The gun dog 2016 by Richard Tunner

ANNUAL E-COLLAR REVIEW GUNDOGMAG.COM

JUNE/JULY 2016 | VOLUME 35 | NUMBER 3

ARGENTINA ADVENTURE

DRAHTHAAR & PERDIZ JUMPING FOR GOLD

DOCK DOGS SHOTGUN REPORT

REMINGTON REMINISCENCES

RARE FRENCH POINTER

The BRAQUE

d’AUVERGNE

SPOTLIGHT

NAVHDA’S JIM APPLEGATE NOTES FROM THE FIELD

BIRDS MAKE THE DOG

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Contents

Departments 4 Passing Shots Strong Foundations

June/July 2016

Vol. 35 No. 3

BY RICK R. VAN ETTEN

6 Gun Dog Mailbag Letters from our Readers

8 Guns & Gear The Latest in Bird Hunting Gear BY JOE GENZEL

1 0 Snap Shots Photos from our Readers

1 2 Point Stimulation Levels BY DAVE CARTY

1 6 Retrieve Testing...1-2-3: Part 3 BY CHAD MASON

2 0 Flush Building Blocks BY JOHN MCGONIGLE

2 2 Spotlight NAVHDA BY JERRY THOMS

2 4 Veterinary Clinic Hip Dysplasia BY JOHN HOLCOMB, DVM

2 6 Sporting Dog Forum You Need Tape BY DAVE CARTY

2 8 Notes From the Field Enough Birds to Make a Dog? BY BOB WEST

3 0 Training & Behavior Problems Stand, Don’t Sit

Features

BY DR. ED BAILEY

3 2 Shotgun Report

38 E-Collars Fit For Any Dogs In the market for a new remote-trainer? Check out these feature-packed models. BY TYLER SHOBERG

46 Dock Jumpers Competition that allows sporting dogs to exercise their prey drive and leap as far as possible for a rewarding retrieve—what’s not to like?

A Remington Reminiscence

BY TONY J. PETERSON

BY STEVE GASH

5 6 Trading Post 6 4 Parting Shots Just for Tonight BY JOE ARNETTE

Products 5 4 Bookshelf

42 The Braque d’Auvergne European breeders keep their secrets locked up tight, but the word is out on this handsome, versatile pointer. BY TONY J. PETERSON

50 Mattute and the Perdiz of Santa Fe Argentina’s cattle pastures offer world-class shooting... if you have the right dog. BY NICK SISLEY

6 2 New Books & DVDs 6 3 Outdoor DVD Library Gun Dog Magazine, Copyright © 2016 by Outdoor Sportsman Group. All rights reserved. CAUTION: Some advertisements may concern products that are not legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions.

www.gundogmag.com FREE newsletter • video • photo gallery • shopping 2 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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The Hunt for the Right Joint Health Supplement is OVER!

8 KEY INGREDIENTS to Help Support

JOINT AND PAD HEALTH

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Passing Shots From the Editor

An Outdoor Sportsman Group Publication

PUBLISHER Tom Weaver

STRONG Foundations FOR THE PAST few years we’ve been working at updating our DVD library, and the newest title to be added to the roster is Puppy Training: Building a Strong Foundation, featuring pro trainer Jeremy Moore. Jeremy is no stranger to our ranks; we previously produced two DVDs with him on shed antler and game recovery training, both of which have been best sellers with GUN DOG readers and customers of outdoor retailers. The new DVD is a special two-disc set that includes more than two hours of instruction in training the basic obedience commands, developing a cooperative attitude in a canine student and teaching a young dog how to deal with distractions at home and in the field. In other words, it’s everything you need to know to lay a solid foundation—thus the title—for the field work that will follow. We shot the DVD last summer at the home of David and Karin Holder near Winterset, Iowa. The Holders and their sons, Warren and Easton, are the stars of the popular Raised Hunting series on the Outdoor Channel, and they graciously allowed us complete access to their grounds and their house—the two days of taping were hot and humid, typical of Iowa in mid-June, so we especially appreciated being able to shoot part of the tape indoors in air conditioning. For information on ordering the new DVD, see page 62.

SPEAKING OF HEAT and humidity, summer is often a “down time” for us gun dog folks; in many parts of the country it’s simply too hot to safely exercise our dogs or work them for more than a short while. But Tony Peterson’s feature on Dock Dog competitions, beginning on page 46, provides a look at a growing sport that’s tailor-made for summertime activity… and, as Tony points out, it’s a heckuva lot of fun for both dogs and owners alike. If you have a dog that likes to run, jump, swim and retrieve—and that surely describes most sporting dogs—you might want to consider giving “Dock Dog” a whirl. Check it out!

4 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

(570) 374-5757

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Associate Editor Art Director Group Art Director Production Manager Production Coordinator

Rick R. Van Etten Joe Genzel Stephan Ledeboer David Kleckner Terry Boyer Al Ziegler

ENDEMIC AD SALES National Endemic Sales Jim McConville • jim.mcconville@outdoorsg.com 5430 Manning, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 Phone: (440) 791-7017 Cell: 440/610-1009 Western Region Hutch Looney (818) 990-9000 Where to Go/Market Place Advertising Mark Thiffault (800) 200-7885 Trading Post & Display Advertising Joe Smith (678) 589-2043 joe.smith@outdoorsg.com

CORPORATE AD SALES East Coast Strategic Account Manager Kathy Gross (678) 589-2065 Midwest & Detroit Strategic Account Manager Kevin Donley (248) 798-4458 West Coast Strategic Account Manager Mark Hermanson (714) 306-9900 Direct Response Advertising/Non-Endemic Anthony Smyth (914) 693-8700 www.GunDogMag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS INQUIRIES: Should you wish to change your address, order new subscriptions, or report a problem with your current subscription, you can do so by writing Gun Dog, P.O. Box 37539, Boone, IA 50037-0539, or e-mail us at gundog@emailcustomerservice.com, or

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-800-7724 BE AWARE THAT GUN DOG ONLY ACCEPTS SUBSCRIPTION REQUESTS FROM AUTHORIZED AGENTS! WE WILL NOT HONOR REQUESTS FROM UNAUTHORIZED AGENTS, AND YOU THEREFORE MAY LOSE YOUR MONEY IF YOU BUY FROM AN UNAUTHORIZED AGENT. If you are offered a subscription to Gun Dog, please call 1-800-254-1254 to determine if the agent is authorized. For more information on subscription scams, please visit www.ftc.gov. Subscription rate for one year is $27.97 (U.S., APO, FPO, and U.S. possessions). Canada add $13.00 (U.S. funds) per year, includes sales tax and GST. Foreign add $15.00 (U.S. funds) per year. Occasionally, our subscriber list is made available to reputable firms offering goods and services that we believe would be of interest to our readers. If you prefer to be excluded, please send your current address label and a note requesting to be excluded from these promotions to: Outdoor Sportsman Group 1040 6th Ave., 12th Floor, New York, NY 10018-3703 Attn: Privacy Coordinator FOR REPRINTS: For Reprints/Eprints or Licensing/ Permissions, please contact: Wright’s Media TOLL FREE 1 (877) 652-5295. BOOKS, DVD’S & BACK ISSUES: TOLL FREE 1 (800) 260-6397 or visit our on-line store at www.imoutdoors.com/store. CONTRIBUTIONS: Manuscripts, photographs and artwork must be submitted to the editorial department with a SASE. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited material. Please send to: Gun Dog, Editor, P.O. Box 35803, Des Moines, IA 50315 PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

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Letters | From Our Readers

Thanks for “Thanks” Happy to see my story “Thank You, Jozy Gustafson!” in the spring puppy issue! I thought your readers might enjoy this old family picture that my friend, Roger Fisher, shared with me. Apparently it was taken around 1910 in Nebraska and Roger’s grandfather is one of the subjects. Are those prairie chickens or sharptailed grouse? Justin Karnopp TV Producer/Screenwriter, Outdoor Sportsman Group Great pic, Justin! The “bar” markings on the birds’ breasts indicate those are prairie chickens, not sharptails. The breast of the latter species has chevron or “arrow point” markings. –The Editors

It’s Only Just Begun Since 1985, I have been training retrievers, pointers…you name the breed, I’ve probably taught it to bring back a bird. But in 2008 I was on my way to a field trial in Michigan when a deer (maybe more than one) ran out in front of my car. I swerved to miss it, crashing and breaking my neck, which left me paralyzed. Since the wreck I have regained some use of my arms and hands—I tell people, I’m a “recovering quadriplegic.” Here at Amberwood Kennels in Ohio, I continue to train dogs from a wheelchair, teaching owners how to socialize their pups on up to finishing great gun dogs with titles. I hope my story inspires others with similar injuries. Life isn’t over if your remanded to a wheelchair…it’s just beginning. Bob Reckart Rome, Ohio Send letters to associate editor Joe Genzel at: joseph.genzel@outdoorsg.com or to: GUN DOG Letters, 2 News Plaza, 3rd floor, Peoria, IL, 61614. 6 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

On The Cover: Braque d’Auvergne by Jerry Imprevento

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeff Paro EVP, GROUP PUBLISHER, HUNTING & SHOOTING Mike Carney SENIOR VP, TV OPERATIONS GROUP PUBLISHER, FISHING Steve Hoffman VP, FINANCE & OPERATIONS Derek Sevcik VP, CONSUMER MARKETING Peter Watt VP, MANUFACTURING Deb Daniels VP, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT Todd Smith DIRECTOR, MARKETING & SALES John White SENIOR DIRECTOR, PRODUCTION Connie Mendoza DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY Kyle Morgan OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP DIGITAL DIRECTOR, DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Berry Blanton DIRECTOR, DIGITAL AD OPS Reggie Hudson EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, FISHING Jeff Simpson EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, HUNTING/SHOOTING Randy Hynes For questions regarding digital editions, please contact digitalsupport@outdoorsg.com

MEDIA

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FISHING bassfan.com floridasportsman.com flyfisherman.com gameandfishmag.com in-fisherman.com SHOOTING gunsandammo.com handguns.com rifleshootermag.com shootingtimes.com shotgunnews.com

Copyright 2016 by Outdoors Sportsman Group All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission. Gun Dog® is a registered trademark of Outdoor Sportsman Group in the United States. The Publisher and authors make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the information contained in this publication. Any reliance or use of the information is solely at your own risk, and the authors and Publisher disclaim any and all liability relating thereto. Any prices given in this issue were suggested prices at the press time and are subject to change. Some advertisements in this magazine may concern products that are not legally for sale to California residents or residents in other jurisdictions.

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TV | Only On The Sportsman Channel

MOJO TV Get ready for a new look as Mojo Outdoors takes you to some of the best hunting destinations in the world. Come along with Terry Denmon, Mike Morgan and Chuck Smart as they follow the fall flocks .

WATERFOWL OBSESSION Maybe Scott Butz is smarter than the rest of us for only chasing snow geese. Because while we’re shooting two honkers and going home, he’s making piles of white. Watch as he saves the tundra one bird at a time.

SATURDAYS AT 3:30 P.M. EST

SATURDAYS AT 2 P.M. EST

On the Web | Only at gundogmag.com

FEMININE FRANCHI The 2016 Franchi Instinct Catalyst was proudly on display at SHOT SHOW 2016 and has a lot to offer the woman shooter. Check out this innovative shotgun at: gundogmag.com-instinct-catalyst

GREEN MAGIC When it comes to duck decoys, nothing comes closer to the real thing like the new mallard floaters from Tanglefree. Check it out here: gundogmag.com-mallard-decoy

www.gundogmag.com FREE newsletter • video • photo gallery • shopping

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June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Guns & Gear | By Joe Genzel THE LATEST GEAR FOR BIRD HUNTERS

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE The last “affordable” over/ under we bought made us wish we spent the money on an Italian-made stack, but CZ’s Drake is as functional as any high-end field gun. Available in 20- and 12-guage, this double is made of gorgeous Turkish walnut and glossy black chrome. Under 7.5 pounds, it won’t kill your arms on an all-day rooster hunt, either. The barrels are 28” long and five chokes from cylinder to full come standard with the gun. cz-usa.com

GET ON THE X If you door-knock for ducks or chase roosters on big tracts of public land, onXmaps will give you an edge over hunters still toting around piles of plat books. OnXmaps continually updates to stay current with landowner names, public/private boundaries, and allows you to pin honey holes and more. Just download the app to your iPhone or Android or tablet and get started. huntinggpsmaps.com

KEEP MOVING Your hunt for the right joint health supplement is over! Help support the joint and pad health of your sporting dog with Cosequin ASU Sport. Patented combinations of ingredients help deliver joint support, while biotin helps support pad health and integrity, as well as a healthy coat. Whether it’s through the fields or in the woods, use Cosequin ASU Sport to help keep your dog moving. CosequinSport.com

PERMISSION TO COME ABOARD Let your gorilla-sized Lab lift his own self back into the boat with Avery’s dog ramp. It quickly attaches to side walls and the grip steps make it easy for Fido to climb aboard to deliver that infamous retriever shower after a long blind. The ramp weighs only six pounds, is 28” long, but folds to 14” for storage. averysportingdog.com

