Gun Dog Forum

I'm no trainer, but that method sounds risky since you can't control the gunfire only the distance. I help Hickox introduce a dog to gunfire once. I was the shooter with a 410 about 100 + yards away. He watched the dog closely while it was introduced. He looked for any acknowledgement of the shot.

Yeah, she's on fish oil. Every meal now. I used to just give it a few times a week because she appeared to not tolerate it well. I went to a small cod liver oil pill. But its low on the omega 3 acids.. We'll see if she can handle the big costco pill every meal.

I'm dealing with some chronic itching with my pointer and was wondering if it's advisable to try Gold Bond on her.

Thanks Big Bloc. I see in your profile that you have a pointer as well and you're the same age. I use to think pointing dogs were for old men, now I are one. http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c125/roaniecowpony/Emoticons/Honesty.jpg I still like the building excitement in a flusher when it works a s...

Hello. I found this great forum and read a bit back last fall and joined but didn't post much and didn't introduce myself. Looks like a great place to exchange information and make friends. I'm Chuck from California. I have a middle aged Lab and a 3 year old english pointer from Hickox. I hunt mostl...

A couple years ago, our lab shredded a reath covered in pheasant feathers I had bought many years before in SD. I came home and found the reath and feathers scattered about the living room and hall. I thought no big deal...until I saw all the pins scattered around. The patches of skin that held the ...

I'm a little late in commenting here but I'll try to add some value. I've only attended Hickox's classes (3), not the Smiths. I do have a dog from George that came to me as a trained 2 year old. This past summer, George brought a litter of pointer pups to his class and demostrated the method of zero...

Regarding hydration, I use Elements R and the dogs drink like W.C. Field and get their glycogen restored too. Elements R makes a huge difference in the ability to run the dog several days in a row.

http://elements-nutrition.com/

I hunted western KS in Dec 2011. Did great with the pheasant. Didn't see quail. I had to cancel our trip there this past 2012 season due to the lack of birds from the draught. AlbertaChessie, it may be warm for a chessie, but my scrawny pointer would be just perfect when hunting in that temp and nee...

The young dogs I've had get Purina Forta Flora (probiotic) when they get the runs. Also, if the runs continue, I go to a low fat diet of boiled rice and boiled chicken without the skin. I make the rice nice and soft so it digests easily. My vet says she recommends lowering the fat when a dog gets th...

Angus, Thanks for lending a hand. Yes, first thing was a check for mange. On the Pro Plan foods, you can get a pretty diverse type of protein with the different selections. The Chicken and Brown Rice is corn and wheat free. There are Lamb, Beef and other protein selections as well. As I mentioned, t...

Ezzy, Thanks for your thoughts. I think I forgot to mention that the dog has been on Pro Plan Performance since I got her from Hickox and I assume all her adult life. But she did come to me with the itch and hair issues. The vet ran tests for parasites. The thing I don't quite understand is the shed...

I never thought I'd homecook for my dogs, but I'm currently homecooking for my e-pointer to help diagnose a skin/itch problem with her. I'm looking for some others experience and solutions with similar problems. The pointer has a poor coat with no hair on her underside and front of her hind legs. Ha...

Others covered the bleeding and segregation issues. I have two females. Both are now spayed. I never intended to breed either and my vet advised that cancer was more probable in females not bred if they were left intact. I saw a probability of cancer chart based on the number of heat cycles somewher...

Just a data point I keep in mind...I feed twice a day on my work days. When I leave for work, about 6:30-7:00 am, I put food down and feed again about sundown. I've had one of my young dogs get excited and threw up, when I returned around 4-5 pm. I saw whole kibble (pro plan) in his vomit. I feed ki...

Just my experience and advice of Hickox as well as many other long time trainers...don't feed the morning of strenuous training or hunting. I've had my dogs get the runs from feeding in the morning. Moreover, it elevates the temperature of the dog in order to digest the food it has consumed. There's...