Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Holding your Kids’ Attention When They Are Young
by Tom Keer
When my daughter and son were younger, they both wanted to be firemen. That passion came about after our local Fire Chief Joe and his crew visited their school. The demonstration included an inspection of the fire truck, the helmets, the axes and pike poles, and the siren. I thought...
Training Commands: Talk Less, Reinforce More
by Charlie Jurney
No matter how good our intentions, we hunters and dog trainers as a whole commit one error that sets our training progress back and creates additional problems. We commit this error over and over again, and it’s vitally important to recognize it and fix it. What am I talking about?...
Dealing with a Heat-Related Emergency
by The SportDOG Staff
We lose more dogs to heat-related emergencies than almost any other. If you take preventive measures before heading out to the field, there’s much less of a chance your dog will get into trouble. But when a dog starts to show signs of heat stress, knowing how to deal with...
Picking the Right E-Collar
by Tom Dokken
Purchasing your first SportDOG Brand® remote training collar or upgrading from an older model isn’t particularly difficult, but it does require some thought about which features are most important to you and how the collar is going to be used. Thankfully, SportDOG offers enough products that you can easily match...
Building a First Aid Kit
by The SportDOG Staff
My background is a bit different than many of the dog handlers on the SportDOG® ProStaff. I’m a tactical paramedic. I work with law enforcement and service dogs. In fact, I’ve never hunted with dogs. However, I’ve trained explosive-detection canines, and I specialize in cadaver dogs. Today, I teach canine...
Building a Steady Retriever
by Tom Dokken
A retriever that remains calm in a duck blind and concentrates on watching birds fall is a joy to hunt with. In a perfect world, that’s how all retrievers would behave. While a steady retriever is something that most hunters want, the reality is that very few retrievers are truly...
Get That Young Hound Started Right
by Jed Finley
There are many ways to turn a young coonhound into a top-notch trailing dog, but one of the biggest things I think you can do to help him along is to help him learn independence. I’m going to tell you the basics of how I do that as part of...
5 Things Dog Trainers Do Best
by The SportDOG Staff
Dog trainers are a one of kind. We all come from different backgrounds, careers, and experiences. We have different styles and beliefs about what we do, but still, there are a few things we all share. We all share some pretty awesome strengths. Here are some top 5 places where...
5 Reasons You Need to Know About Our Conservation Fund
by The SportDOG Staff
Right now you’re probably aware of the SportDOG Brand® Conservation Fund because we happen to be matching up 3 deserving young kids with a started puppy trained by one of our Senior ProStaff members: Tom Dokken, Charlie Jurney, or Jim Morehouse through our Companions for Conservation contest. But did you...
5 Reasons Your Child Needs a Hunting Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
It should come as no surprise that we’d encourage everyone to have a dog. They’re kind of the basis of everything we do, and we love it. Most of us have had dogs since we were kids. Many of us would tell you that our dog was one of the...
Simple Trick to Keeping Your Dog Hydrated When Hunting
by Bob Ford
Conditioning and hunting dogs in the hot months of summer and early season requires that we are careful about hydration. No doubt about it, my dogs will drink from the nastiest mud puddle in the field, but I prefer that they do not. Stagnant water in the field could carry...
The Evolution of Dog Training: Communication is Key
by Lynne Frady
When I started training I was young and green, there were not many training groups in my area to work with, just a few older gentlemen that got together once a month to train. I can’t complain because they welcomed a snot-nosed girl to train with them and I did...
How You Helped Build TEK 2.0
by The SportDOG Staff
Hunting season is upon us. Excitement is high for the whole hunting community, but we’d bet no one is quite as pumped as we are about what’s coming this season. TEK 2.0 will be hitting retailers near you this season! It’s hard to fully express how excited we are about...
Field Testing is the Best Part - Development of TEK 2.0
by The SportDOG Staff
Vice President Lance Tracy was one of the first field testers for our new TEK 2.0 GPS TRACKING+E-COLLAR TRAINING SYSTEM. Lance put the system through the paces several times last season. He took some time to share his experience on our latest and greatest: The best part of being Vice President...
Season is Coming - A Checklist for Opening Day
by The SportDOG Staff
The most anticipated time of the year is upon us…Opening Day! As you and your hunting buddies plan the first big trip, it’s important to make sure you’re fully ready for what lies ahead. There’s nothing worse than getting out in the field and realizing you’re missing equipment, something got...
Working with Different Dogs
by Tom Keer
I’m a setter man. I’ve owned Irish setters and English setters, and some day I’ll probably own a Gordon setter. I like the way they hunt with their heads held high, their energy, and their biddable natures. Setters like people, and even better than that they like having a job...
AUTHORS
Chris Akin
9 articles
Chris has spent most of his life duck hunting or training in the field. Over the years, his program evolved into one of the most accomplished hunt test programs in the country. Webb Footed Kennels, Inc. has produced more than 350 Hunting Retriever Champions, 175 Master Hunters, and 35 Grand...
Tom Dokken
16 articles
Dokken brings more than 45 years of retriever-training experience to the SportDOG team. He is well known as the inventor of Dokken’s Deadfowl Trainer, which has become standard equipment for retriever trainers everywhere. He is the owner of Dokken Dog Supply and Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels, the largest gun dog...
Aaron Robinson
3 articles
Aaron has a long history of dog training and upland bird hunting. His passion was so great he pursued a master’s degree in Wildlife Biology. He has an education in upland game ecology and management. He has presented numerous technical papers about upland birds. Aaron was a board member for...
Rick Grant
3 articles
With his wife Terri, Rick co-owns and operates Perfect 10 Kennel. Their business offers boarding, grooming, and retriever training. They also breed Labrador retrievers. Rick has 30 years of experience in retriever training, participating in everything from field trials to hunt tests to upland hunting competitions.
