HUNTING
Noted dog trainer Jess Spradley works with his wife Tifanee Spradley – also a veteran trainer – to get a pair of Labs tuned up. Each trainer closely watches and controls their dog in order to optimize training time and curtail any conflicts. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
DOG FIGHT PREVENTION By Scott Haugen
I
opened the door, my pup shot through my legs, and before I knew it, there was a dog fight. I broke it up as quickly as I could, but it wasn’t easy, or pretty. My pup suffered some bad bruising and hair loss on his chest and front shoulder, but fortunately, no stitches were needed. The door I’d opened led into our garage, where I was temporarily housing a buddy’s stud dog, which
had just finished eating. The bonehead mistake was one I’ll never forget, and goes to show that most dog fights are the result of their owners not paying attention; guilty as charged. Fortunately my male pup, a strong-headed 8-month-old at the time, bounced back. “Regardless if you have a male or a female dog, a fight can happen,” states noted professional trainer Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs (cabincreekgundogs.com) and who is
a familiar name to these pages. Spradley trains year-round and is around a lot of dogs, not just his own, but those of fellow trainers and clients, too. One time I joined him on a two-day training session where he had nearly a dozen dogs, and brought along two handlers to help change out dogs, feed, water and kennel them. “Own a dog long enough and there will be a fight, and you should always assume there’ll be a fight, even if your dog has never been aggressive,” is what
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