Cold Dog, New Tricks

If you live in the north country arctic conditions are right outside your window. Some parts of the upper Midwest have been socked in with heavy snow fall for the past three weeks coupled with minus zero temperatures. Those of you back east are now buried under the worst blizzard in the past decade. Ma' Nature has dropped a freezing mess across most northern states but there are still precious days left in the upland hunting season. If you are like me and my dog..."ain't nothin' goin' to stop us now"!

This morning Dewey and I left the house with false confidence into what could have been our toughest hunting conditions ever.

We awoke to darkness with heavy flakes coming down. Another 2-3" had accumulated overnight on top of a frozen crust of over two feet. Dawn broke forth without much notice. Sunshine was nowhere to be seen on this side of the globe. Wind chill danced around zero. Stepping outside a frigid blast hit me hard. It's pressure felt like a razor cut flesh wound across my exposed face. Dewey jumped forth. His inherent Texas blood makes him unafraid. Not cold, nor darkness, nor earthly beast, and he certainly doesn't let the white stuff get in his way of him finding birds. He's got a true Texas swagger but today would be a test for us both. He looked up at me and I looked down at him. He knew there was no turning back...and so did I.

Picture taken of Dewey taken 12/21/09. Hunting hard in cold conditions through proper conditioning and nutrition.

I briefly touched on some cold weather dog tips in my past posts, now lets get a little more serious about taking care of your four legged hunting partner in tough winter conditions.
The general rule of thumb is for every 10 degree drop in outside temperature increase your dog's food rations up about 6%. This is a give or take formula dependant on how hard your dog works outdoors. Time to break out the calculator and metric conversion table again! If you are wondering at what temp to start, take your hometown mean(average) temp found in the farmers almanac and go from there! Also, finding that dog fuel with the proper source of protein and fat to better support is hunt drive and recovery(see Performance Foods post) is highly important. I simply can't say this enough. Your dog's food is the key to it's well being. Buy him/her the best you can afford. Period. Besides food intake there are many other things to consider when hunting in the the bitter cold with a 4 legged steam engine whose only desire is to find the next bird or retrieve the next duck!
Thinking about proper re-hydration in the grasp of old man winter is sometimes critically forgotten! Bitter cold brings dryness to the atmosphere where a dogs breathe gets zapped and moisture is evaporated by zero humidity conditions quickly. With every breathe brings a loss of water to your dog. Much more than even that hot humid day chasing quail for you southern hunters. Getting a hard charging gun dog to drink in the stone cold is usually tough to do. Even though he is not begging for it, it certainly doesn't mean he doesn't need it! To get a dog that won't drink to come to water, grab him gently by the muzzle and spray just a few squirt of water down his throat. I don't mean cold water either but nice warm water from a bottle that has been kept tucked in your vest nearest your own heat source. This is when the training in the off season to accept a water bottle comes in handy! Keep in mind, a working dog will need at minimum 1-2 ounces of water every 20 minutes to stay properly hydrated. Keeping your dog hydrated is not the only thing that should concern you. It is also very helpful to carry some treats in your jacket pocket as well. A dog eating a small ration of treats(make then small, soft, and easily eaten) during a cold hunt will help their body produce internal heat from digestion. Keeping them watered and munching on a treat every 20 minutes or so will help ward of the dreaded early signs of hypothermia. Keep in mind, hypothermia is not only a human condition.

