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 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...
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...
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...
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...
TEC 2.0: Utilising the Trip Computer
by Matt Mates
If you’ve paid attention to the reviews for the TEK 2.0 system from SportDOG Brand®, you’ll know that hunters are really impressed with the mapping feature. Count me as one of them. Whilst a lot of hunters and dog handlers rely on the screen’s information to help them locate a...
TEK 2.0: Voice Feature
by Jeffrey Wood
The SportDOG Brand TEK 2.0 e-collar and tracking unit has turned out to be a fantastic addition to my training tools. I train my Mountain Curs hard all year round. During the hottest summer days, I train first thing in the morning, and then again in the evening. I’ve been using...
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 desire. Your knowledge that the pup you selected is from proven hunting stock is just the start. I have been spoilt. During the hunting and field trial seasons, I have always had older, veteran dogs to rely on...
Talent Is Not Obedience
by The SportDOG Staff
Whoa! Can your hunting dog 'whoa' or stop immediately? Does it always come when called? Will it turn on command or always sit or lie down when instructed? Will it gently deliver a bird to your hand without chewing the least little bit? Good bird dogs have been...
Training Your Retriever for Double Duty
by Charlie Jurney
If you've got a waterfowl dog, odds are that at some point you'll want it to do some upland work. Could be a pheasant hunt as a bit of a side gig to your Dakota duck hunt, or perhaps an arvo of quail hunting after a morning goose hunt. Most retrievers cope...
Rigours 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...
Training Your Retriever for Double Duty
by Charlie Jurney
If you own a waterfowl dog, chances are that sooner or later you’re going to ask it to perform upland duty. It might be a pheasant hunt as a sideline to your Dakota duck hunt, or maybe an afternoon of quail hunting after a morning goose hunt. Most retrievers handle...
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 relinquishing its alpha position. Yawning, scratching, sniffing, head shaking and licking are all methods by which your dog will attempt to delay carrying out a command. Your dog may...
