Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Off-Season Tune-Ups for a Better Fall
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...
Making the Case for E-Collar Simplicity
by Chris Akin
Depending on your background, your opinion about using an electronic training collar probably falls into one of three categories: 1) You think the modern e-collar is the greatest tool ever invented; 2) You believe the evil 'shock' collar has no place in dog training; or 3) You are afraid to...
6 Tips for a Better Snow Goose Hunt with Your Retriever
by Chris Akin
Snow goose hunting offers its own unique set of excitements in the realm of wildfowl shooting. Spring seasons, generous or unlimited bag limits, the use of electronic callers and unregulated shotguns contribute to an exhilarating experience when you're fortunate enough to encounter countless thousands of birds in your hunting area. Not...
Finding Your Dog's “Just Right” E-Collar Level
by The SportDOG Staff
Many times, for a new hunting dog owner who's just purchased their first remote trainer, there's an urge to strap on the collar straight away and start pressing buttons. Some novice trainers mistakenly believe that a modern e-collar is a magic remote control, whereby dogs instantly and robotically obey...
How To Effectively Communicate With Your Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
The reality with dogs is that they don’t speak English. They don’t speak French or Latin or Spanish. Dogs are associators. Dogs learn to associate human words with actions and events and therefore you can absolutely communicate effectively and clearly with your dog - both verbally and non-verbally. Below, we’ll discuss...
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Training Your Gundog
by The SportDOG Staff
The best thing about the years that SportDOG® employees and our ProStaffers have spent training dogs is that we've made mistakes. We preach the value of mistakes because you’ll learn from them even more than your successes, but there's no reason you can't learn from ours as well. These are 5...
Dog Training: When the Trainer Becomes the Trainee
by The SportDOG Staff
In the gundog world, I often hear people say, “I trained that dog.” But, is that statement really true? Have you ever considered the fact that maybe the dog you just “trained” actually trained you? Here are two instances when you have become the trainee. 1) CLEVER DOGS At some point...
What's Your Sport Dog Saying To You?
by The SportDOG Staff
Although our hunting dogs can’t talk with us, they do give cues that we can interpret. These are simple signs that any dog owner can learn to read and understand. Signs Your Dog Is Nervous During Training A nervous or timid dog will make mistakes. If you notice any of the cues...
Why One Hunting Dog Isn't Enough
by The SportDOG Staff
Do you ever stop and look around your house, and think, "man, I have a lot of dogs?" It's OK. Upland hunters and waterfowlers are always acquiring more. We need more shotguns, more cartridges to pump through them, more floating decoys, more field decoys. Boats, motors, leases, land access …...
Gun Dog Training: 3 Things Your Puppy Should Learn
by The SportDOG Staff
If you’re reading this article, you probably own, have owned, or are thinking about owning a gun dog puppy. To train your puppy to be a retrieving machine, here are three things that are crucial to teach it from day one. 1) Socialise, Socialise, Socialise Your home is unfamiliar to your new...
5 Essential Safety Tips for Walking Your Dog in Winter
by The SportDOG Staff
Keep your training sessions with your dog brief and efficient to ward off cabin fever, whilst keeping your dog safe in inclement weather. For those of you caught in the polar vortex, you're aware it can limit your time out with your dog. The freezing cold temperatures can make it tempting...
3 Common Dog Training Mistakes To Avoid
by The SportDOG Staff
Training a hunting dog is a fun and enjoyable experience. If trained correctly, the results will be a dog that is a joy to take hunting and a valuable partner in the field. The SportDOG® Pro Staff weighs in on the three most common dog-training mistakes to avoid. Waiting Too Late...
5 Things to Remember When Training Your Hunting Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
Training your own gundog can be one of the most rewarding and humbling experiences of any pet owner's life. The sense of pride and elation that one feels after their dog has learnt a new command is only rivalled by the feelings of doubt and frustration after a training...
5 Training Tips to Beat the Summer Heat
by The SportDOG Staff
Keeping a hunting dog in shape during the off-season will give it the best chance to perform at peak levels once the hunting season opens in the autumn. The continued workouts will maintain tough paw pads, supple joints, proper weight, and preserve endurance and stamina. To achieve this, training must...
3 Ways You’re Ruining Your Gundog Puppy
by Greg McGuffin
Owners of puppies make countless training mistakes. They may not know it initially, but it’s the little things that separate professional trainers from owners who dabble in training. As a professional trainer, I’ve seen every type of misguided puppy and spent countless hours undoing bad habits. Commonly, when a 6-month-old puppy...
Using the TEK 2.0 in the Big, Wide Open
by Ben Garcia
Hunting with English setters, English Pointers and Brittany spaniels provides me with a great deal of variety in my bird hunting. I want my dogs to cover lots and lots of ground, so I really let them stretch the horizon. While some of them work more closely than others, I’m confident...