The beginning phases of hypothermia are excessive shaking or totally uncontrollable shivering. If your dog becomes lethargic or slows down his normal hunting "style" get your dog back to a warm truck and home immediately. Towel dry him off and wrap him in blankets or move him nearest the heater. Advanced signs of hypothermia are stumbling or "confused" dogs. If you have reached that stage, shame on you, get him into warmth ASAP and to a vet IMMEDIATELY. There is NO bird in the world worth putting your dog in harms way because he or she can't handle the conditions. Much like in the rest of life, use your best judgement and never push your gun dog further than you think. Here are a few tips to help hydrate your dog and make them ready for a cold hunt or recover quickly after.
-Supply your dog plenty of clean water: always!
-Fill water bowl and add treats as "floaters", this could make him drink more: pre hunt
-Moisten dogs nightly or morning food ration with a little more water than normal: pre hunt
-Use a hydration supplement found in most pet food stores: pre hunt & post hunt
-Take the extra time and try to force hydrate, 2oz. every 20 minutes: during the hunt
Another tip would be to start your dog on an Omega 3 & 6 fatty acid supplement to help moisturize and maintain a think outer coat during the winter months. These supplements can be used year round but especially in the winter. I recommend any of the wonderful wild salmon oil supplements available at your local pet store. These either come in convenient liquid or powder form and can be added into their food. Daily rations of fish oil do wonders for not only your dog's internal health but his coat will become thicker, shine like diamonds, and shedding will most likely decrease. My dog prefers the liquid form as a tasty, yet healthy, topping over his dry food.
Have fun hunting in the snow and be safe, not only for yourself but for your 4-legged hunting partner as well. Because if it wasn't for them, you wouldn't do very much shooting!
Best of luck out there. -Mark

Performance Dog Foods

Gun dogs were bred for generations to hunt a variety of wild game in the harshest of environments. They are canine athletes specialized by genetics to produce results in the field. Yours might be a Blue Tick Coonhound that patrols the night time woods treeing masked bandits. Or maybe you own a versatile Drahthaar that retrieves mallards from a marsh in the morning and then scouts the uplands for pheasants that afternoon. The bottom line is, all sporting breeds need quality food to fuel their inner hunting engine. These days there are many quality foods available from a wide selection of reputable manufacturers to help your dog perform to their optimum level. The gun dog owner needs to know what to look for in the ingredients to best fit his or her dogs needs.

The Guaranteed Analysis: The "GA" is information listed on every bag of food made by every company. The GA shows the minimum levels of crude protein and fat and the maximum levels of fiber and water. The term "crude" might ring the false alarm to some. Rest assured, it does NOT refer to the quality of the nutrient but to the specific method of testing. Below is an example of a GA.

Upon further inspection of this GA we can derive that this dry dog food has 90% dry matter. We find this by taking the amount of moisture(10% in this case) and subtracting from 100%. We can then take the 26% protein and divide that by the 90%. Now we find the protein level to be almost 29% of dry matter. Ok? Here's where it helps to bring a calculator into the feed store...The more moisture the dry food contains the LESS nutritious dry matter there is in the food. This will hit you in your wallet as you will need to buy more, feed more, as well as your dog eat more to derive more nutrients. BEWARE of high moisture % content dry kibble food. This is a case when "more" is not always better!

Protein and Fat are your guns dog's core fuel ingredients. Protein for their supply of amino acids to build and maintain strong muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. Unused protein is also stored as fat for later use. Fat content for their daily energy supply as well as delivering building blocks for healthy skin and hair. Ok so far? Here is where is gets a little more tricky to properly supply your hunting partner with a quality food. The "digestibility" of protein and fat can vary widely depending on what sources these nutrients come from. Shown below is an Ingredients List.

All dog foods list their ingredients in order of weight. It is by far the best way for you, the knowledgeable consumer, to determine the overall quality of the food you are choosing for your gun dog. Read the entire list carefully. Some manufacturers have a trick of breaking up similar or like ingredients with different jargon or slightly different "but same" throughout the list as weights decrease. If you find yourself repeating the same word found in different ingredients you have now just deciphered the loop hole in listing ingredients by weight! Even though the first ingredient is listed as say chicken, keep on reading down the list. Group all the like ingredients together to figure out what REALLY is the primary ingredient. Now comes the even harder part. How do you determine what ingredients are the most digestible? Why is digestibility important? The easier your dog's internal systems can extract nutrients the better. They eat and absorb as much as possible in a very short window of opportunity. The better the ingredients, the more your dog absorbs before he or she removes it(aka take a poop!). Keep in mind a dog's digestive tract is not like a humans. 4-8 hours and they are processing everything. Humans on the other hand process complete from 8 hours to upwards of 4 days! There is not much time in a dog life for nutrient absorption so what they eat best be great! Until the pet food industry begins to list digestibility of ingredients, the only way is to "guesstimate" in the order in which they they appear and then make a very unscientific calculation. If the first ingredient is chicken, lamb, venison, duck, or any other whole or "meal" (meal is dehydrated protein meat source and an excellent source of highly concentrated and highly digestable protein), these are the heaviest by ingredient weight as well as the best sources of highly digestibility, quality protein. By-product or other meat based by-products are average. Remember to add up like sources on the ingredients list both positively and negatively. Also keep in mind carbohydrate sources and the quality/digestibility of them as well. For example a higher amount of brewer's rice(small fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from large kernels of milled rice) are a better source of carbo's than ground corn. Carbo's are also a secondary source of energy so finding a food with quality starches, sugars, and fiber sources not only help your energy level for your dog but also aid in digestion and intestinal fortitude.