CUSTOMER CARE How do you pair the right e-collar with the right dog? You talk to the experts at Collar Clinic. CC has been giving its clients a one-on-one experience since 1988. They have a wide variety of e-collars (both new and refurbished) to choose from as well as parts and accessories. CC doesn’t sell you the most expensive e-collar; they sell units that best suit your pup. collarclinic.com

8 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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PRESENTED BY

Snap Shots | From Our Readers

Sage, my 2-1/2-year-old field-bred springer spaniel, has been quite cerebral from a very young age, and this is the untrained and natural behavior she often uses to assess her surroundings. In this case she is carefully watching where birds are being planted on a put-and-take training hunt. — Daniel Brock, Sheridan, IN

Hank is my 3-year-old German shorthair, one of the easiest dogs I have ever had the pleasure of training. He is extremely smart and learns very quickly; he’s steady to wing, shot and fall and follows up with quick retrieves to hand. He is by far the most well-rounded, consistent bird dog I’ve ever owned. — Jon Hafen, Mount Pleasant, UT

Champ, our 3-year-old vizsla, was photographed on a hunt last fall. Having never had a pointing breed before, all we can say is, “Quite the dog!” — Mike and Kathy Sullivan, Woodstock, IL

“Hey, don’t I deserve to share your bed? I did find plenty of birds for you!” Chipper is a 5-year-old Llewellin setter. — John Schleich, Pensacola, FL

PHOTO SUBMISSION GUIDELINES ❑ Please send digital images (not print-outs) by e-mail, or online archives, such as dropbox.com or hightail.com; or they may be submitted on disc to: GUN DOG Magazine Attn: Snap Shots 2 News Plaza. 3rd Floor Peoria, IL 61614

10 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

❑ Most modern phones and digital cameras take excellent quality photos, but please make sure your phone or camera is set on the highest quality resolution available—consult your manual. We reserve the right to reject digital images that aren’t high enough in quality to reproduce well in print.

❑ Our minimum size requirements for images are 5" x 3" at 300 dpi, or 1500 pixels by 900 pixels. Again, consult your manual. Submission does not guarantee publication. ❑ And finally...please submit no more than two images, and include your dog’s name, age, breed and any additional interesting details, plus your complete contact information. gundogmag.com

GIRLY COLORS DON’T MAKE IT A WOMEN’S GUN. A GUN THAT FEELS RIGHT DOES.

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THE ALL-NEW INSTINCT CATALYST

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Point | By Dave Carty

Stimulation Levels How much is just as important as when. the last two decades, from punitive corrections at high stimulation levels to much lower, noticeable but not painful nicks that remind a dog that big brother is watching. It’s been a welcome improvement. Before I begin talking about training situations and appropriate levels of correction, let me toss out a few suggestions: You really don’t need a whole bunch of bells and whistles on any e-collar; it’s far better to have a hand-held transmitter that is designed in a way that makes access to critical functions quick and easy. There are tons of good collars out there to choose from. For what it’s worth, the ones I use on a regular basis are all several years old but going strong: a Dogtra, a SportDOG Brand and an ancient Tri-Tronics. You also don’t need a gazillion levels of stimulation. But

you should have at least 18-20 levels, and as a general rule, more is better. My Dogtra, for instance, goes up to something like 120. The way I train bird dogs is the same way almost every pro I know trains dogs: with just enough stimulation to get the point across. But here’s what you have to understand about that statement: that level will change over time. With some dogs, it can change from day to day. Here’s an example. When you’re collar conditioning your dog, a process I’ve discussed in these pages before, you’re introducing your pup to the collar and stimulation. A pup new to electrical stimulation is almost always scared and hyper sensitive. So let’s say you finally arrive at a hypothetically appropriate level of 10. Within a week or so, however, the stimulation he feels isn’t such a big

NO ONE I know misses the very early days of electronic collars, when even the top-of-the-line models had just two levels: fry and weld. Of course, we should remember those collars were originally developed primarily to provide instant—and rather drastic—correction for such sins as chasing deer or other unwanted critters, often referred to as “trash.” The collars were effective in that regard, and I like to think I’m a wiser man because of my experiences with them, as painful as they undoubtedly were to my poor pups. Today, even low-end collars have a broad— and safe—range of stimulation levels to choose from, which puts the burden of effective use precisely in the hands of the dog trainer himself. In fact, the thrust of training with e-collars has swung 180 degrees in

12 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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POInT

deal, and he may begin to ignore it. After all, there are all kinds of exciting things in the world to explore, and a little buzz against his neck isn’t going to slow him down. You raise the level to 15. At 15, he pays attention. Things go smoothly for a couple months, and then he’s ready for bird work. Suddenly, his entire universe has become much more focused. He’s so focused on birds, in fact, that a level of 15 doesn’t faze him. Time for another bump: you raise it to 25. Again, that does the trick. But now you’ve painted yourself into a corner. When you’re conducting basic obedience drills, 25 is now too high, and he yelps in pain. So you dial it back down to 15 for basic yard and obedience training, then raise it to 25 for bird work. You’ve hit the sweet spot, and he completes his summer training regimen more or less at those levels. Finally, he’s ready to hunt. Hunting is far more exciting than anything

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he’s ever done in his young life, and if you’re guessing that another bump in collar intensity is due, you’re right. If he’s disobeying commands at 25, then you raise it in 5 degree intervals (or whatever) until you again arrive at the sweet spot. That’s a thumbnail description of how I tailor stimulation levels to every

some people, ignore reminders (stimulation at low levels) and continue doing whatever pleases them. In the past, my response was to gradually increase the stimulation intensity until I arrived at a level that worked. But that process could take days at a time. I now believe there’s a better way: On a willful dog, bump

On a willful dog, bump up the intensity level substantially, but just once. dog I’ve ever trained. But there are some important exceptions to the rule of gradually raising the stimulation level to match the situation. A dog that has had at least four or five months of being trained by a competent handler knows what he’s expected to do and—this is important—expects to get corrected if he disobeys. But some dogs, just like

up the intensity level substantially, but just once. For instance, if your dog’s collar has been set at 30, dial it up to 45 or 50. Then use it just once and immediately drop it back down to 30 again. This accomplishes two things: It will show your head-strong pup that you mean business, and it will incline him to respond in the future at a

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much lower level of stimulation. But it’s very important that this procedure be done on dogs who have been through several months of ongoing training using an electronic collar, and who understand what the stimulation is for. Do not try this on a dog who has not been trained with a collar or who is still new to the process. An experienced, collar-trained dog will take an occasional stiff correction in stride; a dog who is neither may freak out and manifest all kinds of unwanted problems. Don’t take the risk. As a general rule, modest increases are best, and if your dog is extra sensitive on some days, by all means lower the stimulation level. You really are trying to remind your dog of what you want it to do, rather than hammer him into submission for disobeying. But there is one situation where a hammer is the appropriate tool. That situation is chasing “trash,” as mentioned at the beginning of this column. Whether it’s a deer, a bear

or a porcupine, it’s not something you want your dog to do, and it almost never ends up well for either of you. The solution to the problem is to hit him so hard with the collar that he never entertains the idea of chasing a deer (or whatever) the rest of his life. This is essentially the same way most pro trainers snake-break dogs, and here’s how it works. Your dog is chasing a (damn) deer (again). You can see the deer and you can see your dog. If you can’t see both of them, stop. Put your transmitter away. Don’t assume that he’s chasing; you must have visual confirmation of the act in progress. What follows is simple but critical. Don’t command him to stop; don’t say anything. Dial up the juice as high as you think, based on your experience, your dog can handle it. Then hit him hard and keep your finger on the button until he quits chasing. If you’ve got the collar set high enough, I guarantee you this will take less than two seconds. As soon as he

stops, hit him again, hard and quick. He’ll run back to you. Ignore him. Give no indication whatsoever that you were disciplining him; you want him to associate his pain with the act of chasing the deer, not with anything you did. Nine times out of 10, it takes only one episode for a dog to be cured of chasing forever. Really hardheaded dogs may require a repeat. That’s my stimulation protocol in a nutshell. As a general rule of thumb, keep it low and appropriate to the sensitivity of your dog. But if a hard, quick kick in the pants is called for, don’t be afraid to amp up the juice. Just use your head about it, and never, for any reason, use high intensity stimulation on a puppy. The surprising thing about all this is that, over time, you’ll find that as long as your dog is wearing his ecollar as a reminder, you’ll rarely have to use it. That’s a trained bird dog, and it’s a happy place for both ✱ of you.

Retrieve | By Chad Mason

Testing, 1-2-3 Part 3: How? IN THIS ISSUE we conclude the series on retriever hunt tests. We’ve already stated that testing is actually harder than hunting in some ways. Just because your dog can get the job done in the “real world” doesn’t mean he can bring home a ribbon. Hunt tests involve some additional complications that might throw an otherwise yeoman dog off his game. Testing ups the ante a bit, and it will ultimately make your dog a better retriever, and you a better handler. That will ultimately pay dividends in real hunting situations, perhaps in ways you can’t currently imagine. Let’s assume you’re at least starting with an enthusiastic fetcher that has already mastered some basic obedience, as well as gun and bird exposure. Maybe the dog even has a hunting season or two under his collar. Beyond that, here are a few tips to help him get over the hump and pass a test.

To begin, one of the smartest things you can do to prepare for a hunt test is to simply go and watch one. At first, leave your dog out of sight and watch SPECTATING FOR SUCCESS

16 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

by yourself. If you see something you don’t understand, ask one of the officials. Do everything you can to understand the game yourself before you expose your dog to it. You’ll have a much better chance of gaining that understanding if you are not distracted by the need to supervise your dog. Only after you feel that you understand the game should you get the dog out—on leash—and let him watch a test. But what are you looking for? The objective in spectating is to spot scenarios, obstacles or expectations that you know will be problematic for your dog. For example, perhaps the water series is being run on a very small pond where your dog might be tempted to run around the edge instead of swimming across. Admittedly, some situations like this may be due to poor course arrangement by the test host. Hunt tests are run by people, and people aren’t perfect. But regardless how you feel about the course setup, you’ll have to deal with it come test day. Be prepared. Either take these lessons home and work on them with your dog, or develop a strategy for

how you will deal with the challenge during the test. One item in particular stuck out in my mind when I first visited a hunt test, and that was the very presence of so many other spectators. All my training and most of my hunting had been done alone—just me and the dog(s). Watching the test, I realized I needed to do some training exercises under the watchful eyes of some buddies and their dogs. You probably can’t arrange to have 20 or 30 people in lawn chairs at every training exercise. But at least spend some time with a buddy or two, or perhaps your children, and at least one other dog on a leash watching your dog perform. If possible, choose a hunt test close to home for your rookie endeavor. And if possible, choose one that will occur on public land. If the test will occur on private land, ask the owner for permission to work your dog there occasionally in the weeks leading up to the test date. If the owner is a pro trainer, offer to pay for that permission. In any case, try to create the opportunity for your dog to do some training on the same grounds where the test will occur in the days or weeks prior. Because dogs are “place learners,” they are helped by removing the visual “noise” that a brand new place represents. After they’ve mastered their job in a familiar place, then they’re ready for a lifetime of improvisation in strange new worlds. Meanwhile, tip the tables in your dog’s favor however you can. Where I live, an active retriever club maintains a training course on a public hunting area owned by the county. It’s open to the public for dog training most of the year, and is located just 30 miles from my home. Multiple hunting tests are HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE

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ReTRIeve EXCELLENCE BEGETS EXCELLENCE

Field Champion Celtic’s Superfund (2x Nat. Ch. Come Back Fireboy ex-Runner-Up Ch. Celtic’s Ademption)

STARTED & FINISHED DOGS AVAILABLE NOW I can remember my Granddad telling me that an English Pointer was somewhat like an automatic shotgun: effcient, but frigid. His thoughts on English Setters: like an overunder: graceful, but without passions. As to all other dogs: kind of like an Iver Johnson; you would only use one if you had nothing else to hunt with. There was one exception. To him, an Irish Setter Gun Dog was like a well-worn double: comfortable and sweet in your hands and joyful at your shoulder. We believe that Granddad was right and to that end, have been breeding Irish Setter Gun Dogs for over 25 years. Those of you who follow feld trials know the Celtic Red Setters: only Celts have ever won an Open All Breed Championship…and they did it twice. In 1970 we decided to take the old double barrels and compare them to the automatics and the overunders and so embarked on a feld trial program pitting our Irish Setters against the best English Setters and English Pointers in the world. Twice we won Open All Breed Championships: no other “minority breed” has ever done this. Just this past May, Fireboy was runner-up in the Region I Amateur Shooting Dog Championship (against 36 white dogs, in the heart of New England Bird Dog Country). No other minority breed has ever done this either. The Celtic Red Setter win record spans 42 years and includes over 1,000 wins against English Setters and English Pointers. Having been forged in the fre of competition, we now believe that the program has earned the right to offer its progeny to the general hunting public. The Celtic program produces dark, smallish sprites which exude class both going and pointing. They have been bred primarily for brains, so the training is a pleasure; they have been bred secondarily for temperament, so that love for humanity is more than an afterthought. Those qualities combine to make a fne gentleman’s shooting dog, the canine equivalent to Granddad’s double Purdey. Call or write with your specifc needs and desires; we will do our best to match one of our Celts to your home.

