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At the seminar this past weekend, we showed two di

At the seminar this past weekend, we showed two different methods of teaching a dog to retrieve - force fetch with ear pressure and a free shaped clicker retrieve. I demonstrated the free shaping method described in Jo Laurens’ book Force Free Gun Dog Training.

This method starts really simple and rewards a dog for just looking at an object. You gradually raise the criteria to “earn” a click/food reward. Next is a nose touch, then an open mouth near the object, then a slight pickup, then a pickup with a bit of distance, etc. If you’re interested in this method, the book goes into detail and explains it really well.

Zara enjoyed being a demo dog for this process and was getting a bit frisky, given the fact that she hasn’t been able to do much in several weeks!

Note: I wouldn’t normally use a leash and prong collar during this process, but I can’t have her lunging and pulling much. And sorry the audio isn’t great - it was really windy!
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#retrievetraining #clickertraining #birddogtraining #vizsla #freeshaping #akchunttest

My friend Ozzie and I presented a seminar on trans

My friend Ozzie and I presented a seminar on transitioning from Junior Hunter to Senior/Master Hunter on Saturday. We had a great group of engaged participants and it went well.

We covered the different test categories, what judges are looking for, and how everything is scored. Then we went out in the field and everyone watched a brace of Master-level dogs and scored them. We came back and broke into groups to discuss the scores and reached consensus on whether each dog passed or failed. After lunch, we talked about different methods to teach steadiness, retrieving, honoring, recall, and heeling. It was a lot of information to cover but I think everyone had a better idea of how to move forward with their dog at the end of the day.

Thanks to Cindi Saylor @cindisaylor for helping out, Steve Welch for serving as a gunner, and Sandhills Pointing Breeds Club for allowing us to use the grounds.
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#akchunttest #akchunttesttraining #masterhunter #birddogtraining #vizsla #gsp

The annual birthday photo! Happy 7th birthday Colo

The annual birthday photo! Happy 7th birthday Colombo! Swipe to see last year’s - he’s definitely getting a touch of white on his face! (As is Zara 😢)
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#happybirthday #rhodesianridgeback #vizsla #dogbirthday

New blog post! Keeping Game Birds in the Suburbs.

New podcast episode: Transitioning Between Events.

New podcast episode: Transitioning Between Events. 🎙

In this episode, I talk about running multiple kinds of events with your pointing dog. Some people say you can't run a field trial dog in hunt tests or NAVHDA and vice versa, but that's not always true. If you're going to transition between different types of events, what are some considerations to think about in training? How do you keep the rules straight?

If you run a variety of events, do you have any tips?
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The Accidental Bird Dog Podcast is sponsored by @onxhunt, @bossshotshells, and @toyota. We are part of the @herupland podcast network.
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#accidentalbirddogpodcast #dogpodcast #dogsports #akcfieldtrials #fieldtrialdog #hunttests #navhda #nstra #huntingdog #birddog #ukcfieldtrials #americanfield #aftca
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Photo by Ted Wentink

Three weeks of crate rest down, two to go. Even

Three weeks of crate rest down, two to go.

Even with all the advanced training we’ve done, this is easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done with this dog. I feel bad that she doesn’t understand why she’s being restricted. Trazodone is helping and we’re trying to take it one day at a time.

Every morning we do scentwork in the house and both dogs are getting quite good at it. I’m getting stronger from carrying Zara up and down the stairs 10 times a day, so that’s a plus lol. Colombo is definitely confused about why he can’t play with Zara and has been refusing to go on walks without her. 😕

That’s about all that’s happening over here these days. I’m really hoping we get some good news when we go back to the vet on April 18th.
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#craterestsucks #vizsla #illiopsoasstrain

Our Easter egg hunt looked a little different this

Our Easter egg hunt looked a little different this year since we had to be inside. But since I’ve been teaching the dogs scentwork, Colombo actually knew what was going on this time! 🐣
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#scentwork #easteregghunt #easter #workingdogs

I don’t have photos or videos of the first time

I don’t have photos or videos of the first time Zara hunted birds, the first time she pointed, or the first time a bird was shot for her. But I do have a photo of the very first time she held a bird in her mouth and a video of the first time she ever picked up a shot bird.

She was 5 years old and I had just spent about six months teaching her to retrieve using bumpers and other objects. Before that, Zara had no interest in picking up a dead bird. If a bird was shot for her, she would run to it and just stare. Finally, after building a solid foundation and having her understand what “fetch” meant, I threw a dead bird for her a few days before the NAVHDA training day in February 2019. She picked it up and I was able to take a photo (first image).

At the training day, I sent her to retrieve a shot bird. I wasn’t sure if she would actually do it, so you can hear the surprise in my voice when she actually did. Her retrieve was sloppy, but we got that cleaned up soon after.

There are many methods to teach a dog to retrieve - with various kinds of pressure, free shaping, or using a clicker and treats. I think any of them can get the job done. Going through the process deliberately and being consistent is the most important thing. Ask anyone who has trained their dog and I bet they’ll agree that the end result is pretty amazing. In our case, I started with a dog who refused to retrieve and ended up with one who has never failed to retrieve or dropped a bird in a test/trial since. 🐦
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#retrievetraining #retriever #birddogtraining #vizsla #birddogoftheday #uplandhunting

New podcast episode! JGHV Testing: The VGP Test. 🎙

This is the final part of a three-part series discussing the JGHV testing system. I interviewed Cortney Schaefer @prairieflusstal about the VGP test, which is the finished versatile hunting dog test. This is a two-day test that encompasses 20+ test subjects and is typically run by dogs between 18 and 36 months of age. Cortney has been a JGHV judge since 2013 and currently owns and breeds Deutsch Drahthaars.

Have you ever run the VGP or do you plan to?
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The Accidental Bird Dog Podcast is sponsored by @onxhunt, @bossshotshells, and @toyota. We are part of the @herupland podcast network.
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#accidentalbirddogpodcast #dogpodcast #dogsports #akcfieldtrials #fieldtrialdog #hunttests #navhda #nstra #huntingdog #birddog #ukcfieldtrials #americanfield #aftca

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