Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt![Training Tips](/training-tips/training-tips.jpg)
![Black lab sitting on platform with trainer standing in front with check cord in hand](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/225a7cf3a344b46d05eba759abb64ee8ab3e991a-891x891.jpg?rect=0,49,842,842&w=891&h=891&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Steadiness at Its Best
by Bradley Bradshaw
Have you ever been out hunting in the blind with your buddies and just before shooting time a group of mallards come lighting into the decoys? You know if your dog breaks on them, the hunt is over. Well I'm gonna give you a training tip that will help make...
![Lyme Disease-Keeping You and Your Dog Safe in the Field](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/c9d1e05391b0b8f501de1fd92060bc965819c76f-4928x3280.jpg?rect=469,282,3807,2534&w=4928&h=3280&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Lyme Disease - Keeping You and Your Dog Safe in the Field
by The SportDOG Staff
While there is nothing better than a day in the wild with your dog, it does come with its risks. One of these is Lyme disease. Most every outdoorsman is familiar with this tick-transmitted disease, but what you might not be aware of is that it is on the rise....
![man walking black lab at heel while holding leash and canvas bumpers](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/4eecd9a76b6db1f6f27e2ee011e30adec6061555-736x920.jpg?rect=87,223,493,616&w=736&h=920&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
The Golden Rules of Dog Training
by The SportDOG Staff
Dog training is an art man has been trying to perfect since the domestication of canines. There are almost as many theories on dog training as there are on raising children. Many of these theories are effective and having multiple options allows you to tailor your training to your dog....
![yellow lab puppy running towards camera](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/b86ddf849d13b24a1c980b18c22bd82ff4517829-1340x1080.jpg?w=1340&h=1080&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Leading the Pack
by The SportDOG Staff
Spring time is upon us (at least that’s what the weather people are telling us) which often means new puppies to train. As you begin working with your new little hunting buddy, it’s important to remember that dogs are pack animals, and as such look for a leader. If it’s...
![Yellow lab laying down in front of waterfowl gear](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/8de01de11117b73f49d07a5577936fd7af5a9514-1425x1080.jpg?w=1425&h=1080&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Teaching the Down Command
by Gary Sheffer
Down, sometimes referred to as the Down Stay command, is a Strong Control Command. Down is an essential Command for all types of working and non-working dogs. The command can be used in a boat, blind, or field. I find it very useful after the hunt, to check the dog...
![Man and chocolate lab sitting on tailgate of truck](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/0d939e24a769103ac01c6a34254cb6edc44992e9-2400x1260.jpg?w=2400&h=1260&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Recipes from the Field
by The SportDOG Staff
If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you know that occasionally we like to share some of our favorite recipes. Despite popular belief, we can cook. We’re actually pretty daggone good at it, and we assume many of you are as well. Why? Because it just goes with...
![Young boy pulling dummies out of a gear bag with a black lab next to him.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/eb95c24803295e3ffbe75d8e2c4e5510b1e9b1f4-1428x1080.jpg?w=1428&h=1080&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Growing Up in the Outdoors
by The SportDOG Staff
The Outdoors. It is something that we as outdoorsman are all passionate about and something that we hold dear to our hearts. We often have some of the best times of our lives in the outdoors, whether it is in a tree stand or a duck blind, on a 4...
![Keeping Steady at Retriever Trials](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/dd97eb5959189b41e3d6ffd14126b1b7185c12e8-2000x2000.jpg?rect=386,610,1390,1390&w=2000&h=2000&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Keeping Steady at Retriever Trials
by Billy Mosley
It's game day. So, now what? It’s early on a Saturday morning; you pull into the test grounds excited to see how you and your retriever handle the judges set ups this weekend. This is a common occurrence at hunt tests across the country; unfortunately another common occurrence is that the well-behaved...
![yellow lab holding canvas dummy in mouth with trainer reaching down to grab it](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/b88a6d30ffe7b34d9a52b4a6087d3138e6678e61-1336x891.jpg?w=1336&h=891&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Training Retrieve to Hand
by Ben Busby
We often lean on our ProStaff when we run into difficulty training. ProStaffer Ben Busby has provided insight on training the critical "Retrieve to Hand" in this week's blog. I have heard of different gun dog owners making the statement that their dogs have been retrieving but sometimes will stop short...
![Man hand signaling to black Labrador Retriever to go retrieve a dummy](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/c7f4722d01d606f1a58e98842ad59b003b34c3fd-1342x1080.jpg?rect=4,3,1338,1077&w=1342&h=1080&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
10 Mistakes in Gun Dog Training and How Not to Make Them - Part 2
by The SportDOG Staff
Read the first 5 mistakes to avoid with hunting dog training in the first article in this series. Not Adapting to the Dog No two dogs are exactly the same. Like children, they all learn differently, have differing strengths and have that free-will thing that can leave you grinding your teeth in...
