Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Controlling Multiple Dogs
by Kim Bishop
One of the questions I am asked most is, "how do you control so many hounds at once?" Well that's easy: you need a good multiple dog training system like the SportDOG Brand® HoundHunter® 3225 with 2 mile range. Then you need to know each of your hounds individually. Hounds...
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 get 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 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...
Getting Your Retriever in the Thick of Things
by Rick Grant
If you were going to go pheasant hunting 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...
Early Season Grouse Hunting
by Aaron Robinson
The 2010 hunting season is just around the corner, and in many states the Sharp-tailed grouse and Partridge season are the first to kick off. This is where our summer dog training and conditioning finally materializes, or so we hope. Dogs at this time are usually accustomed to liberated birds...
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 shots are on time and up to date. Find a local veterinarian and set up an appointment for your new companion. This is one of many places you...
Training Pointing Dogs with Birds - Part 3
by LTC Jim Morehouse
In Part Two of this series I outlined my method for tying in the “Whoa” command with live birds. Now it’s time to get into the some more advanced live-bird work. Everything I’m explaining here still involves using a 15-foot lead or check cord. I don’t introduce the electronic collar...
Make Your Upland Retriever Crazy for Feathers
by Tom Dokken
There’s nothing better than a hard-charging flushing dog that is absolutely crazy for birds. But how do you make sure your young retriever will turn out like that? Here are the steps I use. You can introduce your retriever to feathers when he is very young, say up to 12 weeks....
Training Pointing Dogs with Birds - Part 4
by LTC Jim Morehouse
In Part Three of this series I explained how to work on more advanced steadiness exercises using live birds. Now I’m going to finish by giving you my thoughts on how to deal with running birds. I’ve mentioned that when you start using live birds, you always try to work your...
Training Pointing Dogs with Birds - Part 1
by LTC Jim Morehouse
When SportDOG® asked me to write training articles on some of the aspects of training pointing dogs to handle birds, it seemed like a pretty easy task. As a full-time trainer and quail guide in Arizona, pointing dogs and birds are my passion. However, as I started to write about...
Training Pointing Dogs with Birds - Part 2
by LTC Jim Morehouse
In Part One of this series I explained why “Whoa” is the most important command in pointing dog training. Now I’ll explain the next step I take toward tying “Whoa” and live birds together. I want to give my young dogs plenty of experience with finding live birds. One, it’s fun....
Hunting with Kids
by The SportDOG Staff
Hunting with kids is an entirely different animal. There are two very important things we must all remember. First, it’s all about the kids, not you. Second, no matter how mature you think a kid is, they do not think like an adult. Let’s look at the first one; it’s...
Where to Start with a Finished Dog
by The SportDOG Staff
I get clients from time to time that want a dog that is already well on its way to being trained. They don’t want to go through puppyhood and all the pleasures of house breaking, chewing, obedience, and those razor sharp teeth. No, they want a dog that is between...
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...
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...
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?...
