Cold-weather waterfowling can mean a lot of extra work in sometimes nasty conditions, but those of us who take on those challenges are often rewarded with some of the season’s best hunting. It’s...

One of the core principles of effective dog training is that the timing of a correction is critical. A dog associates a correction with whatever it is doing at the moment. Waiting too long to...

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...

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...

The list of things you can work on with your pointing dog during the summer months to prepare for the upcoming hunting season is plenty long. In addition to training and/or revisiting things from...

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...

One of the most common topics of discussion when it comes to hound hunting is how to get your dog to handle. By “handle” I mean getting your dog to reliably return to you even when it’s far away...

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?...

With many states holding early Canada goose seasons, retriever owners have an excellent opportunity to introduce their young dogs to waterfowling, and for experienced dogs it’s a good time to...

If you have a young retriever and you’re looking for a great summertime training exercise, I’ve got one that’s super-simple but is also productive and educational for both you and your dog. The...

I would hope that most hunters understand how important it is to keep their dogs in shape year-round. You certainly can’t let your dog lie around all summer and then expect it to put in full days...

My method for introducing a young dog to water is tied to my expectation that that dog comes from a line of retrievers that absolutely thrive on the challenge of water work, whether it’s during a...