Dogs and Doubles

Tag Archive for 'hunting dog'

Learn puppy training basics, from the pros at Project Upland…

by Gregg
The Pointer Sisters: Lexi & Sky
My pointer sky as a pup with her big sister Lexi

WHERE TO START IN TRAINING WITH A BIRD DOG PUPPY

Lexi, English Pointer, Superior Pointers
Lexi as a pup, English Pointer, Superior Pointers

“You did your homework, picked the right hunting dog breed, and found the breeder who provided you with the genetic package you dreamt of. On the drive home it hits you. Now what? How do I start? ”

Do your pup a favor. Find out: Read all of Where to Start in Training with a Bird Dog Puppy now.

Discover the dos and don’t dos of:

  • Learning as part of a pack
  • Socializing a bird dog with you and the world
  • Proper correction and reward
  • Housebreaking a bird dog puppy

Read Where to Start in Training with a Bird Dog Puppy now

And be sure to check out everything at ProjectUpland.com

Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers

Time for some long tails. Check out these setters…

by Gregg

Every time I see one of these videos from Sky Dance Kennels, I think “that’s the life.” Horses, great dogs, wide-open country and lots of birds. If there’s a heaven, I hope it’s like this.

In this video you can see some of Sky Dance’s young setters stretch their legs, crack their tails and show off all the style they have. Not bad for long hairs…

Run setters, run! Sky Dance Kennels video, 11/8/16
Run setters, run! Sky Dance Kennels video, 11/8/16

Cocker spaniel vs. rascally rabbits. Awesome drone video…

by Gregg

For the next installment in our “cocker spaniel, you’ve-got-to-see-this video series”, check out this one from Nick Ridley over in the UK. Over there, they use spaniels to hunt rabbits. The vid is shot with a drone, and if you watch closely you’ll spot bunnies bolting from the cover, unseen by the shooter.

Click to Watch: Rabbit Shooting Over a Cocker Spaniel Filmed with a 3DR Drone
Click to Watch: Rabbit Shooting Over a Cocker Spaniel Filmed with a 3DR Drone

Cocker power. Watch this little dog gundog run…

by Gregg

Field bred Cocker Spaniels are great little dogs, and in the U.S. today, they’re more popular than ever.

Cocker Spaniel at a Field Trial
Cocker Spaniel at a Field Trial

Over the next few days, I’m going to put up a few videos showing what they’re can do. This one is from Tom Ness @ Oahe Kennels. He’s a top trainer and breeder of these little dynamos.

The pointer sisters: An update…

by Gregg

Time flies, and as it does, our little puppy is getting bigger! Here are some more recent pics of Lexi & Sky.

Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky, one of our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Lexi, one our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Lexi, one our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky & Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky & Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky & Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Sky & Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers
Lexi, our Pointer out of Superior Pointers

Latest Lexi …

by Gregg

I was up in northern NH last weekend visiting Lexi. She’s about 1/2 through her summer training program, and she’s just starting to get out in the woods to chase wild birds. She turning int great bird dog — very easy handling and a real strong bird finder.

I took her out for a couple hours and hit a few spots. Lexi moved 3-4 grouse. I only heard the birds. The woods were too thick for me to see a thing. Here’s a quick vid of Lexi plus some pics of what we saw (and a vid of a slithering little guy we came across). Enjoy.

Wild Thistle
Wild Thistle
Wild rasberries
Wild rasberries
The woods were thick with waist-high patches of wild rasberries
The woods were thick with waist-high patches of wild rasberries

Latest Lexi: An update on my pointer…

by Gregg
Lexi last winter, before the snow
Lexi last winter, before the snow

It’s time to put some more “dog” in Dogs and Doubles. It has been while since I posted any updates on my pointer Lexi.

Here are pics and videos to catch you up on her.

Lexi was born on April 31, 2014. We’ve had her since July 3. We’ve been thrilled with her since day one. Right now, Lexi’s up in northern NH with Craig Doherty at Wild Apple Kennels.

 

 

A little lap time last February.
A little lap time last February.
Lexi doesn't like riding "in" her box.
Lexi doesn’t like riding “in” her box.

I shot this video last March.

And these are  from last weekend up at Wild Apple Kennels.

Lexi at Wild Apple Kennels
Lexi at Wild Apple Kennels
Lexi at Wild Apple Kennels
Lexi at Wild Apple Kennels

Another nice video: Beautiful English Pointers in the UK…

by Gregg

Has anyone ever seen pointers like this in the US? The ones in this video are fantastic looking dogs. Maybe I’m seeing things, but they look a bit different from most EPs I’ve seen over here – leggier, deeper in the chests, and with blockier, squarer heads. Their points are lot different, too. They do get the job done, though.

