Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
The Ultimate SportDOG Guide: Choosing the Best E-Collar for Your Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose the best e-collar for training your dog, ensuring that when the time comes, you’re equipped with a tool that’s up to the task, no matter how tough the conditions.
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.
All About Retriever Training Dummies
by Tom Dokken
Training dummies are a staple of a good retriever training program.
Avoiding Prickly Situations
by Craig Leair
Skunks and porcupines can be a real concern for hunters using gundogs. I’ve been involved in plenty of porcupine quill-pulling parties, and trust me, it is a horrible ordeal. Skunks, whilst not as dangerous, certainly can ruin your day, or even your whole trip.
5 Starter Tips for Raising a Great Pointing Dog
by LTC Jim Morehouse
So, you have a new pointing dog puppy in your house. Congratulations! I hope all your hopes and dreams about turning that pup into a bird-finding pro come true. But, as is true with all things in life, excellence doesn’t happen overnight. Everything is a process, and that’s especially true...
Retriever Training: Making the Most of the Spring Season
by Lyle Steinman
When winter drags on a little too long and it feels like spring will never arrive, it’s really easy to procrastinate with your retriever training. Sure, you’re looking forward to bluebird days when you can get out and work on water training. This feeling of urgency to get back...
Retriever Care in Cold Weather
by Chris Akin
Cold-weather waterfowling can mean a lot of extra work in sometimes nasty conditions, but those of us who take on those challenges are often rewarded with some of the season's best hunting. It's extremely satisfying to bag the limit when the wind is howling and ice is forming on the decoys,...
The Right Way to Cure Crowding
by Shawn Kinkelaar
One of the core principles of effective dog training is that the timing of a correction is critical. A dog associates a correction with whatever it is doing at the moment. Waiting too long to make a correction can create confusion. It doesn’t matter whether the correction is verbal, a tug...
6 Travel Considerations for the Hunting Season
by Tom Dokken
One-day or weekend bird-hunting trips are nice if you’re fortunate to have good destinations close to home, but for many hunters, long-distance, out-of-country trips are the norm. These extended adventures require more planning if you want to enjoy them to the fullest. Here are some considerations to keep in mind. Where...
Think Smart when it Comes to Summer Training
by Shawn Kinkelaar
The list of things you can work on with your pointing dog during the summer months to prepare for the forthcoming 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...
How Tone and Ambience Can Enhance Your Upland Bird Shooting
by Tom Dokken
A flushing dog that has learnt to work at just the right distance in front of hunters is a huge advantage in a pheasant field or grouse covert. 'Just the right distance' varies with terrain and personal preference, but I think we can all agree that anytime your dog puts...
Early Goose Season Means Learning Opportunities for Retrievers
by Chris Akin
With many states holding early Canada goose seasons, retriever owners have an excellent opportunity to introduce their young dogs to wildfowling, and for experienced dogs it’s a good time to provide a refresher course in hunting manners. Let’s talk about a few things you can do to make sure that...
Mid-Season Tune-Ups for Your Retriever
by Tom Dokken
Hunting season! Time for all your summer training and hard work 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 kidding because the truth is that none of our...
A Great Summertime Water Exercise for Retrievers
by Chris Akin
If you have a young retriever and you're looking for a great summertime training exercise, I've got one that's super-simple but is also productive and educational for both you and your dog. The drill I'm going to describe is pretty basic as a 'de-cheating' method, but it actually accomplishes much 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 all year round. You certainly can’t let your dog lie around all summer and then expect it to put in full days when the hunting season opens this autumn. However, training and exercising your dog all 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 the 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 wildfowling. Start with good genetics. Do your pup’s...