The manufacturer has also included Feeding Instructions on every bag. I highly suggest you only use these as rough guidelines. Every dog is different and possess a different metabolism, activity level, and working environmental(such as temperature). Also take into account the dog's breed, age, and special needs. Use your common sense when it comes to following these feeding guidelines. Adjust as needed or you may end up with a very obese or very undernourished dog. Although activity level is the primary measure for concern, temperature can play a major role in the amount of energy your dog consumes during an average hunt. The rule of thumb is for every 10 degree drop in temperature(below normal average temp) figure an average 6% increase in caloric intake your dog needs to keep the fire in his engine hot and running hard. You must stoke the fire hotter during those cold December hunts when the afternoon wind chill drops off and snow flurries fill the air.

These days buzz words and marketing hoopla abound in the dog food industry. Any manufacturer that claims their product is "complete", "balanced", "100% nutritious", must resort to proving this statement on their bags. Look for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) stamp to constitute this. Also, many dog food manufacturers claim and label bags as "premium" or "super premium". I just saw two competing brands advertising with one saying "super premium" and the other for "ultra premium". The truth be know, products labeled as premium, gourmet, super this, or ultra that, are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients , nor are they held to any higher standards than any other dog food brand. Strange? Yes and I agree. Beware of marketing ploys as they run rampant in the dog food business! Look at the stuff inside. That's what really counts when you and your dog need that extra mojo to push up that canyon wall for chukars or trudge that last sorghum break for ringnecks. Don't get caught up in the flashy packaging and multimillion dollar ad campaigns! It won't help your dog out in the backcountry. As the master of a canine athlete you owe it to your dog(s) to supply them with premium food. Most performance dog foods on the market today range from 28% protein/18% fat mix to a 30%/20% mix. Some foods however separate themselves from the pack by using the highest quality ingredients possible. Check them out and study them carefully!

A couple key ingredients that might help your gun dog recover quicker as well as help in the fight against aching joints and soreness is Chondriotin and Glucosumine. Many of the finer food brands add these nutrients into their foods but they are also available as supplements in either tablet or liquid form. Next time you are into see your Vet ask about how much of these your dog should receive as part of his daily allowance. They are a huge help for older dogs and those who run hard day in and day out for quicker recovery during the season.

The next time you are at the feed store take the time to investigate further the many great foods that are available to better help your faithful hunting companion fit and ready for the next hunt.

Best of luck out there, -Mark

What Is Prebiotics?

In1994, Eukanuba was the first company to introduce "prebiotics", a natural health ingredient added to only a few of their dog food lines. Due to the overwhelming success Iams/Eukanuba(co-brands owned by Proctor & Gamble) recently introduced prebiotics to a wider selection of their foods. Seeing the positive response from consumers and dogs alike, other premium dog food and supplement manufacturers are quickly adding prebiotics to their own formulas. I will attempt to translate in laymans terms how food with prebiotics has been clinically proven to help your bird dog stay happy, healthy, and productive for many hunting seasons to come.

Your dog's digestive tract is the most important piece of his or her defensive line. The digestive system, primarily the colon, maintains the tug-of war balance between "good" and "bad" bacteria found within it. The introduction of prebiotics to a dog's system stimulates the growth and maintenance of good bacteria(probiotics) thus allowing the good bacteria to thrive within the colon. In doing so, good bacteria grows more rapidly and squeezes out the bad bacteria, thus consistently winning the battle between good vs. evil or more appropriately...health dog 1 - sickness 0.

