Training Tips
Here's how we make the most of each hunt
All About Retriever Training Dummies
by Tom Dokken
Training dummies are a staple of a good retriever training program.
Mid-Season Tune-Ups for Your Retriever
by Tom Dokken
Hunting season! Time for all your summer training and hard work to pay off. Thankfully, your waterfowl dog is now perfectly behaved and executes every command and retrieve with precision, right? Wait, you’re saying that’s not true? That’s OK. I’m mostly kidding because the truth is that none of our...
Picking the Right E-Collar
by Tom Dokken
Purchasing your first SportDOG Brand® remote training collar or upgrading from an older model isn’t particularly difficult, but it does require some thought about which features are most important to you and how the collar is going to be used. Thankfully, SportDOG offers enough products that you can easily match...
Building a Steady Retriever
by Tom Dokken
A retriever that remains calm in a duck blind and concentrates on watching birds fall is a joy to hunt with. In a perfect world, that’s how all retrievers would behave. While a steady retriever is something that most hunters want, the reality is that very few retrievers are truly...
Make Your Upland Retriever Crazy for Feathers
by Tom Dokken
There’s nothing better than a hard-charging flushing dog that is absolutely crazy for birds. But how do you make sure your young retriever will turn out like that? Here are the steps I use. You can introduce your retriever to feathers when he is very young, say up to 12 weeks....
What Does “Socializing” Your Puppy Mean?
by Tom Dokken
You hear a lot about “socializing” your puppy, but what does that mean and why is it important? Socializing is actually training. By that I mean that every time you are with your puppy he is learning something. You need to make sure he’s learning what you want him to...
Off-Season Tune-Ups for a Better Fall
by Tom Dokken
Sometimes during hunting season our dogs “get away with stuff,” for lack of a better description. This happens to everyone because, let’s face it, when the hunting is good, stopping to work on training isn’t top of mind. After all, bird seasons only last for a few short weeks or...
What you MUST Understand About Dog Containment Systems and E-Collar Training
by Tom Dokken
Just like modern e-collars, the newest in-ground fencing systems, also known as containment systems, have improved life for dogs and their owners. A containment system helps keep your dogs from wandering out of the yard, which is great for their safety and your own peace of mind. A containment system can...
Retriever Training: The Transition to Water
by Tom Dokken
Retrievers love water, so you wouldn’t think that transitioning from land retrievers to water retrieves would be difficult. It isn’t, as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. The key to a smooth introduction and continued improvement on water retrieves is to work in baby steps, just like you did...
How Tone and Vibe Can Improve Your Upland Bird Hunting
by Tom Dokken
A flushing dog that has learned to work at just the right distance in front of hunters is a huge advantage in a pheasant field or grouse covert. “Just the right distance” varies with terrain and personal preference, but I think we can all agree that anytime your dog puts...
Dove Hunting is Great Prep for Waterfowl Season
by Tom Dokken
If you’re training a young retriever for waterfowl hunting, it makes sense that dove hunting should make for great practice. Both require your dog to remain steady, watch the sky and mark downed birds. If a dove hunt is going to be your dog’s first real hunting experience, you will find...
Choosing the Right E-Collar
by Tom Dokken
Here is a list of the SportDOG® e-collar systems we will be discussing in this remote trainer guide: SportDOG SD-825X remote trainer SportDOG SD-1225X remote trainer SportDOG SD-1825X remote trainer Purchasing your first SportDOG® Brand remote training collar or upgrading from an older model isn’t particularly difficult, but it does require some thought about...
6 Travel Considerations for Hunting Season
by Tom Dokken
One-day or weekend bird-hunting trips are nice if you’re fortunate to have good destinations close to home, but for many hunters, long-distance, out-of-state trips are the norm. These extended adventures require more planning if you want to enjoy them to the fullest. Here are some considerations to keep in mind. Where...
The Perils of Hot-Weather Hunting
by Tom Dokken
Having your dog go down from heat stress, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke are all too real possibilities when you work a dog in hot weather.
Tom Dokken: Dedicated to the Dogs
by Tom Dokken
Looking back over my last 40 years as a professional dog trainer it seems like it was just yesterday. Although dog training has changed allot over the years, the starting point remains the same. As a young high school kid, I remember the day that made me realize that I...
In Control for Safety - Video
by Tom Dokken
In this SportDOG Training Tip (originally aired on Pheasant's Forever Television) SportDOG Senior Pro Staffer Tom Dokken gives tips on using your remote collar to protect your hunting dog.
AUTHORS
Bob Ford
1 article
Bob has hunted with beagles from Alabama to the Quebec border in pursuit of swamp rabbits, the eastern cottontail, and hare. He has owned beagles since 1985 and trains his hounds year round, sometimes competing in field trials, but always conditioning his pack with an eye looking forward to the...
Tom Dokken
16 articles
Dokken brings more than 45 years of retriever-training experience to the SportDOG team. He is well known as the inventor of Dokken’s Deadfowl Trainer, which has become standard equipment for retriever trainers everywhere. He is the owner of Dokken Dog Supply and Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels, the largest gun dog...
Matt Mates
1 article
I’ve hunted upland game birds from North Dakota to Northern Maine, spending most of my time in my home state of Michigan. My love for pheasants dates back to my days as a youngster, first chasing them with our Labradors, German Shorthaired Pointers, or the occasional contact while running beagles...
The SportDOG Staff
9 articles
