Gun Dog Forum

PrairieGoat

You've really got to nip the "catching" in the bud, but you have to be careful or you will have a dog that will blink birds. My suggestion would be to train using something other than quail (pigeons, chukar). My pup holds point very well, but occasionally these pen-raised quail are just too easy an ...

PrairieGoat

Charlie I'm glad to hear it worked for you! :D I think someone famous once said "Desperate times call for desperate measures"!!! I don't recall when your NA test was, but you will definitely want to get him out there a few more times as soon as possible to reinforce his confidence. I think I was hit...

PrairieGoat

It was at the local Sportsman's Warehouse.....seems like they are more in this part of the country, don't know about OH. Unfortunately, they only had 3 boxes of the 20g here, but I called my Dad down in NM and he picked up a few more boxes for me.

PrairieGoat

Yep...Cabelas has got one....saw it today on their website. Can't speak to the quality, but most things I get from them seem to be pretty good.

Randy

PrairieGoat

Luke, I'm in the same boat....heading to SD and needed non-tox shot. You might want to take a look at Remington Wingmaster HD. It is softer than Hevishot (although harder than steel), and is more round. I think it has about the same density (a good bit heavier than lead). The best part is that it is...

PrairieGoat

Cheaper here, about 18.oo. It will leave a pretty good lump tho, for about a month. Funny, mine only got the lump on the booster.....it was a biggun' too! It scared the heck out of me when I first noticed it (from across the room!). The vet told me to gently massage it every night for a bit and aft...

PrairieGoat

I had my older pup vaccinated this year....ran about $25 for the initial vaccination and then the same for a booster about a month later. Given the country we run in, seemed like a prudent expense...

Randy

PrairieGoat

Been feeding ProPlan Large Puppy to both my 4 month old and my 1 year old for the last several months. Thus far I am happy with it....although will be switching to ProPlan Large Adult after the next bag and will probably switch at least the one year old over to ProPlan Performance right before I hea...

PrairieGoat

I love the "team effort" photo and the casual "look at me, I'm leaving with your bumper" shot. That's great. Denise They do love their bumpers....and favorite swimming holes! Watching them now you'd think they had both spent all their lives swimming; like it was no big deal. The little one has and ...

PrairieGoat

Charlie, Just to whet your appetite (poor pun intended!), here are the results of my life vest efforts.... Here's my 4 month old (no life vest trick needed, thinks he's a lab) and my 1 year old swimming... IMGP0692_A.jpg Here's a team effort... P9070188_A.jpg And a lazy "swim by"... P9070184_A.JPG T...

PrairieGoat

Congratulations!!! Gotta love those pups and the NA test.....heck of a lot of fun!

PrairieGoat

Seems odd to me that this would be all that big a' deal....I can tell the difference between "Whoa" and "No" and I suspect a dog's hearing is a fair bit better than mine! I know for a fact that my pup can tell the difference....they illicit a different response. "Whoa" makes him stop in his tracks.....

PrairieGoat

Charlie, Just make sure it has a handle on the back (most probably do)....that was the key, being able to help support him in the water until he realized he could do it on his own. I started out with him just at his limit in the water then lifted/supported as I gave him a gentle push into the deeper...

PrairieGoat

Great pictures!!! Funny, that same blade of grass often ends up in my pictures!

PrairieGoat

Also the puppy life jacket may sound funny, but it sounds like a darned good idea to me. I may have to give that a try. :D It was pretty much the last straw for me.....I had tried everything everyone had already listed here, but my pup just wasn't convinced he could swim. I knew if I didn't get him...

PrairieGoat

John, You are doing it just fine! That is one of the things I really like about my Dogtra collar...and one of the reasons I am reluctant to switch over to TriTronics. Just like your pup, mine was very quick to associate the vibrate mode with "checking in". I really like the fact that when he gets ou...

PrairieGoat

I've got a Greenwing Macaw and an African Grey....both of my GSPs have been raised with them, so much like Max said...they pretty much ignore them except for the fruity flavor pellets that they throw out of their cages! Must be like GSP caviar the way the dogs scarf them up...and to think I used to ...

PrairieGoat

I'm pretty sure the pup has to swim to get the minimum (Prize III). Take a look at this thread from awhile back....may help...

http://www.gundogforum.com/forum/viewto ... 69&t=13879

Randy

PrairieGoat

Unfortunately looks like the logistics and/or stars just aren't going to line up for me (due mainly to my own late planning).....am going to have to skip this season and will use the vacation time during pheasant season! Thanks again though for all the tips...next year I should be a little more orga...

PrairieGoat

Uh oh.....sounds like there is going to be a herd of us up there! Just made reservations this AM for 31 Oct - 5 Nov. for the Aberdeen area. Will be my first year hunting SD...

PrairieGoat

You must have washed him too much.....you've washed the color clear out of that GSP!!! :lol: LOL, no you just let your Weim play in too much dark mud :) And that wasn't my foot, it was my son's. Funny thing was I didn't even realize it was there when I took the pic, was consentrating on the cute gr...

PrairieGoat

Guys...thanks for the info! I certainly appreciate the tips....hopefully by this time next week my sage grouse hunting status will have changed from "greenhorn" to "amateur"!!!

Randy

PrairieGoat

Thanks for all the info!!! For the moment, I've decided to forego the boots in the short-term....will probably revisit later. I like the looks of the Ruffwear boots...they look tough, but then looks can be very deceiving. You all do have me a bit worried with all the warnings about wrapping tape/vet...