Natural prebiotics are "non-digestible" complex carbohydrates added to the ingredients of the food during the manufacturing process. The food is then eaten by your dog releasing the prebiotics or their technical term Fructo Oligo Sacharides(FOS), the carbohydrate mentioned earlier. These are "non-digestible" carbo's that do not deliver nutrients or energy and do not increase the calorie or sugar intake so no excess weight/sugar increase will occur in your dog. I suppose the old adage of "in one end out the other" is appropriate but not without FOS dropping off the essentials of good bacterial promotion with the dog. FOS releases fatty acids that cover the colon surface that inturn help stimulate the "good" bacteria growth. FOS are a naturally produced fungus made by such vegetables as leeks, asparagus, and chicory. Many of these natural ingredients are used in the formulation of dog foods containing prebiotics.

Side effects do occur. Shocking as it is, the side effect of foods with prebiotics or added supplements is a REDUCED smelling stool. Yes, oddly enough FOS works to lessen the "bad" bacteria and in turn your dogs poop will not smell as much. Gone are the sulphur rotten egg smell as you bend down to scoop up your dogs mess. In my personal opinion the stools become more consistent all together. No more random messy mud pies! Manufacturers due warn that with any food change ingestion upset can occur and recommend gradually making the food change over a course of 2 weeks.

I hope this helped clear up what prebiotics is and shed some light on a topic that has been for the most part reserved for vets and pet nutritionists. I urge you to take the time to investigate prebiotics further and the possibility of adding it to your faithful four legged hunting companions diet as ingredient in their food or as a supplement to their current food. The most important part of having a healthy, happy, and productive bird dog is having an owner that cares. Without question, a bird dog will hunt to the end of the earth for it's owner. Through wind, rain, sleet, and snow. Through good times and bad. A loyal bird dog is just that, devoted to its master and willfully possessed by his own desire to hunt wild game. You owe it to him or her to give them the very best life possible.

Best of luck out there. -Mark

E-Collar Tips

Many potentially great bird dogs have been ruined by an overeager owner that misguidingly introduces an e-collar into their dog's training regiment. I strongly advise any new user to put in serious time researching and studying the various disciplines from noted professionals before strapping an e-collar on to your own dog for the first time. This is serious business and one that should not be taken lightly. There are a tremendous amount of benefits from adding the e-collar but if steps to mastery are construed or overlooked it is possible to do more harm than good. These are just a few tips that I have picked up along the way which consistently work for me, my own dogs, and others I have helped train using an e-collar.

First and foremost, read the entire manual of whatever brand and model you have chosen. I know it sounds juvenile but the e-collar is not some mundane household appliance! Make sure you know all the functions, various setting, and level adjustments. More harm then good can come to your dog if you are not proficient yourself in it's power!

The dog must first master all verbal commands before switching him to an e-collar. E-collars are NOT a replacement for the check cord and basic obedience training. Ask yourself and be brutally honest, "Does my dog already respond 100% of the time to Here, Whoa, Sit, Stay, etc? If you answered NO, stop right here and get refocused on mastering the basics using just a check cord.

Before even turning the collar on, take about 2 weeks to condition your dog to the collar itself. Incorporate the wearing of e-collar with his fun play time. By the end of 2 weeks he hopefully is associating the e-collar with fun. If you notice your dog getting excited and wagging uncontrollably when he sees you pick up the collar, you are headed down the right path! Remember, 2 weeks is just an estimate. This time could be shorter or longer depending on the dog. Read your dog by using your best judgement and be patient.

You and your dog are now ready to turn the collar on. This begins with both e-collar AND check cord in place. The association must be made that the e-collar pressure will now be replacing his cord pressure.

