Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each huntCategories:
Advanced, Advanced- US, Basic, ET test category, foobar, Hound, swarna test advanced, Upland, WaterfowlWorking Your Dog in the Winter
by The SportDOG Staff
Keep your training sessions with your dog quick 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...
Controlling Multiple Dogs
by The SportDOG Stafftestswarna
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...
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...
Poor Performance in Bird Dogs
by The SportDOG Staff
Your bird dog has been a strong, eager hunter with lots of pizzazz and snap, but now he has lost that snap, 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...
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...
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...
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 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....
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...
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?...
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...
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...