Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
Don't Forget to Introduce Your Duck Dog to Decoys
by Charlie Jurney
In our excitement to build a retriever into a top-notch waterfowl dog, it’s easy to forget small but important details. For example, your dog might make you proud when he completes a long retrieve. But the first time you ask him to swim through four dozen decoys to retrieve a...
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...
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 molded into a hunting...
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...
4 Good Reasons to Crate-Train Your Dog
by Rick Grant
One of the first things you should do when you get a new puppy is get him used to spending time in his crate, or portable kennel. If your dog lives in the house, the crate is a good place for him to be when you don’t want him underfoot....
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...
Keeping the Fun in Retriever Training
by Charlie Jurney
Wouldn’t it be nice in the middle of a rough day if someone stopped by and said a few words that made all your cares go away? Instantly your negative feelings would disappear and you’d be happy. Well, in retriever training, there is something that can have that effect on...
Dealing with Hunting Dog Injuries
by The SportDOG Staff
Cuts are common in hunting dogs. Briars, barbed-wire, broken glass, or even sharp broken saplings can slice a dog’s skin as it hunts. Appropriate field care of wounds can decrease healing time and make the veterinarian’s job much easier. Remember the watchwords: flush, fill and wrap. Flushing Fresh cuts may look quite...
Understanding Hunting Dog Ear Infections
by The SportDOG Staff
Most hunting dog breeds have flop ears. This drooping ear flap contributes to a high incidence of ear infections because it decreases air circulation and traps bacteria, fungi and debris in the ear. The flop ear also makes it slightly more difficult for the owner to see ear problems promptly. Contributing...
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...
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...
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...
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?...