Remember, Stay consistent, keep it simple, and always very positive(your own attitude must always be positive)

Finding the proper stimulation level is a critical phase in your switch from long check cord to e-collar. First, start at the lowest nick setting during a basic obedience drill. I use the "Here" command to begin. Something like this. Call him "Here" (or whatever word you use for your return command) Even if he comes, act quickly and apply only cord pressure towards you. This will reinforce is foundation of "Here" with cord pressure he has mastered in his prior basic obediance. Repeat this a few times. Then call "Here" push nick button "Here" all while applying cord pressure towards you. Slowly move up in level until you see your dog respond with either a swallow, tongue out, drop his shoulders, while reacting to the command properly. Do not go any higher in level.

For example my nick setting for my pointer during his initial training was reached at level 4. We determined this is the lowest level of pressure he needed to elicit a physical response

Again, be patient and understanding. There is a lot of mental stress at this point. Think baby steps! On day 1 only practice the check cord/e-collar conditioning pressure together a few times. I recommend 3-4 times only. ALWAYS reward with verbal praise and a nice rub on the shoulder!

Going forward, the following weeks should be taken very slowly. Keep reinforcing e-collar/check cord pressure and slowly introduce other verbal commands to the "Command" nick "Command" routine...but only at your dog's pace, not your own! The minute interest and attention is lost, stop and start play time.

There will be tough days where he is just not into it. Stop and play. Come back to it later. Again be patient. Give him extra shoulder rubs and more positive "Good Boy!" when a job is well done.

Personally, I very rarely use the continuous stimulation button. Or as I call it "the heater". I only use it very sparingly and never in the first few days during the introduction phase. The only time I ever find myself reaching for the heater is when my dog's own instincts override his training. This can be caused by overwhelming distractions such as when his "chase" instinct kicks in. Normally this is used only when a "No" nick "No" command fails to stop the action. I then will apply "No" Continuous "No". Used sparingly it is very sharp reminder to your dog or puts himself in danger, like running across a road!

My best experience is with SportDog model collars. SportDog brand is unique in the fact that their collars also incorporate a "tone" function. The tone is simply a non shock button that sends an on command beep to the collar, thus replacing the need for a whistle blow. I have found this one function of the collar to be used during the majority of my dog's later training where the "nick" is slowly replaced by the "tone"(but only after mastering the verbal/nick process). Again, this was another long conditioning process.

I can not strongly reiterate enough, take everything extremely slow. If you find yourself or your dog becoming overwhelmed. Take a break. Have fun and KEEP IT SIMPLE.

I hope you have found a couple helpful tips. These should not take the place of the research and studying you have done from the hundreds of great professional trainers and e-collar training manuals available.

Have fun out there. -Mark

Final Pre-Season Prep

For overanxious Wisconsin upland hunters, pheasant season will open on October 17. Time is of the essence. Final preparations for the season can not to be procrastinated any longer.

The spring and summer months have been for keeping my pointer, Dewey, in shape with consistent workouts and training. I have kept my own shooting eye tuned with clays pigeons. If you have left your faithful four legged hunting companion collecting dust over the past few months, do not expect your dog to work any miracles come opening day. As the saying goes...a marathon runner does not just show up on the day of the race ready to win! For Dewey and I, we are both chomping at the proverbial bit to get out on some wild action. In the meantime, we are laying the last pieces of groundwork before opening day.

For us this means training and workouts now take a back seat to the real deal. Starting in early October, we switch gears and begin earnestly scouting the public hunting grounds in southern Wisconsin, mostly around our home county of Jefferson. New patterns of growth have emerged and as we navigate amongst the fields, copious mental notes are made of potential bird holding cover. We focus our efforts, skirting field borders and cover breaks while keying on possible pheasant food sources(such as old sunflower plots as shown in this image) scattered throughout. Working wind direction to better help the dog key up his scent coning ability as we enter likely looking terrain will help us quickly adapt to future scenarios. Along the way if you find pheasants in concentrated areas make sure not to over work those patches the following days. It is best to keep as much pressure off those new found ring neck haunts until the opening bell tolls. No need to make those wily wild roosters anymore wily!

