We were training on planted quail.

A nice Pudelpointer with handler Ben Hong.

Stylish Pointer

A Brittany oldtimer.

Steadying the dogs

A big English Setter on point

You need to have this many Pointers in order to find one that will stay in the same county.

Old Brit again.

UplandJournal.com contingent

It is all about the dogs

Time to reinforce all that training you’ve been doing all summer and polish up your partners for the quickly approaching season.

What I do at this time is try my best to run my dogs as much as I can, increasing the time the dog is on the ground in order to get those lungs and heart in gameday shape.

I have also been reinforcing my whoa training on my young britt for her second season in the field. I took her to the vet the other day and to my pleasure she said that Jazz is in awesome shape and has the heart of an athlete. Hard to believe having a lazy owner like me.

So this week I’ll open the safe and oil up the 20 gauge double, pick up my provincial deer permit (still waiting for an invite to a deer camp), renew my guide licence and attain my migratory bird permit. I’ll be checking my gear and replenishing my shell bag and counting the days until the fifteenth. All that’s left is to pray that there are a few birds to get my precocious pup into.

Good luck and happy hunting.

The main premise of the Buddy Stick is “power steering” for the dog. The tool itself is so simple that it is a do-it-yourself product. All you need is an eight foot piece of pvc pipe with an end cap and a brass lead snap on one end.

The obvious benefit of the Buddy Stick is complete control of the dog from all sides. It is great for “whoa” training and steadying the dog. You can give the dog a slight push on the chest while standing in front of the dog to firm up the “whoa”, then give him a couple of taps under the chin to get his head up nice and high.

Have you ever been training your dog on planted or wild birds and your dog goes on point. Chances are you don’t have anything to tie the check cord to or you don’t have anyone to flush the bird as you control the dog. With the Buddy Stick, you can move around to the front, which is also a challenging endeavour with a check cord and not having a young dog break point, and once in front of the dog you can drop the stick to the ground (step on the end of it to embed it into the ground if you wish) and the dog cannot move forward as the Buddy Stick prevents forward movement.

The Buddy Stick is also great for styling up the dog on the bench or barrel.

I have been know to hang out on internet forums or bulletin boards quite a lot in the past two years. I have found my favorites in each of the areas of interest that I am looking for. When it comes to one of my oldest and dearest pursuits, upland hunting and bird dogs, there is no better community than Upland Journal.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with a few of the members of the Upland Journal, and I have to say that in person, these men and women are some of the nicest people I have ever met.

I have to give credit to Brad Eden, owner of Upland Journal, for creating a no nonsense approach to online community building. Tight moderating (by Brad and his head moderator Alan Briere)and clear rules have attracted the aforementioned group of upstanding e-citizens.

The get-together of the members of Upland Journal, took place in Scarborough, Maine and probably started out as a regional gathering of northeastern (and southeastern Canadian) members, but as a testament to the community, the event attracted members from as far away as Wisconsin, Michigan and Kentucky with upwards of 100 people in attendance.

Events of the day included clay target shooting in the form of five stand and wobble trap, drawing of some very attractive door prizes, a grand prize gun raffle, secondary raffle of some excellent prizes, a clam and lobster bake and to end the night off, there was entertainment from members Lee Sykes and Brian Dietz and socializing til the wee hours. From the feedback on the forum, the general consensus is that this was a special event, made special by those who attended as well as those who wished they had attended. Good Job UJers, it is a privilege to be associated with you all.

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With younger dogs it’s good to create a controlled environment so that we can anticipate what’s going to happen and be prepared on how we can take advantage of the situation.

A good early season drill would be to run the dog in a fairly open area where you can see where the dog is and you can steer him a little better by taking different routes through the field.

Try to locate some light cover to plant a bird in a trap. Steer your dog upwind of the bird and anticipate when the dog will get there so you can be close by to control the action.

Walk up to the dog and steady him up all the while showering praise.

The older the dog the more you can try to recreate an actual trial or hunting situation with the release of the bird and the discharge of the starter pistol.

Positive Reinforcement

The first rule is to remain positive. No need for the flushing whip or ear pulling and heaven forbid a training collar. It is a time for lots of praise and should you need to reprimand for accidents, chewing, etc, a firm “NO” while looking pup in the eye will suffice but only if you catch him in the act.

Socialization

Socialization is the first step in training a puppy. This should start as soon as you bring Pup home. Begin by introducing Pup to new people. Only a few at first, then gradually more as he becomes comfortable with strangers. This will ensure Pup develops a trusting attitude towards people. Go for walks and meet new people and other dogs along the way.

You can also introduce Pup to some basic commands at this time.

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Delmar Smith, famous pointing dog trainer and author, said that he concentrates on breeding a top notch litter and then lets his clients choose their picks. He then takes whatever is left and trains them to be champions.

Things to Consider

• Choose a reputable breeder.
• If possible, research and select a superior pedigree.
• Choose which sex you would prefer.
• Visit the pups between 5 and 7 weeks old.
• Observe temperament, avoid overly aggressive or overly passive puppies
• Determine your preference in markings. Dogs with more white are easier to spot in dense cover and harder to spot in snow.
• Tell you breeder what traits you are looking for. He knows the pups better than you will in an hour or two that you are there.
• Pick up your pup when they are ready and shower it with love.

Enjoy your puppy and good luck.

- Trapper