What to feed your hard-working hunting dog…

by Gregg
Pure Puck
Puck working hard

The New York Times ran an interesting article last Wednesday titled Feeding Your Canine Athlete. Here are few points I pulled from the piece:

“Many people who run or walk with their dogs treat them like human running partners, offering them sips of Gatorade or half of a sports bar during a workout. But the latest science about performance nutrition for canines underscores that dogs are not people.”

Q. Does that mean feed it (a dog) like a human runner?
A. No. Humans and dogs fuel exercise very differently…Dogs burn fat as their primary endurance fuel, and carbohydrates are not very important for them.
Q. So there’s no reason to give a dog a sports bar, which is full of carbohydrates, during a run?
A. No. Same for those gel packets…Fat is the fuel for performance dogs.
Q. What about protein? How important is it?
A. Vital. Athletic dogs need protein to build and maintain muscle. In general, their diet should consist of at least 25 percent protein, preferably from meat.

The latest on Lexi. She’s growing fast….

by Gregg

My new English Pointer Lexi is almost 21 weeks old now, and she’s growing fast. She’s up to 20lbs – almost 1/2 of how much she’ll eventually weigh – and her dexterity and coordination is improving. Training wise, she knows her name, and she’s picking up some basic commands: Come, Down, and NO (she hear’s that one a lot). I’ve been working on getting her to turn and quarter on command, too, and she’s picked it up very quickly.

Here are a couple videos of her. I shot this first one last Sunday. This was Lexi’s first time in thick, weedy cover, with limited visibility, and it took her a little while to get used to it.

I shot this next video on Tuesday. This is Lexi’s first visit to the local doggie daycare facility. While Lexi has been exposed to lots of other dogs, she’s seen this many at once. This video was shot within minutes of her being introduced to the pack. Lexi handled the situation very well.

 

Raising a pup right: What are your tips?

by Gregg

Books. Chairs. Cabinet counters. My wife’s toes.

These are all things our new pup Lexi loves to chew on. We’re on day six with her, and so far Lexi is sleeping through the night, and we’re not having any messes in her crate or in the house. The chewing and the nipping is a bit of an issue, but I’m sure it will resolve itself soon.

For all you out there who’ve raised a pup before:  What tips and advice do you have for us? What did you do right? And what do you wish you had done differently? Please let us know.

Lexi loving the sun and clover in the back yard.
Lexi loving the sun and clover in the back yard.
Lexi loving the sun and clover in the back yard.
Lexi loving the sun and clover in the back yard.

“You have to get to know a dog, first, before you can train him.”

by Gregg
Puck, my English Pointer, pointing a grouse
Puck, my English Pointer, pointing a grouse

What’s it really take to train a bird dog? There’s some insight into it in this piece from  Garden & Gun magazine.

The Education of a Bird Dog

by Geoffery Norman – Alabama – Garden & Gun, October/November 2013

For Ramin Jackson, training a gundog doesn’t start with shouting and shock collars. It starts with getting to know his pupil

Find out. Click through to read the entire article.
Find out. Click through to read the entire article.

The turnoff was five miles from Union Springs, a name that doesn’t mean much unless you care about bird dogs. In that case it means a lot. Resonates, I suppose, the same way the name Bordeaux does for people who care hopelessly about wine. Union Springs, which is about forty-five miles east of Montgomery in the Alabama Black Belt, is known as the field trial capital of the world. A bronze statue in the town square depicts not the usual Confederate infantryman but an English pointer, standing staunchly with head high and tail straight…

Read the entire piece here

Springer Spaniel + Cocker Spaniel = ….?

by Gregg
A Sprocker Spaniel, from SprockerSpaniel.co.uk
A Sprocker Spaniel, from SprockerSpaniel.co.uk

Here’s a dog I haven’t heard of before: The Sprocker. It’s a cross between a Springer Spaniel and a Cocker Spaniel.

According to SprockerSpaniel.co.uk, Sprockers have been around for over 2o years, and there are between 5,000 – 10,000 of them in the UK, making one of the most popular spaniel breeds there.

Other than color variations, I’m not sure what advantages a Sprocker offers, and I don’t understand what niche they fill in the gundog world. Is it a leggy, rangier Cocker? A stockier, close-hunting Springer? If you have one, please let me know. I would love to learn more.

A Sprocker Spaniel, from SprockerSpaniel.co.uk
A Sprocker Spaniel, from SprockerSpaniel.co.uk

One dog’s development: Watch Little Jeb get steady…

by Gregg

Check out this short video to see Little Jeb go from wild to steady — right before your very eyes! Here’s a bit about the video from the folks at GunDogDevelopment.com: A chronology of Little Jeb’s steadiness training. Over the last six months, we anxiously waited for him to show us that he was ready to be steadied on game. This video journal, begining May 25, 2013 captures all of his training sessions up to July 13, 2013. All of the clips are in sequence to show his progression.

Although edited, all of the benchmarks to move him through the program have been included. Little Jeb received one E-collar correction in the at the finally. If you watch closely, you can see a slight twitch in his tail when the correction occurred.