Along with field scouting, Dewey's diet and rations are switched in preparation of the longer days of work in increasingly colder conditions. During the warm off season months he is fed 2 meals a day(morning and night) 1 cup each of kibble moistened with warm water, a shot of vitamin gravy, and a teaspoon of a omega-3 & 6 fatty acid liquid supplement. Keeping at his ideal 65lbs, this warm weather ration coupled with his daily workouts have kept him lean and muscular. Come early October we switch to a performance 30/20 food, a higher protein and fat containing kibble. It is also loaded with natural sources of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate to help maintain healthy joints and mobility. In addition, it is loaded with heaps of other great nutrients he needs to recover from long hunts and make ready for the next. As the dog hunts more and the days get colder they need this boost in protein intake to maintain their own energy level. I increase his ration to 3 cups total divided by 2 meals. These daily rations of 30/20 performance food moistened with warm water, a shot of vitamin gravy, and a teaspoon of omega supplement will be fed to him until early spring then switch back to a normal 26/12 food. Treats should also be kept to those loaded with the nutrients your dog will need as he or she burns more quickly through calories. Find one that you and your dog believe in and stick to a consistent regiment.

Nothing can put you and your dog on the sidelines faster then damage to his pads. Training and scouting the same type cover you will eventually hunt will not only help to toughen up his pads but make is undercarriage ready for the punishment high grass, thorns, and corn stalks can deliver. Get him working through the thick and nasty stuff will only help his performance as well as his confidence and endurance.

I highly recommend taking your dog into the veterinarian for a complete physical this time of year. Just like any athlete, a check up before the season can make all the difference come game time. Remember to take in fecal samples to check for worms and/or bacteria. At this time also check your own field First-Aid kit. Make sure all the essentials are in stock to cover any type of mishap you and your dog may encounter while miles from professional help. Things to be never without in the field are tweezers/hemostats, alcohol swabs, nonstick gauze pads, and elastic bandages. It may also help to have a small bottle of dog eye wash to rinse out foreign debris from seeds plants and ragweed.

The tailgate check at the end of every hunt is something I highly recommend. Give your dog a good once over before heading him into the box. Rub your hand across his body checking for ticks, scraps, burs, cuts, or sore spots. Take a close look at his eyes, ears, and pads. He will thank you for it if you find a bothersome issue before it becomes a major problem for him!

I wish all of you the best of luck this pheasant season. Stay safe and have fun.

Flipping the Switch

Hot dust tumbled across the deadlands and funneled down into the valley. It slowed on the outskirts of town before spilling onto the streets. A tattered banner flapped against the side of the strip mall catching my eye. “Dogs Need Good Homes.” My truck made a sharp right-hand turn and came to a stop.

There was something about him that struck me instantly. Maybe it was his dark, hypnotic eyes, silently transmitting his coded soul into mine. He was handsome, lean, and muscular. His four month old frame was tall and lanky but solid, his coat still puppy soft. His calm and cool demeanor was evident as he exited his caged confides and nosed confidently into my wife’s outstretched palm. Jill looked up at me and instantly read my mind. We both immediately agreed, this pointer pup ought to have a good home; one full of love and care. Regardless if he grew to roam the uplands with hunting grace and style or if he just became an adored family member, undoubtedly, he was ours.
 We acquired "Dewey", named immediately upon dispatch from his canine refugee camp, the following day. He came to us totting only a small bag of his vagabond belongings and a facial expression of total bewilderment. I handed over the requisite donation of $125 to the gracious shelter employee. In return I received a quick “thanks and good luck” plus a 4 month old black and white pointer who never had a real home.


Dewey found stray and adopted at 4 months old.


 The following details of this subsequent adoption may not be for everybody. But if you are open to hard work, dedication, and helping one poor, discarded, four legged soul find his or her proper station in life, then please read on...

There is no telling what Dewey had been subject to as far as quality of life or even the most basic of verbal commands before he came into my life. Without doubt, the proverbial clean slate could only be grasped with scheduled consistency and gentle repetition to his new found life. Given his matured appearance, I resisted the urge to push him quickly and kept to the devoted task of basic commands with replication under short durations. As always, we started and finished with copious amounts of play time. From the start, I introduced him to a wing on a string which he hereditarily pointed with focused desire, showing possible early signs of potential. I continuously reminded myself that I did not know if Dewey would, or could, unlock his inner hunting genetics of his bird dog family past. I needed to maintain an open mind, not wittingly conjuring up what I thought should happen but in the same mentality working with Dewey each day to initiate and hopefully activate his inner self. It was a test of gained knowledge, not only his but that of my own. In the end, if he did not measure up, that was unimportant. Whatever the outcome, he would not be judged in any way. The positive had already been found. We gave Dewey a good home and he in turn thanked us for it every day with his sweet nature and loyal soul.