CELTIC FARMS & KENNELS, INC. Paul R. Ober 1-800-428-0993 234 North 6th Street Reading, PA 19601

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held there each year. Although the bulk of my training has occurred in city parks and greenspaces only a few minutes from my doorstep, I’ve tried to take advantage of this testing ground on a somewhat regular basis. If this simply isn’t an option for you, try to arrive at the testing area a day early and spend some time acclimating your dog. And here’s another tip on this matter: go camping with your dog if you intend to camp for the hunt test. Dogs vary in their adaptability to new circumstances. Many retrievers are relatively unflappable. They are able to roll with the punches and continue to be themselves even when confronted with a drastic change in environs. But others get a little “off ” their usual personality when their patterns of sleeping and eating are suddenly interrupted. If your dog is of the latter kind, give him all the help you can. The more routine test day feels to him, the more likely he is to succeed. There are certain dog behaviors that you can get away with in hunting, but will bust you in a test. It is not enough simply to find the bird and bring it back. Hunt tests have an etiquette and protocol about which a solo hunting dog needn’t worry. For instance, participants above the Junior/Started level are expected to quietly honor the retrieves of other dogs. Granted, this level of decorum is also expected of hunting dogs if they are taken afield with other dogs. But many of us have only MIND YOUR MANNERS

one dog and do much of our hunting alone, so honoring is not necessary for us throughout the course of a typical hunting season. Additionally, excessive commotion or vocalization can be grounds for failure in a hunt test—either on the part of dog or handler. The loud histrionics I’ve witnessed among some hunters across the marsh during duck season won’t cut it in the hunt test world, even though such hunters often are satisfied enough with their dogs. In other words, not all of the etiquette involves the dog; some of it is about you. That’s another good reason why you should attend a hunt test before you participate. It helps to know what is expected of you, too. Otherwise you may end up being “that guy.” Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself (or your dog) if at first you don’t succeed. Keep trying. Be prepared to receive advice from judges and seasoned participants. In fact, ask for it if you don’t earn a ribbon on the first attempt and keep an open mind. Leave your ego in the truck and don’t get defensive. You and your dog will be better for it, and someday you’ll be the one offering helpful hints. Humility is the way to get there. One of the best things you can do for you and your retriever is to join a retriever club. Search online for clubs in your state and join one. To my knowledge AKC does not publish an easily accessible list of member clubs, but NAHRA has a well-connected network. Check out nahra. org/find-a-club.html. ✱ gundogmag.com

Flush | By John McGonigle

Building Blocks Stick to the basics to stay on track.

20 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

with the skill of the shooter. I believe the average upland hunter’s shooting skill could be rated modest, at best. Core bird hunters that train and shoot over flushing dogs year-round are more skillful shooters. Most shoot trap, skeet and sporting clays to improve and maintain their skill. Casual quartering should be started very early when puppies wants to stay near you. Start pup when he is quite young and walk him alone in a large field with low grass or minimal cover. Pick a large tree or anything that can be used as a focus to provide an imaginary straight line down the field for you. Begin to quarter the field by walking toward one side of the field and watch pup as he romps along to be near you. Walk 15 yards or so then turn and walk toward the opposite side of the field, tooting your whistle twice as you make your turn. At each turn command “come” once to accompany the whistle. Keep your selected tree as your ultimate direction and goal, and continue crossing back-and-forth across the field, all the while moving forward toward your downfield goal. Walk at a modest rate and cross

EARLY WORK

the field for roughly 30 yards before again turning back to cross in the opposite direction, continuing down the field. At each turn be sure to toot the whistle twice. Check to be sure your young pup is staying close, encouraging him as necessary. After crossing (quartering) the field three times, call pup to you and love him up, petting him briefly and telling him what a great dog he is— this is key to all training. Continue quartering, whistling and saying “come” as before. Try to do this 10 to 15 minutes twice a day for a couple of months—certainly at least five times a week. This skill, as most others, depends on repetition. You will be introducing retrieving as time passes, and once pup is retrieving well you should include tossing a dummy to him during your quartering drill. Do not give pup more than three retrieves during the drill. Keep pup hungry for retrieves, not bored by overdoing it.

In two to three months have two friends help with pup’s quartering by walking parallel to you about 15 yards away—one on each side—and each carrying two dead pigeons in their vest.

BIRD INTROS

ALTHOUGH I’M NO longer a total football fanatic, the NFL playoffs remain a great interest. Invariably a game or two reminds me of my outstanding high school coaches that constantly drummed into our collective heads the importance of basics. The last Super Bowl was a prime example of basics determining the game’s outcome. Numerous penalties hurt both teams badly, stopping their offenses repeatedly. The results of basic blocking and tackling were front and center, with the poor blocking of one team leading directly to numerous quarterback sacks by the other. The sacks led to fumbling, which in turn led to touchdowns and a win for the Denver Broncos. The critically important basics for flushing dogs remain the same as ever: no, sit (hup), stay, come, staying in range, scenting, retrieving, quartering and conditioning. The closer you and pup sticks to those skills, the more successful you are afield. Good field-bred spaniels will learn to quarter the ground more easily than spaniels whose DNA is far removed from the field. While nonfield-bred dogs can be taught to quarter, it is much more difficult and takes considerably more time than with field-bred dogs. While there is an inherent beauty in seeing a handsome, well-trained spaniel quarter a field of prime cover, there are also practical reasons for pup to quarter properly. First we want pup to cover all the ground that might hold birds. Equally important, pup must remain within shotgun range as he searches for birds. There are few things more frustrating when hunting upland birds than to have birds flush out of shotgun range. A quick aside: Upland hunters utilizing flushing dogs must realize that “shotgun range” is fluid—it varies

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Starting down the field with pup beginning to quarter from you toward one friend/helper—include a hand signal by pointing your extended arm toward your helper—at the same time the helper holds a dead pigeon out toward pup and shakes the pigeon alluringly. Pup will run toward your friend with enthusiasm. Just before pup reaches the friend, the friend will pull the dead pigeon away from pup and hide it behind his back. At the same time the pigeon is being hidden you toot the whistle twice, and as pup turns to look at you, your helper on your opposite side holds his dead pigeon at armslength towards pup and somewhat loudly (but not too loudly) says “come” to encourage pup to quarter the field toward him and the dead pigeon. When pup heads for that helper, the helper should remain quiet while shaking the dead bird to encourage pup to run toward him. On pup’s third time crossing the field the helper

with the pigeon should let pup get within about five yards of him, then toss the dead pigeon about eight to 10 feet in front so pup can see the bird and retrieve it to you, the handler. (Certainly during the interim you have introduced pup to pigeons, as well as basic retrieving inside a narrow retrieving area, inside or outside.) Repeat the three-man drill two more times and love pup up before putting him up for a while. After 30 to 45 minutes, perhaps working your friends’ dogs, repeat the three-man drill again, having helpers toss dead pigeons to encourage pup’s quartering and retrieving. It would be great to do the threeman drill two or three times weekly, but time and other duties being restrictive, that may not be possible. One must do this at least once a week. Actually, even young kids (and mom if you ask nicely) can assist with this drill, and it is worth doing at least

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twice a week. Again, repetition is the name of the game when training gun dogs. Fact is, training with your family can be great fun as well as a strong bonding activity for pup and the family. All family members involved with your gun dogs must be on the same page and realize that while it is fun, training your dog to hunt or participate in hunt tests or field trials must be taken seriously, with all training directed toward making pup the best gun dog or competitive field dog he can be. Our three-man drill advances eventually to planting birds to work on pup’s quartering and finally to shooting birds that pup flushes so pup can progress to being a strong retriever. Retrieving birds fulfills pup’s duty as a gun dog and our jobs as conservationists as well, gathering all the game we shoot. Remember, success all starts with ✱ basics.

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June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Spotlight | By Jerry Thoms

The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association Still growing, still going strong “WITH 5,000-PLUS current members who have 100,000-plus dogs, the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association is one of the oldest, largest and most successful dog training and dog testing organizations in North America,” Jim Applegate says with genuine pride and great enthusiasm. Having served as the information resource person since the beginning of the Association in 1970—he recently retired from this position—Applegate has some clear ideas of how and why NAVHDA has developed the way it has. “What makes NAVHDA so popular? Multiple opportunities for members and their hunting dogs,” he says. “For example, anyone with a new puppy will find that NAVHDA offers a training program that is thorough, effective, and inexpensive—a program

22 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

that will train the pup and train its owner. There are 80 local NAVHDA chapters in the United States and 10 chapters in Canada, with each chapter offering regular training and testing sessions in which all members can participate. “Every chapter will have a place to train, training equipment and, most important, fellow dog owners who are willing to help each other by sharing their training experiences and expertise,” Applegate emphasizes. “Most clubs may also have as members full-time professional trainers who can help with all phases of a training process.” All training sessions are formulated to fulfill a prescribed set of testing objectives. On the first level is the Natural Ability test, which is designed to measure a young dog

(up to 16 months of age) for “natural ability” in nose, search, tracking, pointing, water aptitude, desire, and cooperation. “A passing score means that the pup has what is necessary to become a good hunting dog—with some training,” Applegate says. “Any young dog with a passing score in Natural Ability is also then eligible for the Utility Test,” he continues. In this test a qualifying dog is now trained to perform in a series of real-life hunting situations that demonstrate the canine student’s natural and learned skills. Included are judged examinations for performance in the field and in water. “Anyone who wants to understand the Utility Test and training necessary to get a passing score should attend a Utility Test as a spectator,” Applegate advises. The Utility Test is divided into: The Field Group, which includes search, pointing, steadiness on game, retrieve of shot bird, and retrieve of shot game. The Water Group, which includes search for a duck, walking at heel, remaining at blind, steadiness by blind, and retrieve of a duck. Judgment of Physical Characteristics, which includes use of nose, desire to work, cooperation, stamina, obedience, and physical attributes. “Any dog that passes a Utility Test can be considered by most hunters as a ‘finished’ game dog,” Applegate notes. The Invitational Test is a once-ayear test for the versatile breeds that have achieved a Prize I score in a Utility Test. This is a more sophisgundogmag.com

ticated and demanding version of the Utility Test. “Dogs passing the Invitational Test receive the title Versatile Champion, the highest honor in NAVHDA,” Applegate points out. The NAVHDA Registry, one of the major components of NAVHDA, holds the records of all the versatile breeds that have been through the testing system. Each dog registered receives a certificate that includes a three-generation pedigree showing test results, available hip certification, and DNA information. The Registry is the largest searchable database for versatile gun dogs in North America and provides pedigrees, chapter test results for individual dogs as well as sire and dam test results. “This database is a great resource for anyone looking for a puppy or anyone interested in starting a breeding program,” Applegate says. The Registry is open for use by all NAVHDA members with the following hunting dog breeds: Bracco Italiano ■ Braque d’Auvergne ■ Braque Du Bourbonnais ■ Braque Francais ■ Brittany ■ Cesky Fousek ■ Drentsche Patrijshond ■ English Setter ■ French Spaniel ■ German Longhaired Pointer ■ German Shorthaired Pointer ■ German Wirehaired Pointer ■ Gordon Setter ■ Irish Red & White Setter ■ Irish Setter ■ Large Munsterlander ■ Picardy Spaniel ■ Pointer ■ Portuguese Pointer ■ Pudelpointer ■ Slovakian Wirehaired Pointer ■ Small Munsterlander ■ Spinone ■ Stichelhaar ■ Vizsla ■ Weimaraner ■ Wirehaired Pointing Griffon ■ Wirehaired Vizsla ■

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“The Versatile Hunting Dog Magazine is one of the other benefits that comes with membership in NAVHDA,” Applegate adds. Published monthly, the magazine typically contains several feature articles, many of which are written by NAVHDA members on the subjects of dog training, hunting with dogs for a variety of gamebirds, dog maintenance and health care, and other versatile dog related topics. In addition there are Departments that include a regular column written by a veterinarian with expertise in treating the common ailments of gun dogs, an up-to-date listing of test results on a national level, a summary of new kennel registrations, a segment on recipes for cooking wild game, a calendar of coming events, and a classified ad section that has a special discount opportunity to subscribe to GUN DOG magazine for 45 percent under the newsstand price. “The positive cost-benefit factor in belonging to NAVHDA is one of the major elements in making and keeping the Association so popular with those who personally own, train, test, and hunt versatile gun dogs,” Applegate believes. “For $83.50, you can become a NAVHDA member

and get the NAVHDA Training book (a $15.00 value), the 60-minute NAVHDA Training DVD (a $29.00 value) and the NAVHDA Aims, Programs, and Test Rules book. “Then for the investment of some of your time and effort, you can train and test your gun dog with the help of experienced NAVHDA members,” Applegate says. “And just as important, in the process you can become a better dog owner, trainer, and hunter—something that makes for a good lifetime investment.” ✱

Jim Applegate (above) has been on the NAVHDA staff since the founding of the Association in 1970.

