Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Avoiding and Dealing with Heat Emergencies
by The SportDOG Staff
Take some time to understand the many factors that can lead to a heat emergency, prepare for your outings to avoid such an emergency, and then have an action plan in place to deal with the Big 3: heat stress, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Think Smart when it Comes to Summer Training
by Shawn Kinkelaar
The list of things you can work on with your pointer during the summer months to prepare for the upcoming hunting season is plenty long. In addition to training and/or revisiting things from the last hunting season that need improvement, this is also a time to keep up with...
Mid-Season Tune-Ups for Your Retriever
by Tom Dokken
Hunting season! Time for all your summer training and hard yakka to pay off. Thankfully, your waterfowl dog is now perfectly behaved and executes every command and retrieve with precision, right? Wait, you’re saying that’s not true? That’s OK. I’m mostly taking the mickey because the truth is that none of our...
A Great Summertime Water Exercise for Retrievers
by Chris Akin
If you've got a young retriever and you're on the hunt for a top-notch training exercise for the summer, I've got a ripper that's dead easy but also beneficial and enlightening for both you and your dog. The drill I'm about to explain is pretty straightforward as a 'de-cheating' technique, but it actually achieves a fair bit more...
How to Avoid Hot-Weather Trouble
by LTC Jim Morehouse
I would hope that most hunters understand how important it is to keep their dogs in shape year-round. You certainly can't let your dog lie around all summer and then expect it to put in full days when hunting season opens this fall. However, training and exercising your dog year-round does...
The RIGHT Way to Introduce Your Retriever Pup to Water
by Lyle Steinman
My method for introducing a young dog to water is tied to my expectation that that dog comes from a line of retrievers that absolutely thrive on the challenge of water work, whether it’s during a hunt test, field trial or waterfowl hunting. Start with good genetics. Do your pup’s...
Off-Season Tune-Ups for a Better Autumn
by Tom Dokken
Sometimes during hunting season our dogs 'get away with stuff,' for lack of a better description. This happens to everyone because, let's face it, when the hunting is good, stopping to work on training isn't top of mind. After all, bird seasons only last for a few short weeks or...
6 Tips for Containment System Training
by Charlie Jurney
Judging by the number of homes whose yards are decorated with white pet containment training flags these days, it seems that in-ground fencing has gone mainstream. It’s great that dog owners are taking responsibility for keeping their pets from wandering. While the basics of setting up and training a dog...
When Your Dog Should Enter the Hunt
by The SportDOG Staff
Young dogs take a while to develop into the hunting or field trial champion you want. Your knowledge that the pup you chose is from proven hunting stock is just the beginning. I have been spoiled. During hunting and field trial seasons, I have always had older, veteran dogs to rely...
Understanding Hunting Dog Ear Infections
by The SportDOG Staff
Most hunting dog breeds have floppy ears. This drooping ear flap contributes to a high incidence of ear infections because it decreases air circulation and traps bacteria, fungi and debris in the ear. The floppy ear also makes it a bit more difficult for the owner to spot ear problems straight away. Contributing...
Watch for Displacement Behaviour
by Charlie Jurney
No matter what breed of dog you're training, at some point the dog will try any number of tricks to avoid giving up its alpha position. Yawning, scratching, sniffing, head shaking and licking are all ways in which your dog will attempt to delay performing a command. Your dog may...
Gun Shy Dogs Can Blossom
by The SportDOG Staff
Every dog training book will preach that you must be real careful when introducing a young dog to the sight, and especially the sound of a shotgun, but rarely will they tell you how to fix a gun shy dog. Some dog training veterans simply won't give it a burl. It...
A Dog Ready for the Field
by The SportDOG Staff
Hunting seasons are in full swing. In bird fields you can hear the cackle of a gutsy rooster taking wing, along with the hoarse voice of a hunter yelling at his dog as it chases the flashy pheasant to the next paddock. It's easy to hear all about...
Talent Is Not Obedience
by The SportDOG Staff
Whoa! Can your hunting dog 'whoa' or stop dead? Does it always come when called? Will it turn on command or always sit or lie down when told? Will it gently deliver a bird to your hand without chewing the least little bit? Good bird dogs have been...
Rigors of a Tough Hunting Season
by The SportDOG Staff
During the 2009-2010 hunting season, most of us endured our most interesting upland season in quite some time. The entire country experienced unique weather conditions this autumn and winter. Hard winters often turn most of our thoughts and concerns towards, 'how are the birds going to make it'? A question...
Tips For Dove Hunting And Gun Dogs
by The SportDOG Staff
There are heaps of things you oughta do to prep yourself and your dog for the first day of dove season. For most of us down south, it's still pretty hot during dove season. The most crucial thing is to keep yourself and your dog hydrated! There are all...
