and a hard…

Place board training is a key tool for sporting breeds for both obedience, field work, and safety. The Cato Outdoors Cato Board is designed to be easily portable and comfortable for your dog. The board sits just over three inches high with four sturdy legs to ensure no tipping. Choose between a rubber or turf high-traction surface to keep your pup from slipping and injury. High-grip rubber feet keep the board from sliding on hard surfaces and integrated water drainage ports are built into the surface for wet training days. $75; catooutdoors.com…

IT’S HUMAN NATURE to lean into absolutes. This allows us to save our mental bandwidth from the exhausting reality that most staunchly held positions and beliefs should probably be more fluid than we’re comfortable with given the nuances of life. But it’s simply easier to avoid the gray areas and latch on to “always” and “never” to guide us through our decision and opinion making processes. As you’ve undoubtedly noticed at some point, this has bled into the world of dogs. This is why it’s so compelling to listen to a training expert who offers a clear message about how to take any pointer or retriever from clueless puppy to perfect bird dog. They’ll craft a one-size-fits-all plan to achieve this, and that is marketing genius. And not, I might…

NOT EVERYONE likes dogs, but you’ve got to be hardboiled if you don’t love puppies. The most seasoned bird doggers smile when they peer into a whelping box. How could they not, for puppies represent possibility, along with hope, faith, love, and everything associated with new beginnings. But puppy development is a deliberate and progressive process, that, if done properly, results in dogs with qualities we admire: boldness, drive, intensity, patience, handle, bird smarts, and a biddable disposition. Some of those traits are genetic for sure, but properly introducing puppies to the world brings out the best in them. Betsy Danielson of Minnesota’s Northwoods Bird Dogs, Jeremy Criscoe of Florida’s Blue Cypress Kennels, and Mark Fulmer of South Carolina’s Sarahsetter Kennels, know that during the first eight weeks, puppies develop…

ORVIS PRO LT HUNTING PULLOVER Cut the morning chill during spring training or the early season with the new Pro LT Hunting Pullover from Orvis. Available in both men and women’s versions, the Pro LT is made with a DWR finish to shed moisture and is made to stretch so you can swing on hard crossing birds with ease. The pullover is abrasion resistant to fight off thick brush, and when the morning warms up, the Pro LT packs down small to fit easily in your vest. Available in tan/blaze orange, olive, or camouflage. $129; orvis.com K9 ATHLETE NEW DOG DAILY VITAMIN Whether you have a puppy full of energy or a seasoned gun dog, supplements to keep them running at their full potential are vital. K9 Athlete knows a…

In order for something to be finished, it has to first be started. That’s a pretty simple and logical statement that applies to most things in life. For many (myself included), the idea of finishing something comes with a sense of satisfaction and often is paired with a feeling of accomplishment. To “finish” something means to bring a task or activity to an end; complete. For something to be “started” means to begin or be reckoned from a particular point in time or space. As it relates to dogs, “finished” and “started” are completely relative terms. I like to put less effort into defining them and more focus on what consists in between them. I’m just now wrapping up training with a young dog named Bella who was the focal…

There’s a curious thing that happens when most of us buy a gun dog pup. In the days leading to pick up and then in the first few weeks after the youngster enters our home, the enthusiasm usually red lines. But when the novelty of a new puppy wears off just a little bit and the reality of daily training and caring for a new dog settles in, it’s harder to keep your foot on the gas. This is one of the reasons I encourage all of our clients to set up a game plan before they ever bring their puppy home. Committing to structure, not only for the primary trainer in the family, but for everyone who will interact with the puppy, is a big deal. It puts everyone…

As a young guy of 11 or 12, I would sneak off to the local sport shop/tobacco store to sit quietly off in a corner to listen to the wisdom of the old boys as they talked about hunting and fishing. My ears perked up particularly when the discussion went to dogs. One universally agreed on point was that you trained young beagles by letting them run with older, experienced dogs, but you never did this with the pointing dogs. They had to be trained individually, never with an older dog, for a ton of reasons. I figured the old boys were the authorities on all things to do with hunting, including dogs. Twenty years later, I was walking in a field with three dogs, two adult Griffons and one…

YOU’RE HARD PRESSED to find an upland hunter that doesn’t have a brace of bird dogs. If not two, then at least three—or five. They say once you have one bird dog, you get the itch, and you want just a few more in your arsenal. I did not. I had one beloved bird dog. He had been by my side for six years and was, of course, the best bird dog I could ever ask for. We were the dynamic duo, a third would throw off that equilibrium, that perfect balance. But Lincoln was getting up there in age. “He can’t hunt for three days in a row forever,” my friends told me. Deep down I knew they spoke the truth. It wasn’t fair to ask that of him.…