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Veterinary Clinic | By John Holcomb, DVM

Hip Dysplasia Also, reducing risks of anesthesia QUESTION: I HAVE A question about breeds and hip dysplasia. I would like to get a Boykin spaniel. Is a Boykin more likely to get hip dysplasia than a Brittany? I know it depends on how much I hunt them and who the parents were. —CW

ANSWER: How much you hunt the dog won’t change the genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia, but a dog that is dysplastic sure isn’t likely to have much of a functional hunting career.

According to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) website, the Boykin as a breed is more likely to be dysplastic than a Brittany. You can go to ofa.org, go to “hip dysplasia” then “statistics” and view the rankings of breeds. Note the headers of the columns and years within the rankings. At the top of the list are the “worst” breeds in regard to the incidence of hip dysplasia. Breed generalizations are just that—generalizations. The most valuable information you can get are

the evaluations of the parents of the litters you may be considering. Also, information on any previous litters produced would be very valuable. Or if you are investing in a started or finished dog, the evaluation of that specific dog would be the best. If the dog has not been evaluated, I would pay to have that done before purchase or have a solid guarantee attached. If you are planning on breeding the new dog I would track down all offspring produced by the parents and try to learn how their hip evaluations turned out.

Bloodwork ahead of surgery is also a good idea. This gives vets a baseline of general organ health and can reveal problems not noted during the exam and history. During anesthesia we monitor respirations per minute, concentration of gas anesthetic delivered, blood pressure, ECG, heart rate, sp02 (oxygenation of the blood), temperature, as well as the depth of anesthetic plane and time under anesthesia. When I started 20-plus years ago we just watched the respiratory rate and adjusted our anesthetic dose from there. Things have improved tremendously since that time. We now also have supplemental heat, intravenous fluids, and pre-operative pain medications in routine use. Even with the best-case scenario in place, patients can have complications during anesthetic and surgery procedures. Anesthesia is walking a line between life and death. Anesthetic risk in healthy animals is much

less than 1 percent. The benefits of surgery and anesthesia typically outweigh the risks by a large margin and choosing to go forward with a procedure is an obvious choice. But there are times when the riskreward margin is much more narrow. At these times we need to have longer discussions before surgery about everyone’s expectations. Dental procedures for very old dogs with multiple chronic diseases would be one of these times. Most of the time I feel I can get these dogs through the surgery and anesthesia, but we are unsure how much time the dog has after the procedure, maybe just months. I don’t consider a 9- or 10-yearold dog too old to be anesthetized, so if your veterinarian is confident and comfortable with the procedure, then go forward with it. ✱

QUESTION: MY VET RECENTLY recommended dental work for my 91/2-year-old springer. He has a couple broken teeth and the rest have lots of tartar. I want to get his teeth fixed but am nervous about the anesthesia. What is the best thing for my dog at this age?

ANSWER: The best thing for your dog is to have an experienced team perform the procedure. Experience with many, many normal anesthetic events helps us be quick to pick up on abnormal events. I think years of experience are worth more than the most expensive monitoring systems you can buy. We still like all of our fancy equipment, but you have to be able to interpret the information properly. The vet should perform a thorough physical exam the day of surgery, and you should be sure to list all past health issues and current medications. 24 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

Contact Dr. Holcomb with your questions at john.holcomb.ccac@gmail.com

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Sporting Dog Forum | By Dave Carty

You Need Tape Protect pup with a pre-game wrap. YOU NEED TAPE. But not just any tape will do. As a tool for keeping the wear and tear on your dog to a minimum and protecting him from cuts and abrasions, certain kinds of tape should be in every dog owner’s first-aid kit. The first and most important are elastic, self-adhesive wraps like Elastikon and Coban. This stuff is great for wrapping dressings that are covering wounds. Most dogs won’t leave a freshly stitched wound alone and will lick it, usually making the problem worse. But these two wraps stick like glue to fur and bare skin, and if they don’t stop the problem completely, they’ll at least slow it down. Another excellent use for both tapes is to wrap a dog’s tail prior to a hunt. Many dogs have problems with “whipping” their tails—they continually beat the tips of their tails against trees and brush until the tips start to bleed. But wrapping the last four inches of a dog’s tail with a self-

26 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

adhesive wrap will do a great job of protecting it. One caveat: don’t wrap a self-adhesive wrap too tightly. Cut off the length you need, then wrap it loosely around the problem area. If you wrap it too tightly, it can cut off the circulation to that area.

For covering vet wrap, there are two good choices: the previously mentioned self-adhesive wrap like Elastikon or plain old white athletic tape. White athletic tape works fine for a dog who is at home, in a kennel but not in the field, because it won’t hold its adhesion in wet or brushy

If you wrap it too tightly, it can cut off the circulation to that area.

Another great product is known in most circles as “vet wrap.” It’s an open weave, self-adhering wrap that has a weaker adhesive but is great for securing bandages on an active dog. But it needs to be covered with another tape if the dog is going to be hunting or it will unravel and fail to protect the wrapped area.

areas. For those applications, use a self-adhesive wrap. Tape can be used for a variety of other things, too numerous to mention here. In a pinch, it can even be used as an emergency dog boot. Keep all three in your first-aid kit and you’ll be surprised at how handy they are. ✱

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Notes from the Field | By Bob West

Enough Wild Birds to Make a Dog? There are places where this can still happen. YOU’VE HEARD ME say it’s best to train in well-planned steps, being certain of your dog’s understanding and obedience as you continue building the foundation and framework striving for a solid and dependable bird dog. Beginning in the garage and backyard each command is taught, developed and tested by increasing distraction, reinforcing understanding and obedience. It’s a never-ending process, and by building on those fundamentals we’ll soon move to field sites to continue adding new elements, distractions and temptations

to assure ourselves the dog understands command cues and responds correctly. Ideally for our next step, we’ll move our training scenarios from pigeons or tame planted gamebirds to working wild birds, but for most of us, given our country’s increasing urbanization,wild birds might not be a possibility. How many times have you heard an old-timer say, “In my day we had enough wild birds to make a dog?” Well, being of an age to have enjoyed those good times, I’ll vouch for the truth in that comment. Problem is,

for most of the country, wild birds in large numbers are simply nonexistent nowadays. So here we sit with a young dog, his foundation solid, pointing his own birds and in pretty good shape with steadiness to wing and shot; trained retrieve and delivering to hand reasonably well. How do we really finish this dog? How do we assure ourselves of a solid well-rounded dependable dog before fall and opening day of hunting season, or before entering a hunt test or field trial? If you want the best possible situation for your dog, you go to a highend hunt club or plantation and set up with released birds, because the nearer to a wild scenario you can get, the better your opportunity to develop a truly solid dog. Remember, we want a dog who understands how to get out and find his own birds and pin them with just enough pressure to hold them, then stand steady throughout the flush, wing and shot. You must be aware and alert in this situation, recognizing that on good healthy pre-released birds your dog will be “cranked up”’ a notch or two as they smell and act a whole lot different than any tame planted birds he’s seen to date. Pre-released birds in natural cover present a much higher level of distraction or temptation than any he’s experienced so far, which is exactly what we need to put the real polish on a bird dog. One great hunting operation I can recommend is Wild Wing Lodge near the town of Sturgis in northwestern Kentucky. This place is over the top, with more than 12,000 acres to hunt and plenty of wild and pre-released quail to

Hunting wild or pre-released birds that have survived months in the wild “making a living for themselves” is a different game. These birds are in the tough stuff and they don’t tolerate sloppy dog work, which is exactly why I recommend them for finishing a bird dog.

28 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

THE REAL THING

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make a bird dog like the old fellows talk about. It’s real natural quail cover, broken creek bottoms and grainfield edges where you can easily have the opportunity to work eight or more coveys in a morning’s hunt. Wild Wing is a chance to experience quail hunting like it was 40 or 50 years ago, a place to relax, enjoy friends and family, great food and the overall experience. You can bring your own dogs or hunt with one of the outstanding guides. It’s a great place to expose, train and put the polish on a bird dog. So when owner-manager Tracey Lieske called with an invitation to join him and a few of my life-long friends for a weekend of hunting, training and just plain fellowship...man, I was set on ready. I had a young English setter not yet fully committed to the idea of backing, and knowing my buddies Tracey, Marty Smith, Ed Rader and Kelly Bryan would all be there with good solid broke dogs and willing to lend a hand with my pup, I figured this was the best of all worlds. Working with other trainers is great, especially when the emphasis is on developing the dogs and shooting birds is secondary. With my pup, we all understood the objective was backing and steadiness. Eliciting and nurturing the natural instinctive back, we all understood my pup might put undue pressure on the pointing dog, which in turn gave us an opportunity to reinforce the pointing dog’s steadiness if needed while we checkroped the younger dog into the backing situation and made him stand. As part of the pup’s development, I took advantage of bird numbers, letting him have a bunch of time on the ground working cover, finding and pointing his own birds while at the same time staging plenty of opportunities to swing him into a backing situation. Admittedly my pup was pretty well trained and as steady as possible on pigeons and planted birds; in other words, the foundation was there. We definitely had birds, and getting

SOLID START

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Working a young dog into backing situations on wild birds, I like to use a check rope and half-hitch, giving a point of contact at the flank and the ability to keep the dog steady without pulling his head around. Let the rope trail along as the dog hunts and you can pick up the end, gaining control without disturbing the pointing dog or birds. Don’t use steady pressure on the rope; rather correct with a quick “pop” or jerk when needed to remind the dog to stay put.

my pup in on numerous pointing situations, coupled with him finding and pointing a number of coveys on his own, really flipped the switch. By mid-morning the second day he was backing on his own and I had me a bird dog in the making. From here it will be more time in the field for my pup to learn how to apply himself to the search and, in turn, more chances to polish obedience. The learning process never ends. Yes, it takes a well-bred dog and a good deal of preparation but you can’t really put the “finish” on without birds...a bunch of birds. So my recommendation, once you have your dog pretty well trained and steady

on planted birds, is to find a good hunting club in your area with conditions as near as possible to wild to finish the job. It takes birds, good flying wild-like birds, to really get a dog to understand why he’s on this earth, and it take a bunch of opportunities on birds to refine learned commands and obedience. When that all comes together it’s a beautiful thing to behold, and experiencing this with true friends who appreciate and enjoy days afield and great bird dogs as much as you do is the icing on the cake. For information on Wild Wing Lodge & Kennels, visit wildwingkennel.com ✱ June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Training & Behavior Problems | By Ed Bailey

Stand, Don’t Sit How to correct this irksome problem. PROBLEM I HAVE A 2-year-old Brittany, my first bird dog. He has an excellent disposition and amazing natural instinct. I have completed some basic obedience training with him and some field work. The first obedience command I taught him was “sit.” This was followed by several other commands,

including “whoa” (which I pronounce “wup”). Lately he has started sitting when issued the verbal or hand signal for “wup.” He will stop in his tracks and then sit. He is doing what I’m asking, but I do not want him to sit. My correction for this action is to walk over to him, pick him up and put

him back in a standing position. Is this an issue I should be concerned with? It bugs me more from an obedience standpoint because I am not commanding him to sit, but to simply “wup.” Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated.

on people. Lying down from a sit, rolling over from a down, suddenly putting a dummy down to scratch an itch or adding a short detour to the retrieve are all unwanted behaviors that can happen. This problem is especially common in obedience classes where a dog is taught to sit immediately when the handler stops while walking the dog at heel. It then goes a step further when a young dog is taught to lie

down on command. The dog is given a sit command and tends to lie down because it has learned to lie down from a sit position. Dogs get confused, anticipating the next command and they do it before asked. Having done it one time means it is incorporated into the sequence so stop-stand-sit-down becomes the ingrained, chained together sequence. It can be difficult to change back to just stop and stand when that is the command, or just sit (and nothing more) when that is the command. Springer spaniel and retriever people work hard to get their dogs to stop, sit and look toward the handler for the next instruction. Many would trade their first-born for a dog that sat on the “hup” or whistle command as easily and efficiently as your Brit. Go back to the basics. For just wanting him to stop and stand, you will need to change the command from “wup” to something else. I would use one short blast on a whistle rather than another word because he would probably generalize to a new word like “whoa” and do his sit thing all over again. Go back to walking at heel on leash in an enclosed area. Use the leash somewhat differently than just attached to the collar. The leash should be at least 6 feet long and attached by the snap end to the collar

SOLUTION

THIS IS NOT an uncommon problem. Sometimes the unwanted behavior is actually taught by the trainer or breeder or people visiting the litter. Puppies jumping up is one of those unwanted behaviors when puppies seeking attention rush up to the wire. The pup that is there first, jumping up, gets the petting. That is the pup selected first followed by hours or days teaching the dog not to jump

30 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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like normal. Hold the leash about two feet from the snap. Then pass the hand loop end under his belly, just in front of the hind legs and bring it up to hold it in the same hand (normally your left hand). You now have control over both the front and hind ends with one hand about level with your waist. The dog is essentially being held like a suitcase with four feet on the ground, but you have both front and rear ends under complete control. Now walk him at heel around the yard, making figure eights and other left and right and 180 turns. When he is fully concentrating on walking at heel, toot your whistle and instantly stop walking. Don’t use any words, only the whistle. If he tries to sit, give a short toot on the whistle and keep his rear end up by holding up the hind legs with the leash. Then while he is stopped and standing, step out in front of him, then walk behind him and back again, always keeping him on all fours.

