Ambassador Posts

Every upland hunter should experience prairie bird hunting at least once.  Both you and your dogs will love the prairie.  My wife, Susan, the dogs and I have traveled to Montana three of the past five years.  And, we’re already planning our trip to the American West for 2016. There are many reasons that influence […]

You have a young dog that is about to experience their first hunting season. If ruffed grouse hunting is your game and you live in the Continental United States, your opening day will be here very shortly.  Here are a few thoughts about how to handle opening day with your young dog. Make sure that

If you ask upland bird hunters to name the most difficult bird for a pointing dog, the answer you’ll hear most often is the “ruffed grouse”.  It’s a bird that would rather flush or run than get pinned by a pointing dog. What is the best grouse dog breed has been debated for decades.  There

Hunting season is getting close. Depending upon in which state you live, it could mean opening day is in September. If you haven’t already, it means you need to start a conditioning program for both you and your dog. The ramifications of not being fit could be fatal. The fun side of this is that

Last month, in Part 1 of Puppy Steps, we covered genetics, gestation and the first two weeks of a puppy’s life; this included the opening of the puppy’s eyes.  In Part 2, we’ll cover from the third week until the puppy leaves for its new home. Weeks two through six are very important.  It’s the

You’ve made a deposit and you want your puppy.  At what age should the breeder allow the litter to be separated and go to their new home?  Your author is a member of several hunting dog Facebook forums and sees this topic frequently debated.  Everyone has an opinion.  Five weeks, six weeks, 49 days, eighth

Get five pro trainers in a room and you’ll get five different answers to a training question; and they all could be right.  The use or non-use of place boards in training bird dogs is one of those questions that could produce five different answers.  In this article, we’re going to talk primarily about theory;

How old is my dog?  Your author recently received an email from a young man saying he couldn’t afford to buy a hunting dog so he adopted a German shorthair pointer from a shelter.  The shelter told him they thought it was about one year old but not sure.  His email asked if I could

Last fall, your writer met a young man in Maine who was on his first season of grouse hunting and the first for his young Brittany.  Hearing from young hunters and their experiences is always fun.  The young man said his dog was locating and pointing birds fine but wasn’t retrieving well.  Further questioning revealed

Recently, I was asked if I would take a look at the bird work of a one-year-old Vizsla.  The owner had very good luck force breaking the dog to fetch but was having serious problems with pointing.  I’m not a professional trainer, however; I’ve watched many accomplished trainers at work and usually can provide productive