As months progressed so did Dewey. He graduated from the bird dog basics and moved swiftly on to refining his fundamentals but not without the trails’ and tribulations of any adolescent. He had become confident on clipped wing pigeons many times over. He and had gained a strong, interpretive understanding of electrical stimulation as well as it corrective purposes. He learned to work mock hunts in various cover and held staunch with quivering legs at planted birds. I grew confident that he was almost ready to what would be his first pheasant season, now just three months away. Time was ticking and our first trip to the local preserve would become our own late summer’s battle ground. His greenhorn confrontation with a live rooster proved that both Dewey and I had a long way to go…

With an echoing cackle the rooster detonated right under his nose. For a split second I thought I actually saw Dewey’s brain matter pour out of both his ears and with it, over ten months worth of earnest training. The pheasant rocketed eight feet up , leveled off, and jet streamed up the hill towards the nearest thicket with Dewey hot on his tail feathers. A safe shot was out of the question. I flipped my gun back to safety and reached for the collar remote. By the time this all transpired both Dewey and the pheasant had reached the tree line. The wily cock bird continued on into the pine jungle with Dewey still on his vapor trail. The late summer sun was heavy on my back as I scrambled up the hillside. Sweat from fatigue was overwhelmed by my own anxiety given the situation quickly unfolding in front of me. From my vantage I could see Dewey zig-zagging back and forth along the tree line, his brain racing as what to do now; as was my own. From deep within the woods the rooster cackled and Dewey tore into the brush covered dead-fall like a demon possessed, fueled only by his own piss and vinegar. Unable to find even a human sized entrance into the fortified scrub, I stood motionless and listened. I could hear the flap of heavy wings followed by a briar busting four legged monster moving right, then left, and then right again. I caught a glimpse of Dewey’s white coat for a second but it was only a vague blur. I backed off the tree line thinking there might be a half lucky chance he might push the cock bird out of the woods, but did not believe that thought for a moment. From deep within the woods, the pheasant blasted off another long string of riotous cackles. More brush was pushed as dry popping twigs snapped under four fast moving paws came closer in a furious pace. I saw the pheasant explode upwards again, now close to the edge of the tree line. I swung my gun and made ready for an oncoming shot.

What happened next can only be left for comic relief. The rooster rocketed back skyward nearest the tangled edge and cast forth flying high and fast. Dewey, running directly below broke free of the border tangle. The pheasant, with a last ditch evasive maneuver, miscalculated a low hanging tree limb and collide harshly, snapping his neck cleanly in the process. Cart-wheeling to earth it landed with a loud thud on the open hill slope. Dewey instantaneously grabbed the now limp bird and proudly trotted over to where I stood...fixated in utter disbelief. What the heck should I do now? No shot was even attempted(twice), and no formal training between either of us for what to do now in this very unique case of  “training”.  All I could do was lean over to gently receive the pheasant from Dewey’s soft mouth and rub him vigorously on the shoulder for a job well done. I guessed that to be the only proper response to his hard work, since he seemed awfully proud of his own accomplishment. Little would I realize then, this one unorthodox situation of comic proportions would prove to become the spark of Dewey’s future pheasant fire.More live pheasant training would ensue soon after, which included many properly pointed, shot, and retrieved birds with Dewey responding with growing performance under countless different situations.




Dewey at 3 years old with hundreds of birds under his belt!

 To say that the one day in the woods and the broken neck bird was absolute, would be less than adequate. But I can’t dismiss that it had a major part in Dewey’s now glowing hunting desire. Many professional trainers may disagree or call out mistakes that I made.

One thing is evident, I never saw the blaze in Dewey’s eyes until that day. His switch had been flipped in a most unconventional way. For that I will never forget.

Best of luck out there. -Mark