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Praise him or give him a treat, and then walk on telling him to heel. After some walking, repeat the whistle, stop and do the walk in front, behind and all the way around him, always keeping him facing forward with the front part of the leash and standing erect with the rear two-thirds of the leash. Then repeat the whole process so you are doing three or four repetitions in about a 15-minute period. You can repeat this lesson two or three times a day. After a few days of this sequence, you can alter it again by blowing the whistle, dropping the leash and walking on a few steps ahead, turn and come back, walk around him, then pick up the leash and walk at heel again. When you can walk ahead and out of sight for a few seconds before returning to him, try it without the leash but still in the yard. When he is fail-safe without the leash in the yard, go outside the yard first on leash and later off leash and finally out into the field, on leash for

a time or two, then off leash and then when he is a short distance away and walking or trotting and so on. Use small increases in difficulty and if ever it doesn’t work, back up a few steps and continue a bit more slowly. If you mistakenly say “wup” and he stops and sits, ignore it or even praise him for it. There may be times when you want him to sit and look to you for more direction. The stop and stand to the whistle is a new command for a new sequence so never blow the whistle and say “wup” or he will quickly learn to sit on the whistle, which you don’t want. One thing to remember is always go to your dog to release him from the stop/stand until you have him totally foolproof and can stop him in the field at any distance, even with distractions like rabbits running or birds flying. For solutions to your dog’s behavior problem or behavior-related training problem, contact Ed Bailey at: edbailey@ ✱ uoguelph.ca

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Shotgun Report | By Steve Gash

Old Friends… A Remington Reminiscence Big Green rolls into its second century. AS WE GET older, nostalgia warms our hearts and projects images of old friends from our past. Guns are our friends, too, and with Remington’s 200th anniversary, it is appropriate for us to reminisce on our lives with friends from Big Green. Remington shotguns were a big influence on my development as a hunter and shooter, and I’ll bet you’re the same. My Granddad introduced me to the world of Remington at the tender age of 13, when he came into the possession of a semi-automatic shotgun. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a life-long odyssey. The gun looked huge to me, but I considered it a marvelous contraption and pored over every facet of its features countless times. It was a Model 11, 12-gauge, with a 28-inch plain barrel. It was recoil-operated, Remington’s version of the Browning A-5, right down to the “hump.” The barrel was marked “IMP. CYL.”

Neither Granddad nor I had any idea what that meant then, but he suspected that it was an open choke. That was not good, he said. He wanted his shotguns “choked down like a rifle.” A dime dropped down the muzzle like a stone, furthering doubt. One day, Granddad decided I was sufficiently schooled in gun safety and was old enough for a gun of my own. He handed me the Model 11 and said, “You can have it; I don’t have any use for it.” Talk about shock and awe! I had my first gun, a Remington. Some years later, my family moved to southeast Kansas, where in the fall the local wheat fields held scads of doves. So every Sept. 1, found me by a fencerow, Model 11 in hand. I shot but few doves fell. Then I heard of a game called “Skeet.” There was a range west of town, and I tried it. But it was just like on doves. Unless the targets were straight

Full circle with a recoil-operated model 11-48 28-gauge semi-automatic.

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in or straight away, I missed. One day I fired at a station 4 high house and by total accident, I shot about 4 feet in front of it. To my astonishment, the target shattered! From this experience, I was soon clobbering the clays with regularity. The next Sept., it was a different story. The doves dropped like rocks, thanks to learning to shoot with the Model 11. In college, I met a lovely lady and we got married. We were both students and learned what real poverty was. Wild game was a big part of our diet and there was a federal waterfowl hunting area nearby, but I needed appropriate armament for webfoots. The Remington Model 870 pump was the

HARD KNOCKS

A Canada goose taken with a model 1100 in eastern Colorado. gundogmag.com

highest quality and lowest priced duck gun I could find. I bought one with a 28-inch, full-choked vent rib barrel, chambered for 3-inch magnum shells. Then we moved to Texas for more schooling. The local hunting for small game was poor; all anybody wanted to talk about was deer. The scrawny little Texas whitetails I had seen were about the size of a healthy jack rabbit, so I wondered what all the fuss was about. Then I found out—money! It was all “lease” hunting, way beyond a student’s means. A classmate somehow arranged a free deer hunt on the ranch of some distant relative in Mason County, Texas. I hunted deer with my model 700, but of course I took the 870, as we were to camp next to a nice “tank” (Texican for “pond”). We got our deer but the duck shooting on the tank was spectacular. One day we went to another property to hunt javelina. I left the 870 in its case under my cot in the tent, but when we got back the 870 was gone; stolen. We figured out who did it but couldn’t prove it. I was sick at the loss of my fine duck gun. Back home my insurance agent assuaged the pain somewhat with a check. I immediately tried to get another 870 just like the one I’d lost, but the only ones available had 30-inch barrels. I didn’t like that, but I bought one anyway. After a few years, I found that, for some reason, I couldn’t hit with the new 870 like I could with the old 870, and sold it. At long last, I finished school and actually got a job, and after a couple of moves, ended up in Colorado. I still shot skeet, but I didn’t have a .410, so I bought another Remington, a model 870 SA Skeet. It was a great little gun, and also happened to be perfect for ptarmigan and mountain grouse the locals called “fool hens.” I persevered at skeet, got better and in 1975 I won the Colorado State 12-gauge championship. My prize was a brand new model 1100 SA Skeet in 12-gauge, and I shot the dickens out of it for several years and whacked many a sage grouse with it on the Western slope. gundogmag.com

Hunters in the 1970s with sage grouse taken with two Remingtons, a Model 870 20-gauge, and an 1100 12-gauge.

A gun doesn’t necessarily have to have a specific purpose to be added to the fold, and a couple of neat old Remingtons acquired recently illustrate this. At a large gun shop one day, I spied an old but slick model 870 in the rack. It turned out to be a 16-gauge (one of my favorites), had a 28-inch modified plain barrel. The price? A mere $175. It was made in 1962, and is in about 85 percent good condition, except for the buttstock. Some cretin had “customized” it almost to death. The abutment where it bore on the receiver was cracked. Glue and epoxy cured that. The pistol grip had been whittled down, and the length of pull was about right for a 12-year-old. The addition of a 1-inch Pachymar recoil pad fixed that. I saved the best, literally, for last. I stumbled upon a Model 11-48 in 28-gauge, 25-inch modified barrel. The 11-48, you will recall, is a recoil-operated action, just like my original Model 11, but without the hump. I asked about the gun’s condition. The seller said the only reason he couldn’t sell it as “NIB” was that he didn’t have the box. My knees weakened. I asked the price. He wanted all of $300 for it! I got whiplash reaching for my checkbook. This little gem was made in 1967, is indeed in pristine condition, and is a prized possession. I’ve shot skeet with it, and as long as I keep the magazine tube well lubed (as stated

FULL CIRCLE

A 12-gauge Remington model 1100 bagged these sage grouse in Colorado.

in the original owner’s manual), it works like a charm. So my last Remington is a throwback to my first. I’ve come full circle. It seems like only yesterday that Granddad gave me my first Remington, and how that led to another, and another, until both pumps and autos were well represented. Then, as now, Remingtons represent value and a lifetime of service. So although my Remington odyssey has (so far) spanned several decades, it is not over, and I look forward to more adventures with friends from Big Green. ✱ June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

S R A L L O E-FIC T FOR ANY DOG I

had a lot of preconceived notions about training before I ever snapped a lead to my dog, and the biggest included electronic training collars. Growing up with an ankle-biter Welsh corgi that possessed the discipline and temperament of a saltwater croc, I knew her bark collar worked about well enough to cause slight discomfort after each bark. As for quelling her raucousness, let’s just say her persistence was admirable.

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BY TYLER SHOBERG Then again, other than setting the level of stimulation and strapping the thing around her neck, the dog had no formal training. Under the assumption the collar would simply train the corgi, and upon realizing it didn’t work, we chalked it up to our dog being too much to handle. In hindsight, even with minor training and the proper introduction, I have no doubt that dog and collar would have meshed. Once I began training my own hunting dogs and realized the importance of a solid foundation built on a proven program, I had an epiphany: There was no magic solution or silver bullet. You just had to be consistent and put in the work. Period. In conjunction with field-tested training techniques, e-collars are a godsend. And while some old-timers still refer to them as “shock collars,” modern e-collars are far, far more than simple stimulation devices. These feature-packed units allow you to keep tabs on dogs even out of eyesight, which certainly makes them deserving of any dog owner’s belt loop.

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In the market for a new remote trainer? Check out these feature-packed models.

TRADE TO UPGRADE

COLLAR CLINIC

D.T. SYSTEMS R.A.P.T. 1450 UPLAND/BEEPER

Just like shotguns or decoys or cactus-proof brush pants, e-collars are an investment—and they aren’t cheap. They’re also dropped, soaked, covered in mud, put through crazy temperature extremes and, on rare occasions, used as chew toys (don’t ask me how I know). Nothing is break-proof. But instead of grudgingly tossing an on-the-fritz remote trainer into the trash, try Collar Clinic. They’ll repair practically any make and model, or let you trade in an older model to receive credit on the purchase of a new device. Talk about a sweet deal!

There comes a point when you simply don’t have enough hands…like during steadiness training when you’re juggling the gun, bird launcher and e-collar remote. That’s where the R.A.P.T. 1450 can assist. With a functionally-designed remote that can operate with just a thumb, D.T. has made it possible to effectively handle a dog without potentially missing a chance to issue a correction or take a shot. It comes loaded with the same features as the original R.A.P.T. 1400, but also includes a beeper to signal a dog’s whereabouts. And the remote floats, too.

$TBD | collarclinic.com

$270 | dtsystems.com

DOGTRA 200C I love getting new gear, but there’s something to be said about an old standby. The same is true with e-collars, especially when it comes to delivering commands without taking your eye off the dog. Consider the Dogtra 200C your new, old standby. Introduced this spring, it boasts intuitive one-handed controls that include a rheostat intensity dial, quick access to nick and constant stimulation modes, and a non-stimulation pager button. The handheld transmitter and collar feature 2-hour rapid charge batteries, 1/2-mile range, and are waterproof. Bonus for spaniel lovers: The compact receiver/collar won’t slip around on small-statured dogs.

DOGWATCH BIGLEASH S-15 Your hunting dog may be a machine in the field, but the rest of the year it’s a family pet. An e-collar like the BigLeash S-15 that can also make the transition from field to home is ideal. Not only does it have 15 levels of stimulation in both nick and continuous (as well as vibration and tone) but the receiver’s FireFly nightlight feature means you can play fetch with Fido well past sunset. It’s a good safety feature when taking the dog on wee-hour walks, too. And whether you’re hunting thick cover or just want to keep tabs, In-Touch Two Way Communication displays signal strength on the transmitter’s LCD screen to indicate if a dog is in range.

$230 | dogwatchtrainingproducts.com

$TBD | dogtra.com gundogmag.com

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

E-Collars Fit For any Dog

GARMIN SPORT PRO

LION COUNTRY SUPPLY BIRD DOG TRAINER 800

There’s nothing like hunting with a dog—except maybe hunting with more than one. The Sport PRO is an economical way to effectively control up to three dogs with one system. Whether you’re working a brace of pointers or sending two retrievers on separate blinds, the intuitive remote is laid out to issue commands exactly when you need them. First select the correct dog, then choose the stimulation level, and finally press the button for continuous stimulation, momentary stimulation, vibration or tone. And when training is through, keep the collar on because the built-in BarkLimiter has settable levels so you can customize exactly what your dogs need to keep from spooking the mailman.

During training sessions, it’s convenient to have electronics that are compatible to cut down on the confusion and clutter. LCS’s Bird Dog Trainer 800 is a complete system that streamlines your training days. Especially handy when dealing with multiple dogs or simply adjusting from one setup to the next, it includes a feature-packed remote trainer that is no one-trick pony. While it has multiple stimulation levels, tone, and expandability to three dogs, it will also launch birds from LCS Universal Bird Launchers, or activate the LCS Remote Backing Dog ( both sold separately) for honoring work. That’s some serious power in the palm of your hand.