PrairieGoat

Congratulations!!! I love seeing a Setter doing well in NAVHDA testing....don't see many actually testing, but I know they can do it!

PrairieGoat

You must have washed him too much.....you've washed the color clear out of that GSP!!!

He's a cute pup! Get all the pictures you can (you'll have to sort around the blurry ones....puppies move way faster than most digital cameras!)....they grow up faster than you (or I) can imagine.

Randy

PrairieGoat

Does anyone have any experience with Ruffwear Dog Boots? I know they are a bit on the pricey side, but am more interested in fuctionality than price. My dogs are on carpet or grass a large part of the time as I am a working city dweller, so some additonal protection in cactus and rocks would be good...

PrairieGoat

I'm probably going to give Sage Grouse hunting a try here in CO this year for the first time. If you have any tips to share (not asking for anyone's hotspot!) I'd certainly appreciate it!!! I'm trying to get my Dad to come out with me, and am looking forward to a hunt together (he just turned 69). I...

PrairieGoat

Sage45 and BDBUzi,

If you've done a little work with your pups, you should do fine. Most importantly......have fun.....that's really what it is all about (although we all want our pups to do well)!

Randy

PrairieGoat

I use dead birds and it works just fine.....just be sure to kick the prey drive into high gear with the proper intro to birds first.

PrairieGoat

Tammy,

Sounds like you've caught the bird dog fever like some other people.....don't personally know anyone that's afflicted, but I've heard....!!! She's a cutie (just like your other one).....looks like she's not going to be the least bit birdshy!

Randy

PrairieGoat

From the subject line, probably too late for you to see this......but good luck, stay safe, and most of all a huge THANKS!!!

PrairieGoat

PntrRookie, You're probably right.....the difference between exposure and training, if any, is a gray area and the line is probably drawn a little different for each person. Here is where I make the distinction.....if it is a behaviour that I had to obtain through repitition and correction, then I w...

PrairieGoat

Sounds like Tammy & Jazz did great....tell 'em congratulations! Wow......6 1/2 months.....amazing!!!

PrairieGoat

Congratulations.....Good Job!!!

PrairieGoat

I have a Dogtra 3500 that I've had just about a year.....so far no problems and I absolutely love it. Since the addition of the new pup am probably going to be getting the 2 dog model as well.

PrairieGoat

I have to agree with Rick on this one. My pup just got an NA Prize I -112pts and I spent very little time (<5 hrs) doing anything resembling any kind of training.....I did spend a great deal of time doing what I would call "exposure" to the things he would experience during the test. Here's a rough ...

PrairieGoat

I wouldn't worry about it......like you said, she is a joy to be around and likes to hunt......after these attributes everything else is secondary at best. Keep after the training, sounds like the ability is there (whether or not it came out in the test). I can understand the pride part, but work on...

PrairieGoat

He's a cute little fella'! That last pic is great!

PrairieGoat

Congratulations!!! I had a hard time getting mine to swim as well.....tried dead birds, retrieving dummies of all kinds, going out with another dog that was a swimmer....all to no avail. I was having the same results...he would go out only deep enough until he had to swim and he would turn around an...

PrairieGoat

The only thing I would worry about (and very little at that) is that she is "interested" in the wing. I'd only do this a couple of times to assess her interest level and hopefully get a bit of a kickstart on the prey drive. Then it is on to more important matter......real birds......but be very care...

PrairieGoat

Good lookin' GSP!

PrairieGoat

Very nice looking dog (can't say much for her "subjects" though!)!!!

At first glance, I thought she was a b/w GSP (she looks very much like mine in the face)...but then it was obvious from the remainder of the pics she was a LM. Like most of the dogs on here....looks to have a tough life!!!

PrairieGoat

I am going for broke (maybe literally). VC or bust :lol:. I wonder how many years it will take me.........hopefully Roxi has a long life. I think a VC would be a heck of an achievement for both you and Roxi. With some hard work and training I bet it wouldn't take too long.....she's a GSP isn't she?...

PrairieGoat

Thanks Bill! He is one heck of a pup....I am really proud of him!

PrairieGoat

You might want to get a copy of George Hickox pointer training video.....it describes how to introduce a dog to birds to ensure that they are not afraid of them. This is one of those things that is much easier to prevent than to cure. Since you are already past that point, you are going to have to w...

PrairieGoat

Congrats Prairiegoat. Is this you first NAVHDA dog (mine is)? Are you going to do UPT or UT? Thanks Denise! I haven't really made up my mind whether or not to pursue the advanced tests. If I do, I would probably just go straight on to the UT. The breeder/trainer that I referenced in my post a momen...

PrairieGoat

Thanks!!! PntrRookie, This is my first NAVHDA dog/test, but I spent some pretty significant time researching all of this.....probably way more time than training my pup!!! I think Denise is right on with her tips....keep commands to a minimum, let the dog do what comes naturally (i.e., chase the bir...

PrairieGoat

I have a new found respect for the UT dogs after watching them run yesterday (best I saw was a Prize II). Belated congratulations and that is an awesome looking GSP!

PrairieGoat

My wife and I took our older pup (Alex) up to his Natural Ability test yesterday. He put in a great performance and came out with a Prize I - 112 pts. He seemed to pretty much be on autopilot and I probably could have been a cardboard cutout!!! Given that it had been 5 months since he had been on re...

PrairieGoat

romeo212000 wrote:Who brings up a thread from 2004?

Apparently Better Birddogs!!! Actually, it has been an informative thread.....as Denise said, there are those of us that need or will soon be needing this info....

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