![Man giving hand signal to black Labrador Retriever to go retrieve item.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/b0f0f509760021a772d46e512618047c926ff874-1620x1080.jpg?w=1620&h=1080&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
10 Mistakes in Gun Dog Training and How Not to Make Them - Part 1
by The SportDOG Staff
The best thing about the years that ourselves and our ProStaffers have spent training dogs is that we've made the mistakes. We preach the value of mistakes because you will learn from them even more than your successes, but there's no reason you can't learn from ours. We constantly hammer...
![Josh Miller and his chocolate lab Easton sitting on tailgate of truck](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/0d939e24a769103ac01c6a34254cb6edc44992e9-2400x1260.jpg?w=2400&h=1260&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Traveling with Your Hunting Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
Hunting season brings many of us the opportunity to travel in pursuit of game. This is a great opportunity for you and your dog to explore new territory and challenges. One of those challenges can be getting your dog comfortably from point A to point B. Travel can be stressful...
![Setter wearing e-collar with ruffed grouse in mouth](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/27e29835dc30d1edbcb43b89b3066d0f25a16ec6-4594x3280.jpg?rect=0,374,4057,2897&w=4594&h=3280&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Making a Difference for the Grouse Population in North Dakota
by The SportDOG Staff
Susan Felege and her partners with the University of North Dakota received a SportDOG Brand Conservation Fund Grant in 2012 for their work in investigating the Nesting Ecology-Response to Gas and Oil Development in Western North Dakota. A year into the project, the team has learned a lot about nesting...
![The backs of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever on a stand and a handler watching a dummy hit the water with a splash](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/3099a731bcbb4cf438701043def49fb15b17a038-2000x2000.jpg?w=2000&h=2000&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Don't Overlook Steady in Your Wetland Training Arsenal
by The SportDOG Staff
When you think of wetland hunting with your pup, the importance of water retrieves is probably the first thing that comes to your mind. Steady is also an incredibly important command for a waterfowl dog. As we all know too well, the sport takes patience for yourself and your dog....
![beagle laying quietly on porch with bark collar on](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/4dbd02a1288ea269b7951cd59da4976c7836f07e-4648x3712.jpg?w=4648&h=3712&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
SportDOG Brand NoBark SBC-R Bark-Control Collar - Video
by The SportDOG Staff
Few things can stress the relationship with your dog like incessant barking, that's where the most advanced bark-control collar from SportDOG Brand comes into play.
![Proper Foot Care for Your Dog in the Season](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/4269492d1c6e44f3b99bb13b07636c72f8330c13-4928x3280.jpg?rect=976,722,3151,2097&w=4928&h=3280&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Proper Foot Care for Your Dog in the Season
by The SportDOG Staff
For many of us, season is here. You and your pup have worked hard for this, and it’s time to enjoy it. Nothing can end that fun quicker for you and your dog than a foot injury. The following tips will help keep your hunting partner fit and ready for...
AUTHORS
![Greg McGuffin has been professionally training hunting dogs for 8 years. 3 years ago he and his family sold their house in Tulsa, Oklahoma and decided to dive head first into Retriever Training. They now live on the 2,000 acre family ranch in south central Oklahoma where Greg, his wife,...](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/8974027c7e7a9022395ffd5eab961f00b4ffecd3-1084x1151.jpg?w=1084&h=1151&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Greg McGuffin
1 article
Greg McGuffin has been professionally training hunting dogs for 8 years. 3 years ago he and his family sold their house in Tulsa, Oklahoma and decided to dive head first into Retriever Training. They now live on the 2,000 acre family ranch in south central Oklahoma where Greg, his wife,...
![I’ve hunted upland game birds from North Dakota to Northern Maine, spending most of my time in my home state of Michigan. My love for pheasants dates back to my days as a youngster, first chasing them with our Labradors, German Shorthaired Pointers, or the occasional contact while running beagles...](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/6bf93283078971c56c18aa8673e60443db75e8db-366x366.jpg?w=366&h=366&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
Matt Mates
1 article
I’ve hunted upland game birds from North Dakota to Northern Maine, spending most of my time in my home state of Michigan. My love for pheasants dates back to my days as a youngster, first chasing them with our Labradors, German Shorthaired Pointers, or the occasional contact while running beagles...
![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...](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/cc219a1454db2f242b3bce5c78a10a5468b4c6f4-210x210.jpg?w=210&h=210&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
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...
![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.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/d075r9p6/production/5d0374cf0a3d75cc22c18d53eeb4245c2cfc287a-152x225.jpg?w=152&h=225&q=75&fit=max&auto=format)
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.
![Gear The Way You'd Design It](/images/gearthewayyouddesignit.png)