$250 | garmin.com

$200 | lcsupply.com

SPORTDOG BRAND SPORTHUNTER 825

TRI-TRONICS PRO 550

Sometimes no-frills is all you need. The SportHunter 825 may not be the flashiest remote trainer on the market, but it has everything a handler wants without being overwhelming. A half-mile range is more than adequate for most rangy pointers or retrievers on lengthy blinds. It’s also programmable, with a mode to run add-on beeper collars. Seven instantly selectable stimulation levels with low or medium ranges offer plenty of options to fine-tune a dog’s pressure requirements. And the vibration and tone features are great tools if you want to train a more subtle recall command. It’s also waterproof, and it charges in two hours.

Depended upon by pro trainers and amateur handlers alike, the PRO 550 is a top-of-the-line e-collar system that’s about as versatile as they come. Regardless of breed or training type, it can take what you—and your dog—dish out with 21 levels of momentary and continuous stimulation, and the ability to quickly switch between up to three dogs. With a little familiarization, you can quickly issue momentary or nick stimulation, or utilize tone and vibration features. There’s a remote beacon light, too, as well as a built-in BarkLimiter. Plus, the remote can be programmed to operate the accessory Upland Beeper for the pointing-dog folks.

$200 | sportdog.com

$400 | garmin.com

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The

Braque d’Auvergne BY TONY J. PETERSON

European breeders keep their canine secrets locked up tight, but the word is out on this handsome, versatile pointer.

42 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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t is generally accepted that our modern pointing breeds originated in Spain around five centuries ago, but not all dog scholars believe this to be true. Some feel that pointers’ roots first grew in central France even earlier. It’s highly likely we’ll never know for sure, but what we do know is a contender for the oldest pointing breed came out of the Cantal Region of France, and while the Braque d’Auvergne might not be a household name to most of us, there is a compelling argument that it should be.

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family and their temperament is impossible not to love.” Johe provided a pretty strong endorsement for Braque demeanor but finding a

CAN THEY HUNT?

Two people who can make a strong case for recognition of Braques are David and Roslyn Johe, owners of Chenil d’Allegheny in northwestern Pennsylvania. I spoke extensively with the couple about how they came to not only own Braques, but also how they became one of the few breeders where hunters could find a well-bred pup, considering how rare the breed is in the states. When asked how they came to breed Braques in the first place, Roslyn’s answer should come as no surprise to long-time GUN DOG readers. “We were into German shorthaired pointers for years, and at one point we read an article in GUN DOG about the Braques,” she recalled. “It wasn’t until we needed to find a replacement for one of our GSPs in 2000 that we thought we’d try to find a Braque.” That’s when David and Roslyn realized how rare the breed really is, and how finding a puppy is nothing short of a serious exercise in research and patience. “After looking for quite a while, I finally found a breeder in Homer, Alaska, of all places,” Roslyn said. “They ended up shipping a puppy down to us, and it didn’t take long before we realized how amazing these dogs really are.” From their first puppy, the Johes have expanded their Braque holdings to include six dogs, so I asked David exactly what it was about the dogs that won them over so strongly. “They are such pleasers by their nature, working best with positive reinforcement,” he replied. “They thrive on praise. They truly assimilate into the

likable bird dog is only part of the equation, which is why I next asked him how they are to hunt with. He had plenty to offer in response. “With our original pup, it didn’t take long to see his natural abilities come out while training,” David said. “It also became clear that he wanted to work for us, but it wasn’t until we started hunting that we saw the natural abilities really start to blossom.” The Johes live near some tracts of public land that provide solid pheasant hunting, and they’ve spent plenty of time hunting ringnecks with their Braques. Pointers are good at covering ground in the pheasant habitat, but what about in the woodcock or grouse woods where closer-ranging

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

THe BrAque D'AuVerGNe

dogs are considered an asset? “They go out about 50 to 60 yards, and then they check back and find you,” David noted. “They’ll look back for confirmation or guidance. They are excellent for grouse and woodcock because they stay close.” It’s not only the ability to stay nearby in the thick stuff that makes a Braque a quality companion in the field, however. Take a close look at their muscle definition and the shape of their heads. They are built to hunt all day with a running gait, but they also have some subtle hound characteristics in their facial features, most likely because somewhere deep in the breed’s history, hounds were bred with pointers. Anyone who has hunted with a hound or used one to track wounded game knows their olfactory abilities are second to none. Now imagine combining that scenting ability in a close-ranger able to hunt all day for you and you’ll start to understand why, when hunters go to a Braque, they almost never go back. (It is important to note, however, that while the Braque is ranked

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among the versatile breeds, it is short-coated and therefore not ideally suited for late-season duck hunting. They will do water retrieves just fine but are somewhat intolerant of extremely cold temperatures.) Braques don’t just excel in the woods and fields. The Johes have sold

know one experience does not a trend make, but I thought it worth exploring. That led me to Patrick Hecht, who owns Maison Des Bleus Kennels in Virginia and has had plenty of experience with the breed. When I asked him what it’s like to train a Braque,

“They thrive on praise. They truly assimilate into the family and their temperament is impossible not to love.” puppies to people looking simply for a great family pet as well as others looking to develop therapy dogs. To find out how Braques take to training, I called quite a few trainers. What wasn’t terribly surprising was that most of them had no experience with the breed, so they couldn’t offer any useful information. I did chat with one well-respected trainer who said he had trained one and while the dog was highly likable and driven, it was also a slow developer. Now, I

BREED-SPECIFIC TRAINING

he said, “They are super laid back and don’t take to heavy-handed training at all. You can shut them down simply by raising your voice, so they don’t take to the same kind of training other bird dogs might tolerate. They almost seem to become resentful of you if you get too harsh with them, as if they aren’t being treated as an equal. “As long as you know that they won’t take to harsh training and heavy corrections, they take to lessons easily,” he continued. “They are intelligent dogs, but they aren’t GSPs or

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While David and Roslyn Johe picked up their first pup in Alaska, they’ve also imported dogs from Hungary, Poland and France. This doesn’t bode well for the average dog owner hoping to find a litter close to home, but to be honest, most Braques aren’t going to an average owner in the first place, which is something David stressed several times in our conversation. “We are very selective in our breeding, but also who gets on our list for a puppy,” he stated. “We want these dogs to go to the right people, so it takes time and it takes patience on their part. There are very few of these litters, which means it might involve a two-year wait once you get on the list. In fact, I’ve got eleven people waiting for our next litter alone.” I also asked Hecht, who currently owns four Braques, what is like to try to get a puppy, and he echoed Johes’ comments pretty closely. “I always tell people to be prepared for a serious wait,” he said. “I’ve had people put down a deposit and then get ticked off when they don’t have a puppy eight months later, but this isn’t something we want rushed.” Of course, there is also the possibility of importing a dog, something in which Hecht also has had plenty of experience. As he explains, this is not a cheap or easy process. “You’re going to spend at least $2500 to get a puppy back to the States, and that’s not including a bunch of other expenses,” he cautioned. “And just because you’re

Labs so they have to be trained differently. In fact, I’ve only ever used a shock collar once to train my dogs on anything, and that involved them taking an interest in the neighbor’s cows, but we got it squared away quickly.” Hecht went on to explain that since the Braques are intelligent and readily willing to work for you, they benefit most from training they enjoy. Catering lessons to be as much fun and as encouragement-based as possible is a great way to bring out the full potential of these dogs. FINDING A PUPPY

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REVERSE IMAGING Overall, the color of a Braque d’Auvergne involves a white base with black markings and spots. In fact, the black marking on these dogs (called Bleu in France) are so dark that they almost look bluish in the right light. While the breed is very rare, there is an even rarer subset due to a gene flip, which creates the Charbonne variation of the Braque. These dogs reverse the dark and light ticking of the more common variation, making it look like a new breed altogether.

BEWARE BAD BREEDING When World War II raged through France in the early 1940s, most of the Braques were lost. A single individual is credited with saving around 20 of them, which proved to be just enough dogs to keep the bloodlines going. But as you can imagine, the restart of the breed involved a pretty shallow gene pool, and that means that it’s crucial to pay attention to the breeding behind any Braques you might research. Inbreeding is common and results in the typical health issues you’d expect. According to David Johe, a great resource is www.braquedauverngepedigrees. com, where you can virtually breed any two dogs to see if any genetic issues are likely to crop up in a litter. He also stated emphatically that anyone looking to pick up a puppy in North America or Europe has to ensure that the dogs parent’s are health certified.

importing a dog from Europe, that doesn’t mean you’ll be guaranteed a good dog. A lot of times the breeders over there won’t let their best dogs go to the U.S., which means you’ll be getting one of their lesserquality dogs.” Add in the fact that importing animals has become more difficult in recent years due to stricter regulations, and while it’s a possibility, it’s best left to someone with the funds and the willingness to jump through plenty of hoops.

As with any choice when buying a new hunting dog, it’s always wise to be truly honest about what you’re looking for in a breed before taking the plunge. If that list includes the need for an uber-friendly, closeworking, handsome black-and-white pointer that can handle a variety of upland game, then you may want to get yourself on a waiting list for a Braque. Just prepare to be patient and recognize that it may take a while before the right litter is born. ✱ June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

DOCK JUMPERS Competition that allows sporting dogs to exercise their prey drive and leap as far as possible for a rewarding retrieve—what’s not to like? BY TONY J. PETERSON

very August I give seminars at the Game Fair in Anoka, Minnesota. The event is six days of anything and everything to do with sporting dogs and is truly worth seeing. While there is something for every bird-dog lover at the Game Fair, there is one area that always draws a serious crowd—the dockjumping event.

Tom Dropik’s dock jumper, Remi, is a rescue that can flat-out leap. The dock-jumping world is full of sporting dogs, rescue dogs, and the sense of camaraderie often found in hunting camps. 46 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

I’ve wandered over to watch dogs of all shapes and sizes sprint the length of the dock and extend like Olympic divers to cover as much distance as they can. Well, some of the dogs do just that and it is impressive, although quite a few of them actually don’t seem to know how to dock jump at all, with the crowd favorites being those pups that catch

a sudden dose of hesitation about one-tenth of a second before they jump. I always find myself enjoying the dock-jumping competition, and wondering just how folks get involved so when GUN DOG editor Rick Van Etten asked me if I was interested in digging into the subject for this piece I quickly agreed. gundogmag.com

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DIPPING A TOE IN THE WATER Beadling soon found out that if he tossed a ball into the lake, Limoncello would jump into the water to retrieve it. Brian also happened to catch an airing of a dock-jumping competition on ESPN, not long before he heard of an event occurring an hour from their home. The Beadlings loaded up a camper, entered Limoncello and thought they’d have some fun. It turned out that of the 60 or 70 dogs entered, ‘Cello would take second place. “After that, I was obsessed,” recalls

This led me to Brian and Jennifer Beadling, who live in New Jersey and are as into dock-jumping as two people can be. When I spoke with them the first question I asked was just how they got involved and Brian spun a pretty cool story. “We both love dogs, always have,” he said. “Jen grew up with dogs and so did I, although she has a history with miniature pinschers and Jack Russells while I’ve always loved sporting breeds. We originally had miniature pinschers, but decided to pick up a sporting breed, which worked out well because we live in a log cabin on a lake.” Their home, which was built in 1927, would play a unique role in just how involved the couple became in German shorthairs. Brian explained, “I work in the mortgage industry and thought the original title to our home, Windy Spot, would be cool to hang on the wall, so I requested it. After looking at it, I started to research the original owner and found out he was a doctor who belonged to the English Setter Club during a time when Ty Cobb was also a member. The doctor owned a shorthair named Windy Spot, a dog that had won a fair amount in the club. “I called the club and told them our story, and it turns out the man on the other end of the line was a direct relative of the original owner of our house, which settled it for us. We decided to get a GSP puppy and name her Limoncello, after Jen’s Italian grandfather who was famous for his secret-recipe, homemade Limoncello.”

Every year hunters expand their bird dog’s role to include new tasks like shed hunting, and lately, dock jumping. Our dogs are capable of much more than we often give them credit for, and anything like dock jumping competition that plays off a dog’s natural instincts will foster strong enthusiasm and excitement, which is fun for both pup and handler.

