Reducing dog training to a single element would be a difficult task. It’s simply too complicated to say that one technique or tool or tip is all you need to have the dog that dreams are made of. There is, however, one question that every bird dog owner should ask. It applies to nearly all […]
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It’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins for a reason. For something so intangible, pride carries a big, heavy, dangerous stick capable of damaging nearly any aspect of life. Our passions are not immune. Reluctance to admit that you don’t know everything about training is a sure way to let pride ruin your bird dog. […]
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Most people don’t get a bird dog hoping it turns out to be a mediocre hunter or a field trial washout, but few realize how their initial expectations can make or break their pup. If you’re among the lucky ones whose dog exceeds your wildest hopes, enjoy it. The gods are smiling on you. More […]
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There are obvious and not-so-obvious mistakes that dog owners make and one of the less obvious is failing to understand that your mood can ruin your bird dog. Many people use a training session or a run in the field with the dogs as a way to unwind from the office or “clear their head” […]
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This could be a painfully short article. Without trying to sound like a wise-ass, the honest answer is that it takes as long as it takes to train a bird dog. There is no set time frame for any dog, no matter the breed or pedigree. But people being who we are, we’re going to […]
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Maybe the most common mistake dog owners make is trying to teach their pups by talking them through a process. Everyone knows that bird dogs don’t speak English, at least not more than a handful of words anyway, but living in a world where so much communication is based on spoken language, we just can’t […]
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What exactly does awareness mean to a wingshooter? This may sound like a new age mashup of different worlds but if you’re someone who trains or owns bird dogs, awareness is one of your most important skills and knowing how it translates to your pup’s abilities is vital. You can break it down into a […]
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Most of the advice you’ll find on owning a bird dog, whether in books or at seminars or online, centers on the nuts and bolts of training and handling. Usually presented as a technique for teaching the dog a skill or behavior, it likely covers everything you need to know to build the behavior into […]
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