Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Dealing with Hunting Dog Injuries
by The SportDOG Staff
Cuts are common in hunting dogs. Brambles, barbed wire, broken glass, or even sharp broken saplings can slice a dog’s skin as it hunts. Appropriate field care of wounds can reduce healing time and make the vet’s job much easier. Remember the watchwords: flush, fill and wrap. Flushing Fresh cuts may look quite...
Straight Talk About Protein for Hunting Dogs
by The SportDOG Staff
As I travel across the country attending field trials, visiting kennels and hunting, I receive a lot of questions about dog food for some reason. One topic that stimulates many questions is protein quality and protein’s role in dog nutrition. Protein is required by the body for two reasons: To provide...
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...
Getting Your Retriever in the Thick of Things
by Rick Grant
If you were going to go pheasant shooting on a farm where you’d never been before, where would you start your search? You would probably head for the thickest cover because you know that’s where birds feel safest and therefore tend to hang out the most, right? Well, when you...
Where to Begin with Puppy Training
by The SportDOG Staff
There are several different things that need to be done for and with a new puppy. First and foremost make sure all pup's jabs are on time and up to date. Find a local vet and set up an appointment for your new companion. This is one of many places you...
Don't Forget to Introduce Your Duck Dog to Decoys
by Charlie Jurney
In our eagerness to train a retriever into a first-rate waterfowl dog, it’s easy to overlook small yet significant details. For instance, your dog might make you proud when he completes a lengthy retrieve. However, the first time you request him to swim through four dozen decoys to retrieve a...
Retriever Training: The Transition to Water
by Tom Dokken
Retrievers love water, so you wouldn’t think that transitioning from land retrievers to water retrieves would be difficult. It isn’t, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. The key to a smooth introduction and continued improvement on water retrieves is to work in baby steps, just like you did...
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...
Keeping the Fun in Retriever Training
by Charlie Jurney
Wouldn’t it be nice in the middle of a tough day if someone stopped by and said a few words that made all your worries disappear? Instantly your negative feelings would vanish and you’d be happy. Well, in retriever training, there is something that can have that effect on...
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...
Where to Find a Dog with the Right Stuff - Part 3
by Charlie Jurney
I talked about getting the pick of the litter in Part 2 of this article series. Now you have to decide whether you want a started dog or a finished dog. So now you know what you’re looking for in a puppy, but what if you do not want to deal...
Pup’s First Hunt: Building Your Future
by Chris Akin
A puppy's first season, and more specifically, his first hunt, can be the most pivotal in his life as a gun dog. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and that impression can have a major impact on how a young dog is moulded into a hunting...
Where to Find a Dog with the Right Stuff - Part 1
by Charlie Jurney
Each time someone rings to enquire about locating a puppy, I have flashbacks to my first dog, Sam. I purchased Sam from a mate who had an athletic, eager hunting dog. He decided to breed his girl to a very nice looking male whose ancestors found fame in the show...
Working Your Dog in the Winter
by The SportDOG Staff
Keep your training sessions with your dog brief and efficient to stave off cabin fever while keeping your dog safe in inclement weather. For those of you caught in the polar vortex, you know it can limit your time out with your dog. The freezing cold temperatures can make it tempting...
Understand This Before You Train
by Charlie Jurney
Every animal on the planet has an alpha or beta relationship with every other animal. We usually think of 'beta' as submissive and beaten down, but in wild packs or herds, that is not the case. The beta dog in a pack of wild dogs is still quite happy and...
Poor Performance in Bird Dogs
by The SportDOG Staff
Your gundog has been a strong, eager hunter with lots of verve and zest, but now he has lost that zest, speed and stamina. He still eats well, is bright and alert and has normal bowel movements. Have you over-trained the dog or is it poor nutrition, heartworms or...
