The 25 Best Pheasant Hunting Towns in America :
Pheasants Forever chapter activities and available lodging for the traveling bird hunter. It’s by no means scientific, but a fun exercise in day dreaming about next fall. Hopefully you’re lucky enough to live in one of these pheasant country towns, and if not, have the chance to visit often.
Giardia cases spike in Portland-area dogs :
Local veterinarians are seeing an unusual spike in the number of dogs getting Giardia, an infection that can easily be passed to people.
Southwest Portland veterinarian Libbi Hawkins said most years, she sees only a few animals with Giardia, but just in the past two months, she’s treated dozens of cases.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many cases of Giardia as we’ve had this year,” said Hawkins.
The Big Picture
THE BIG PICTURE -
Every retriever trainer, whether novice or professional, has a goal in mind for his/her retriever in terms of usefulness: park play, beach fun, hunting, hunting tests, field trials, civil or military work, and others.
The goal, the big picture, should define the day to day training of one’s retriever. There are various flow charts and training manuals available to trainers which demonstrate such a progression. However, issues that arise in day to day training can, and often do, derail the focus of the trainer from the big picture while refocusing the trainer on the specific issue at hand. In some cases such a refocusing is warranted for safety reasons, etc. but my assertion in this article is that too many times trainers will head down the proverbial rabbit trail behind every single issue that arises and the entire program becomes focused on chasing problems rather than training for success.
It is wise for a trainer to have in mind every training session what his specific big picture goal is before ever taking out his retriever for training. When a setback occurs one should evaluate the problem in the context of the overall training program and decide whether or not a “fight” is worth pursuing. I can’t define here what those parameters are…that is your job. I can say that to err of the side of caution would be prudent in any case involving discipline. The old saying “pick your battle” is very applicable in retriever training.
Here is one example for consideration: Let’s say one has a promising young hunting test candidate who has been progressing nicely through his training sessions. The goal, obviously, is to run hunting tests with the retriever so there are various skill sets that are being taught including various marking concepts. The young trainee has demonstrated extremely sharp skills on most marking concepts offered except one particular setup. You as the trainer have noted the issue and have begun paying attention to this trend in various settings. Now comes the crucial time of fending off the rabbit. Smart trainers will seek to bolster the weak area of training through various means such as handling, gunner assistance, simplifying, etc. The issue will be dealt with over an extended period of time without the neglect of working on the strong points of the retriever. The not-so-smart trainer will head off down the rabbit trail and focus entirely on the problem setup to the exclusion of the retriever’s strong points.
The smart trainer will maintain his focus on the big picture…training for the goal…while at the same time chipping away at problematic issues. The not-so-smart trainer will attack issues almost exclusively and the big picture will become dim to not only the trainer but to the retriever as well. The end result for the smart trainer is that his retriever will remain balanced and issues will be dealt with over time. The end result for the not-so-smart trainer just might be a ruined retriever in terms of the original intent of his training.
One final point to consider here is the establishment of good skills, and the isolation of solving issues by and large, to drill work rather than in cold settings. While there is no exchanging drill work for cold work in terms of finished product… drill work is where the tools come from to enable cold work; I would urge trainers do not circumvent either area of training and seek balance.
By K9 Contenders Professional - Keith Farmer
How to Choose the Right Nutrition for a New Puppy :
There has been a collective shift among sporting dog owners as far as canine nutrition is concerned. Pursuit-, condition-, and breed-specific diets are commonplace for adult birders, and while that is very important, overlooking a pup’s dietary needs is a mistake.
If you take a look at the life of a puppy, it breaks down to two speeds—sleeping and all-out. Their lives are punctuated with periods of extreme activity followed by the need to rest. Adult dogs may come close to such behavior, but pups own the extreme peaks and valleys of activity and inactivity. Combine those bursts of rambunctious behavior and sedentary moments with the rapid growth of their bodies, and a formula for performance promotion becomes more important than ever.
Addressing nutritional needs in the first year of life is essential, but it boils down to more than picking up a bag of dog food marketed towards puppies. Truly offering your new four-legged cohort the upper edge in health and development requires an understanding of exactly what they need to ingest and what you need to do to monitor them throughout their growth.
Started Dogs :
Many families today don’t have the time or energy to handle a 8 week old puppy and the commitment it takes to raise them.
STARTED dogs are a fantastic option with some tremendous benefits :
* They are already crate trained and housebroken
* They are obediant
* They are old enough to determine their temperament and trainability
* You know what they will look like when they mature
* In many cases there is still plenty of that puppy attitude we all love
