You have worked hard with your dog during the exposure phase and now hope to take your dog to the next level. It is now time to work on more intensive training if you want to prepare your dog for an advanced hunt test or if you simply want to shape your...

Insert Note from Dad:  My son, Connor, wrote the following short story for his 6th grade English class. The story was supposed to be about one of his favorite outdoor experiences. He wrote about a time we traveled to a little country town a couple hunting seasons...

 All of the versatile hunting dog tests that I have participated in or read about have a portion of their test that is dedicated to evaluating how well a young pup follows a scent trail. Some tests, such as those that are affiliated with the European clubs, often...

I had some friends over to train dogs at my place the other day. We worked with a couple young pups who have an upcoming puppy test as well as with Cross Timber’s Apex who is preparing for her Utility Test coming up in October. Cross Timber’s Apex (aka Meeka) is being...

I often tell folks that they will do their pup a great service if they work to make their dog comfortable with water, birds and guns during the first 9-12 months of life. These things, as well as a lot of off-leash running and exploring in various fields of all types...

In this post, we will be discussing the intro of a young pup to birds. The intro of birds can usually be done with minimal caution with a fairly bold pup. However, it is still good to have a plan to follow as you often don’t really know how bold of a pup you have when...

Last post I discussed how to get your young pup swimming. During the early months after acquiring a pup there is much to consider as far as exposure goes. One of those things is establishing a strong desire to retrieve from land. Start with Sound Genetics            ...

After acquiring a puppy of one of the versatile hunting dog breeds there is much to think about in terms of shaping that pup into a mature hunting dog. Much of what I do during the first year is expose the pup to all kinds of things that they will encounter as a...