Brian. “We made a new friend, Fred Eaker, who told us of a bigger event in New Jersey. There were like 250 dogs entered into it, and ‘Cello took second again. In her third event, the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Maryland, she jumped 23 feet and won it.” With their early quick success, it’s probably not much of a surprise that the Beadlings picked up another GSP pup named Hooch. Brian said Hooch initially took to the water about like you’d expect a cat to. “He wouldn’t even go into the water at first,” Brian recalled. “But one day we took him to the lake and coaxed him in gently. After that he started to gain confidence, but not skills. We called it the ‘Hoochie Hop’ and it became a crowd favorite at the events.” Jen, who handles Hooch, worked to get him to run to the end of the

dock but instead of a graceful, fully stretched-out leap, he’d hop straight up into the air and cover about four feet. (Anyone with a spare two minutes should look up “The Evolution of Hooch’s Dock Diving” on YouTube to see the Hoochie Hop in all of its glory—it’s worth it.) Over time, Hooch would stretch out his hop to the point where he’d cover 17 or 18 feet, but it took a lot of coaxing and a slow build-up of confidence. Eventually, Hooch would leap 23 feet and overtake even ‘Cello in distance. As is often the case with two people who love dogs as much as the Beadlings do, another canine was destined to become a part of their family. Of this newest family member, Brian says, “We got a call from a woman at Tidewater Dock Dogs. She June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

DOCk JUMPERS

U.S., which consists of three events— Big Air (long jump), Extreme Vertical (high jump) and Speed Retrieve. Hooch was ranked as the number one GSP in the Big Air Event and has recently received the Most Improved award out of the thousands of dogs registered in Dock Dogs. Lager placed fifth in the world in the Senior Division last year. The accomplishments of the Beadlings’ GSPs are impressive, but two things Brian said to me before we wrapped up our interview truly stuck with me. The first was that the couple donates all of their winnings to German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue of New Jersey, and the second

said she had a line on an Explosives Detection Canine that needed a home. The GSP had served his duty in Iraq and was on his way back to the states. Jen and I decided we would give him a home whether he was a dock jumper or not.” Lager, as it turns out, happened to be a huge fan of water and took to dock jumping immediately. “At this point, we split the responsibility of Lager so that Jen handles him on long jumps, and I handle him on the extreme vertical.” All three of the Beadlings’ GSPs now compete, and each has earned impressive titles. Limoncello is the top-ranked GSP for Iron Dog in the

Brian and Jenny Beadling’s Hooch is a living example of how baby-step training and plenty of praise and encouragement can get our sporting dogs to do more than we ever imagined. Their first attempts to get Hooch to dock jump were a no-go, but after a soft introduction to water and plenty of encouragement, Hooch worked his way from awkward jumper to graceful leaper. 48 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

was that if I wanted to understand dock dogs, I needed to contact a fellow named Tom Dropik. THE HUNTING CONNECTION Dock jumping evolved from duck hunting, so it’s no surprise that many of the people involved are hunters. It’s also no surprise that an awful lot of the dogs that do really well, for obvious reasons, are Labradors. After Beadling’s suggestion, I reached out to Dropik, who owns dock-jumping Labs. Dropik lives in New Prague, Minnesota, and grew up in a family that hunted waterfowl and upland game obsessively. “We hunted ducks near our home every chance we could, and then pheasants in southwestern Minnesota as well. My family had GSPs and other pointers, but I’ve always been a Lab guy. “I didn’t plan to get into dock jumping with my hunting dogs, but [like Brian Beadling] I was watching the Great Outdoor Games on ESPN and saw a competition. My dog at the time, Tucker, was pretty good at jumping and he loved to leap up and pull apples off of our apple tree, so I thought I’d give it a shot.” Dropik called ESPN and found out that there was an event in Little Rock, Arkansas he could enter. He loaded up his fiancée and drove to Little Rock with Tucker for the Sporting Dog Challenge. To advance to the next event, Tucker needed to place in the top three. He jumped 18 feet and took fourth but when they arrived home, there was a message on their machine saying that one of the top-three finishers had to pull out of the next event. That would prove serendipitous for Dropik. “I knew there were dogs on the East Coast jumping 20 feet, so I got the idea to suspend a dummy high overhead and teach my dog to perform for the reward of the retrieve,” he recalls. “Tucker’s prey drive kicked in and he learned to jump a little harder. “We drove out to Lake Placid, New York and he placed third. Tucker would compete in the Great Outdoor Games until 2005, which is when the jumping exercise I created

gundogmag.com

Tom Dropik‘s dock-jumping dogs have won plenty of blue ribbons, but have also retrieved plenty of limits of ringnecks and other gamebirds.

became the Extreme Vertical Event.” Extreme Vertical is now a mainstay of dock-jumping competitions, as is Dropik, who has a German shepherd/ Lab mix named Remi he rescued in 2010 that is now a five-time world champion in dock jumping. Everyone I talked to about dock jumping mentioned that they respected Dropik’s training style and overall interaction with his dogs, which is something I’ve come to find with a few of the most successful dog trainers over the years. Knowing this, I asked Dropik what he looks for in a dock-jumper, and his answer surprised me. “I look for a dog that is going to hunt,” he said. “I want one that will have strong skills in the field, strong prey drive, but also overall drive. I train my dogs to go hard, but also to have fun, which is why dockjumping is so appealing to me. “Dock jumping necessitates obedience, but it’s also kind of free form. The dogs love it so much that you can just see them tremble when they are about to go. With hunting, it’s different but still enjoyable for them provided you encourage them and they learn to trust you.” Every bird dog owner could take note of Dropik’s last point. Trust gundogmag.com

Dock-jumping might not be on the radar of most upland hunters, but for Tom Dropik and Remi it’s an extension of the season.

between our dogs and us is everything, and lack of it is the root of nearly all performance issues our dogs experience in the field. And the fact that a good dog can go from dock jumping to duck hunting without missing a beat is certainly a testament to good bloodlines and proper training, but is also evidence that our dogs are capable of much more than we give them credit for. Breeds like Labs and GSPs will do nearly anything we ask of them, especially if the task involves something they enjoy and comes naturally like

leaping and retrieving. Dock jumping is a great example of something we can do with our sporting dogs during the off-season that brings us closer to our pups and fosters a greater level of trust from them. From my research, I’m confident in saying that the dockjumping crowd is not much different from the serious bird-hunting crowd and in the center of each is a sporting dog doing what he has always done and loves to do. Honestly, what’s not to like about that? ✱ June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Guerini and brace of perdiz on fencepost.

50 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

gundogmag.com

Mattute and the Perdiz of Santa Fe Argentina’s cattle pastures offer world-class shooting ...if you have the right dog. BY NICK SISLEY

his wasn’t Santa Fe, New Mexico, although Spanish was spoken in this area, a province in Argentina. Mattute was the pointing dog I was following with a shotgun in my hands, and the perdiz, a South American partridge, was our intended prey. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but to my mind Mattute was anything but a “10.” Of course I’ll admit that comparing Mattute to Bo Derrick, the original 10, was a bit ridiculous. Pronounced “Ma-too-tey,” this Drahthaar wouldn’t win any beauty prizes but I was about to discover he sure knew what he was doing in these Santa Fe pastures. Gabrielle owned the dog so he did the handling. Lucho walked mostly behind, being the bearer of extra shells and the carrier of dead birds. Humoring my age, Gabrielle and Lucho spread the barbed-wire so I could crawl between the strands. Once through I loaded the gun, looked up—and there was Mattute on point. I was a bit surprised by Mattute’s rock-like appearance on point. I’d seen countless pointers and setters in such a pose, but this Drahthaar showed the same positive “He’s right here, Boss!” confidence. What about the bird I was expecting to flush? He has become colloquially known in upland bird circles as simply perdiz. But perdiz is merely the word for partridge in Spanish. In South America I’ve been told there are 14 different species of a genus called tinamou. I think I’ve been fortunate to hunt six or seven difgundogmag.com

ferent tinamou species, but the one that’s encountered most often is the spotted tinamou, and that’s the bird I expected to find in front of Mattute’s point.

Typical of the perdiz’s persona, the bird walked out from under Mattute’s point. But he knew how to handle the situation, moving up boldly but with caution. He soon had the bird pinned again. Two more times the spotted tinamou walked off, not unusual for this species, but then the bird stayed tight. Similar to that of a ruffed grouse, this bird’s flush is a bit alarming, which can probably be attributed to the rapidity of its wing beats. With a ruff those fast wing beats and takeoffs usually put the bird behind intervening cover. With this perdiz, however, despite its rapid departure,

Mattute sits mannerly before the author for the camera.

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

MATTUTE AnD THE PErDIz OF SAnTA FE

there’s no intervening cover in a cattle pasture. So, while it’s impressive to witness how much distance this little fellow can put between himself and the gun, he is almost always in the open. The first perdiz of the trip fell and Mattute, not broken to wing and shot, was on the dead bird within maybe two seconds of it hitting the ground. He showed his enjoyment as he pranced back to his owner, proud as a peacock. This superb performance would be repeated over and over that afternoon and the next two. The dog’s ability to point these pasture birds, and confidently handle the tinamou’s tendency to walk off after the first, second and even third points was spot on. One would initially think this would be a hard practice for the dog to master—i.e., following up these “walk-offs” without flushing the birds prematurely. But since almost all spotted tinamou perform this walk-off maneuver, a pointing dog has plenty of opportunities to learn how to relocate without busting the bird. The second afternoon of hunting Mattute was again on point within 100 yards of Gabrielle’s truck. Maybe

PROUD PEACOCK

Belly up: the spotted tinamou.

52 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

The author walks in. Will Mattute have the bird pinned or will the perdiz have walked off?

90 percent of perdiz flushes are single birds. On those rare occasions when a flush involves two birds, one seldom sees both birds in the air at the same time. Instead, one flush is followed by another. So, do you reload after the first shot or hold steady for a few seconds in case another bird goes gets up? Whatever the answer in any given flush situation, I usually do the opposite of what is called for. What about the Drahthaar? That’s the original name of the breed (literally, “wirehair”) in its native Germany. When brought to the U.S. it was recognized by the American Kennel

Club as the German wirehaired pointer, but there are quite a few Drahthaar fanciers who remain closely aligned with the breed’s parent club in Germany and prefer to identify their dogs by the original name to distinguish them from the more “Americanized” version. There’s plenty of German influence in Argentina, but I don’t know anything about the lineage of Mattute. I tried to get more information from Gabrielle on this, but he didn’t speak much English and my Spanish is sort of non-existent. Drahthaars tend to be aloof with strangers but affectionate with those people they know. They possess good stamina (definitely so with Mattute) and have a fine nose and proper instincts. Going back to the second day in the Santa Fe pastures, the weather was ideal, probably in the 50s, with a breeze to aid Mattute’s efforts. It was June, winter in Argentina. We were hunting a cattle farm with plenty of pasture. We hunted from about four in the afternoon until sundown. Mattute never lost a bit of his drive and enthusiasm in what turned out to be more than two solid hours of hunting. Gabrielle gave him water from a bottle occasionally. These second-day fields were easier to walk as the grass was lower. I also noted many grass species, all of which produce tiny seeds, which are the food of the perdiz. I would guess it takes almost constant foraging because those seeds are so small. Because the gundogmag.com

birds are constantly on the move feeding they are continually spreading scent for the dog’s nose. Further, despite most flushes consisting of single birds it is somewhat amazing how many tinamou can be found in each field. That means the dogs are almost constantly on game. Shoot or miss one bird and the dog will probably be working another within 100 yards or less. This has to contribute to the possibility of making finished dogs in a short amount of time here—there are just so many birds. The next flush presented a towering shot. This was not completely unusual but more typically the bird’s flush is going away and pretty close to the ground. I probably passed up 20 shots in three days of shooting, as Mattute was between the escaping bird and me. If you ever travel to Santa Fe, remember to pass up such shots so you don’t endanger the dog—another bird will shortly be pointed and you’ll have another chance. The third afternoon was as good or better than the previous two, sunny with a good breeze. Again, for the third straight day, Mattute went on point less than 100 yards from our vehicle. We hunted the same farm and pastures as the previous day but we started at a different locale. The wind was from a different direction, and every day Gabrielle parked so that our hunt would initially be into the wind or at least into a crosswind.

FINAL FLUSHES

Gabrielle and Mattute.

he was constantly checking the wind. If the pointing dog in tinamou country is too far away, this adds to the challenge presented by the bird’s habit of walking off from the point— the farther the shooter is from the point, the farther the bird might walk off before the shooter can get there. Thus a dog ranging 200 or 300 yards away is a liability in this scenario, not a positive.

Drahthaars tend to be aloof with strangers but affectionate with people they know. They possess good stamina and have a fine nose and proper instincts. Also, three days running I killed that first bird. But I missed my share. The headliner of those three days of memories was undoubtedly Mattute. His work was exceptional. He was seldom more than 100 yards away or closer than 25, with head high as gundogmag.com

But again, shooting spotted tinamou is not all that difficult. Because of the open pasture terrain there’s no intervening brush or trees to contend with. My advice for this gunning is to start the gun muzzle moving first. Very shortly thereafter blend in the

gun mount. Don’t do the opposite lest you be too far behind. Make sure you cheek the stock well and—maybe the most important part—try to stare a hole through the bird. This last basic, of course, is important to matter what type of shotgun shooting we are doing. You can make some pretty long shots on perdiz. For me most days a cylinder or skeet choke might not be enough. On this trip I used improved cylinder in both barrels of a Caesar Guerini Summit Sporting model. Spotted tinamou seasons usually runs from May through July and sometimes into mid-August. While I hunted Santa Fe , I’ve also hunted spotted tinamou in Cordoba (well known for its fabulous dove shooting) as well as Uruguay. ✱ If you’re interested in making such a hunt, I booked through Jeri Booth, who has been booking international bird hunting trips for decades. Reach her at 877-243-3459 or 832-473-1474. June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

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56 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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58 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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60 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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PUPPY TRAINING Building a Solid Foundation In this special two-disc set, professional trainer Jeremy Moore presents a comprehensive training program for developing a happy, cooperative and obedient companion, beginning with an 8-week-old puppy and progressing through the stages of canine adolescence. A discussion on assembling a complete kit of essential training tools is combined with detailed demonstrations on teaching all the basic commandsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sit, stay, heel, come and kennelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as well as dealing with distractions at home and in the field. Hosted by GUN DOG editor Rick Van Etten and includes more than two hours of solid training techniques.

Two Disc Set Only $24.95 Item #1DGDPF

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(4868) June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE 61

Puppy Training: Building a Solid Foundation

Spe Two-D cial isc Set !

Jeremy Moore and Rick Van Etten

ONLY $ 24.95

• Teaching the basic commands • Developing a cooperative attitude • Assembling a training kit • Dealing with distractions • Over 2 hours of instruction Order Code: Item #1DGDPF

DUCKS & GEESE COOKBOOK TOM DOKKEN’S RETRIEVER TRAINING

PHEASANT HUNTER'S COOKBOOK

This engaging guide covers all the how-to’s of hunting waterfowl, including more advanced techniques like river hunting, flooded timber, and prairie shooting. Smith’s advice on how to work managed areas is useful, as is the importance of hunting with dogs to maximize success ratios and minimize cripples.

In Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training, one of America’s leading trainers helps you channel your hunting dog’s huge ambition so he works for you, the way you want, and does so happily. After using the time-tested methods in Tom Dokken’s Retriever Training, you’ll have a reliable retriever. 255 pages

You are a pheasant hunter. You have limited access to fresh or exotic ingredients from the grocery store. You have little experience and no sophisticated equipment as a wild game cook. You have only a short time to spend in the kitchen. And now you have a cook book to match! Jerry Thoms. 20 pgs

The 36 beautifully illustrated recipes within SGB Tennant’s Ducks & Geese trace “with some adjustments” to grass-roots America, 19th-century Britain, or France or Germany or China. All are adaptable to wild or the reliably plump and tender domestic wildfowl. Renowned photographer Arie deZanger provides sumptuous illustrations of finished plates as well as of the sequential culinary procedures. 96 pgs.

$17.95 Code 1BWFHDG

Softcover $19.95 Code 1BGDTDRT

$10.00 Code 1BGDPHC

Hardcover $19.95 Code 1BWFDG

CANINE FIRST AID

PICKING A GUN DOG

Bob West and Tom Holcomb, DVM, provide advice on dealing with the emergencies gun dogs may encounter afield. Included are the after-the-hunt “tailgate inspection,” bandaging wounds, removing dogs from traps and assembling a complete first aid kit, plus a discussion of gunshot wounds and the dangers of invasive weed seeds.

Bob West, Tom Dokken, Tom Ness and Kelly Bryan discuss various types of gun dogs—pointers, setters, spaniels and retrievers— and how to match these types to cover conditions and the game being hunted. Demonstrations in the field and water provide an in-depth look at their style and attributes to aid in the selection process. $14.95 Code 1DGDPB

$14.95

CONDITIONING FOR THE FIELD Bob West and Kelly Bryan show how to get a gun dog in shape for hunting season, beginning with a discussion of weight management, body type, proper nutrition and hydration, followed by demonstrations of the exercises in a complete conditioning program. $14.95

Code 1DGDCF

Code 1DGDFF

800-767-HUNT 4 8 6 8

BLE A L I A V A ERS L I A T E AT R YWHERE EVER

or visit store.intermediaoutdoors.com

Call weekdays 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST for credit card orders. MC, VISA, DISC, AMEX accepted. ($6.00 shipping, add $1.00 for each additional item). For Canada/Foreign additional $5 U.S. shipping and handling.

62 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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GDB-16-07

HUNTING DUCKS AND GEESE

RETRIEVERS: PUPPY TRAINING Emphasizing his “pressure on, pressure off” system professional trainer and breeder Tom Dokken takes us through the fundamentals of choosing and starting a retriever puppy on the path to becoming a completely finished gun dog for both waterfowl and upland gamebird hunting. All of the basic commands—sit, down, come, heel, kennel, place and no—plus preliminary retrieving and introduction to water work, live birds, decoys, boats and gunfire are covered.

RETRIEVERS: ADVANCED TRAINING

Advanced work, including forcefetching, marking and casting, are described by professional trainer Tom Dokken, who demonstrates the step-by-step procedure used to produce a steady and reliable retriever for waterfowl and upland gamebirds. The entire force-fetch sequence is illustrated in detail, moving from the training table to the ground and to the water and the field. Training for controlled behavior in the blind, in boats and around decoys is also included.

Professional trainer and breeder Tom Dokken expands upon the material covered in his puppy and intermediate training tapes to produce a finished retriever for both waterfowl and upland gamebird hunting. Emphasizing positive reinforcement and control both on and off-leash, Tom utilizes “baseball,” “wagon wheel” and lining drills to prepare the dog for a day in the field or the marsh, then moves on to blind retrieves and dealing with such challenges as diving cripples.

$14.95

THE UPLAND RETRIEVER Tom Dokken outlines a comprehensive program for developing a retriever for use in the uplands. Demonstrations of training drills, introducing a dog to heavy cover, encouraging proper use of the wind and learning to trail running birds are followed by an actual hunt and a tailgate discussion of first aid and safety considerations.

$14.95

Code: 1DGDUPR

Code 1DGDBR Code 1DGDIR

Code 1DGDATR

POINTING DOGS: PUPPY TRAINING

POINTING DOGS: INTERMEDIATE TRAINING

POINTING DOGS: ADVANCED TRAINING

Emphasizing his “building blocks to success” program, trainer Bob West provides tips on choosing a puppy and discusses the essential “yard training” commands— heel, come, sit, kennel and no. West demonstrates how to teach the puppy to respond to each command immediately and consistently, and covers the young dog’s introduction to birds, field work, water and gunfire.

With the basic commands mastered, the young dog is ready to begin more advanced work. Professional trainer Bob West introduces the training table and demonstrates its use in teaching “whoa” and the trained retrieve, then shows how to move the training onto the ground and into the field, emphasizing steadiness and control. After completing these lessons the young dog is hunted for the first time., illustrating its proficiency at finding, pointing and retrieving game.

Beginning with a quick review of the procedures covered in the puppy and intermediate training tapes, professional trainer Bob West then moves into more advanced work aimed at producing a finished gun dog. Special emphasis is given to fostering confidence and encouraging stylish performance while maintaining control at all times with the check rope and the electronic collar. Steadiness on birds, honoring, handling in the field and dependable retrieving are covered in detail.

Well-known trainer Bob West introduces the electronic collar and its application in both yard and field training. Beginning with a discussion of the rationale behind “training with electricity,” Bob demonstrates how to condition a dog to the e-collar, determine the dog’s sensitivity level and utilize the collar to reinforce known commands and correct misbehavior. A question-and-answer session at the conclusion of the tape provides further insight into the e-collar’s use and dispels misconceptions about this highly effective training tool.

$14.95

Code 1DGDBPD

Code 1DGDIPD

THE BRITTANY TODAY The video showcases the Brit’s exceptional abilities in finding, pointing and retrieving birds, with the help of veteran trainer Bob Burchett. Shows why the amazing Brittany has become the number one pointing breed. $14.95

Code G2002D

REMOTE TRAINING 101

Code 1DGDAT

THE GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTER IN AMERICA

Code 1DGDRT

THE LABRADOR RETRIEVER IN AMERICA

Here’s the story of one of the premier gun dog breeds to have earned the respect of foot hunters around the world. Harold Adams and Bob Merkel showcase this versatile breed as German shorthairs search for birds, slam onto point, and retrieve from land and water.

The definitive story of the most popular dog in the world, this video puts you on the duck marsh, in the goose blinds and in the pheasant fields with these amazing retrievers. Joe Mullahey and Shawn Eldredge take you on action-packed hunts with their hard-working dogs.

$14.95

800-767-HUNT 4 8 6 8

Code G2008D

LABLERS AVAIT AILE AT REYWHERE EVER

GDB-16-07

$14.95

RETRIEVERS: INTERMEDIATE TRAINING

Code G2020D

or visit store.intermediaoutdoors.com

See contents page for order form information or call weekdays 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST for credit card orders. MC, VISA, DISC, AMEX accepted. ($6.00 shipping, add $1.00 for each additional item). For Canada/Foreign additional $5 U.S. shipping and handling. gundogmag.com

June/July 2016 | GUN DOG MAGAZINE

Parting Shots | By Joe Arnette

Just for Tonight THE SUMMER SUN slanted through the trees, dappling the man and his Labrador with its golden light. They were sitting on a river bank basking in the sun’s warmth, the man tilted back against a tree trunk, the Lab stretched head-onpaws at his side. The air was filled with the songs of birds, the lapping of the river, the rush of a light wind: as he often did on such relaxed, aimless mornings, the man let his thoughts drift as directionless as the free-flowing sounds. Perhaps it was the familiar cover flush with memories and nature’s melodious rhythms that eased Elizabeth Akers Allen’s sentimental poem to the front of his wandering mind, though it was mainly the opening lines that struck a chord, “Backward, turn backward, …” and, particularly, “Make me a child again…!” How pleasant it would be, he thought, to see the world once more through a child’s eyes; to go back and dream the dreams of beginnings, of first “things,” and approach those moments with the innocence and naiveté of a child; to experience the beauty and wonder of touching and being touched by the new through senses singularly uncluttered by expectation; to know again the exquisite thrill of discovery. By definition, first experiences occur only once. After that, similar events are repetitions; often memorable repetitions, but when the first quail or woodcock or mallard is in the bag, it cannot come again. Who among us would not want to revisit our first sight of a spaniel pushing a big rooster into the air, or a pointing dog locked up tail-high

and nose-quivering, leaning into the scent of partridge in the kaleidoscope of a northern fall? The man could no longer be certain through the haze of years, but vivid autumnal hues must have taken on a uniquely poignant meaning with a white dog nailed to the earth beneath them, then a grouse thundering up through them. Oh yes, he would love to see that again with innocent eyes and a fresh mind that bears no preconceived notions of quality. Just for tonight, the man thought, let me go back to days unsullied by such foolishness as owning someone else’s notion of the “right” boots or guns or, especially, dogs. Those first dogs, he recalled with the hint of a smile, ran the gamut from fine setters to oddball mutts that in their own fashion barked squirrels, chased rabbits or flushed pheasants. They were perfect because they were there, and it was all new. And the sight of birds? To the man as boy, they were elemental: the soft weightlessness of a dove; the unmatched perfection of a wood duck; the artistry of a bobwhite; the intricacy of feathers. The man had no wish to relive his childhood, at least not in its entirety. What he desired, what he would cherish, was one night, perhaps from afar, with a little distance so he could be selective and again touch the extraordinary sense of new things. Like his first bagged gamebird, a woodcock. The details of the hunt were lost, but he remembered clearly that he had never experienced anything quite like that brief chain of events: walking up on his uncle’s motionless English setter,

the woodcock in the air, the drift of feathers, the dog delivering the bird—his bird. At that moment, to his eye, the setter was the most beautiful dog on earth. Likewise, there was nothing to match the woodcock’s subtlety in browns and russets, its charmingly silly stub tail, its delicate probing bill, its forgiving eyes. Just the thought of it still took away his breath. But mixed with the recollection of childhood exuberance was another, deeper, emotion—the unsettling paradox of hunter success—the involvement with death wrought by his own hand. In an instant, he had made the woodcock his personal responsibility. And all the years later, he had forgotten neither the elation nor the sadness of holding that first lovely bird in his hand. Although when death troubled him now it was on a different, possibly more camouflaged level. Could the old adage be true, the man asked himself, that we all have a part of us that remains forever young? Could it be possible to rediscover a secret recess in his mind undiminished by experience and faded memories? Could he, for a short time, become a child again and recapture the sense of the new as it was then? Maybe, just for a night, he could see and feel, with great clarity, a white English setter rigid with intensity, a woodcock in his hand, the sounds and smells of the moment, the wind on his face, and the rush of new emotions. The man scratched his Labrador’s ear, then closed his eyes and said softly, “It just might happen.” ✱

Gun Dog (ISSN: 0279-5086). Published 7 times a year (Dec/Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr/May, Jun/Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, ad Nov) by OUTDOOR SPORTSMAN GROUP, 1040 6th Ave., 12th Floor, New York NY 10018-4618. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change (Form 3579) to Gun Dog, P.O. Box 37539, Boone, IA 50037-0539. return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 500 Rt. 46 East, Clifton, NJ 07011. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 41405030.

64 GUN DOG MAGAZINE | June/July 2016

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“Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, Make me a child again just for tonight!” —E.A. Allen, 1860

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