Lyle Steinman On Performance

After hanging up the phone with Lyle Steinman only one word comes to mind. Passion. This dog man extudes it. Lyle's passion for breeding, training, and handling world class labrador retreivers is clearly evident. It resonates in his voice and sends a crystal clear message that luck has nothing to do with it. Hardwork, dedication, and loving what you do truly does equals success.

Lyle's accomplishments
(a.k.a. his dog man rap sheet)...

• Lyle Steinman has over 1400 AKC Master Passes and over 100 + AKC Master (MH) titled dogs
• He has qualified a record 76 dogs at the AKC Master National event.
• He has 9 dogs in the Master National Hall of Fame (New AKC title MNH ) and 17 dogs that have passed two Master Nationals to his credit.
• On September 18, 2010 he broke an AKC record for AKC Master passes in one weekend, passing 23/24 dogs at the Northwest Missouri Retriever Clubs hunt test.
• Has 12 first place Super Reteiver Series wins (including the 2007 & 2009 Crown Championships).
• Won the SRS Crown Championship in 2007 with River (2007 SRSC SRS HRCH Big Two Hearted River II MNH HOF QAA) and in 2009 with Jack (2009 SRSC 3 X SRS Fargo’s Gulf Coast Jack-Son MH QAA).
• Is the only SRS handler to ever win 1st , 2nd & 3rd place in the same event(SRS Record) and the only handler to ever have 9 dogs qualified for the top 12 at one time.
• Has put more dogs in the Top 5(41 in the Finals/ 56 in Semis) than any other handler in Super Retriever Series history.
• Qualified 4 dogs for the 2008 Crown Championship and qualified 7 dogs for the 2009 & 2010 Crown Championship (SRS Records).
• At the 2009 Super Retriever Series Crown Championship Lyle became the only handler to put three dogs in the finals. Lyle finished the 2009 SRS Crown Championship with first (Jack), second (Rebi), third (Coot), fifth (River) and sixth with (Pasha).
• Lyle’s career winnings now are over $190,000 in cash and prizes.

With a resume like that it is obvious that Lyle knows a thing or two about canine performance. I was recently fortunate to personally interview him regarding his labrador's nutrition and conditioning regiments. Lyle holds court every day at Castile Creek Kennels in Stewartsville, Missouri

When asked what brand of food he feed his labs, Lyle believes the core of his dogs performance rests solely on foods by Country Vet. Lyle has been feeding Country Vet  for close to five years. He uses their "Natural Dog Fuel" 32/20 mix to feed all his working dogs and could not say enough about its overall quality. He is a proponent of a "corn, soy, and wheat free diet" and sees Country Vet's Dog Fuel as truly a hidden gem in the vast world of large dog food manufacturers. Ingredient consistency and overall attention to formula integrity is what Lyle is most impressed about Country Vet. He is confident knowing every bag he opens for his dogs is going to be the same high quality ingredients and the exact replica of the previous bags contents. Before using Country Vet, Lyle used a larger, more well known national brand but was unhappy with their ingredient quality inconsistency which lead to adverse effects on his dogs performance. This concern arises from  larger "megamanufacturers" sourcing their ingredients from a very vast list of suppliers on the open market. Which is cause for concern for formula quality integrity. In a nutshell, if one run of the food "ingredient A" comes from a supplier with a high quality standards and the next month a different supplier who can also deliver "ingredient A" but might have lower quality control comes to market a little cheaper, they get the purchase order, etc. This is one of the biggest reasons that some dogs do very well on a certain brand/formula of food for long periods of time and then out of now where they have adverse reactions to it. Food manufacturers are NOT legally obligated to advertise this ingredient supplier change. Since switching to Country Vet it is plain to see the performance of Lyle's dogs are indeed tough to beat...and very consistent at winning big in the professional trial circuit!

When I asked Lyle about skin and coat health in conjunction with feeding Country Vet he had this to say, "My black labs look they have Armour All sprayed on them!"  I can personally atest to seeing Lyle's squadron of black labs and can verify to that statement being a dead on accurate assessment of their coat quality!

According to the Country Vet's website :
"Dog Fuel is the full spectrum natural feed source for so many people that demand a little better, a little more. We're proud to be able to provide you with choices in your pet foods. Dog Fuel is just that...another choice. So, what is so special about Dog Fuel? Great question...here's the quick answer: Dog Fuel contains all Natural Ingredients; Dog Fuel is formulated for all of your pet's life stages making it a good choice for life; Dog Fuel contains No Corn, No Soy, No Wheat,  Dog Fuel has within it nutraceutical ingredients...read about them below; Dog Fuel is an excellent source of high quality protein."

Country Vet Natural Dog Fuel (32/20)Ingredients:
Chicken Meal, Oat Meal, Pearled Barley, Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherois), Pork Meal, Beet Pulp, Grain Sorghum, Poultry Liver Digest, Dried Egg, Flax Seeds, Canola Seeds, Fish Meal, Dried Brewers Yeast, Salt, L-Carnitine, Potassium Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Enterococcus Faocium, Choline Chloride, Calcium Propionate, Chicory Root, Clucosamine Hydrochloride, Dried Lecithin, Chondroltin Sulfate, Sodium Bentonite, Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc Methionine Complex, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacinamide, Copper Lysine Complex, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Maganese Methianine Complex, Maganous Oxide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothonate, Biotin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Cobalt Glucoheptonate and Cobalt Carbonate.

Gaurunteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min) 32% Crude Fat (Min) 20.0% Crude Fiber (Max) 3.0% Moisture (Max) 10.0% Calcium (Min) 2.0% Phosphorus (Min) 1.3% *Omega 6 Fatty Acids (Min) 3.0%
*Omega 3 Fatty Acids (Min) 0.6% *Glucosamine Nydrochloride (Min) 600 mg/kg *Chondroitin Sulfate (Min) 300 mg/kg L-Carnitine (Min) 200 mg/

Overall, I consider Country Vet Natural Dog Fuel a well managed food that includes quality ingredients in a formula that all working dogs of any age can greatly benefit from. I can easily recommend Country Vet Natural Dog Fuel as a great choice for your gun dog of any breed. Like other formulas free of corn, soy, and wheat, owners can expect much lower stool size. By removing low quality, grain based carbohydrates from your dogs diet his or her digesting system can burn high protein, high fat, and easily digestible carbo/fibers more completely. In my opinion, Country Vet Dog Fuel is definitely a "high octane go juice" for all hard working gun dogs from puppy hood all the way to seniors master hunters. In addition to Natural Dog Fuel, Country Vet offers a variety of other dog food formulas. I urge you to visit their home page to find out more.

After speaking about Country Vet foods, Lyle led the conversion on to food ration(portion size). Like all consummate professional trainers, he adjusts his food rations according to physical activity. Dependant on each dog's daily workout regiment, it ranges from 2 cups all the way up to 6 cups. He was particular to note that "on any given day, work load dictates the feeding of all my dogs"

As the interview continued we discussed conditioning. Lyle is as passionate about proper fitness regiments as he is about nutrition. All of his working dogs receive at minimum 15-30 minutes of roading(ATV harness workouts) a day and sometimes "two a days" depending on their energy output needs. Again, like all quality trainers, Lyle spends considerable time studying what each individual dog needs are and adjusting their condition times accordingly. In addition to road work, every dog goes through a series of 4-8 "marks" a day during trial training. This would equate to roughly 1.5 miles(at maximum) of continuous, high paced running/retreiving per day.  Again, Lyle was quick to point out that Country Vet Dog Fuel is the key to keeping his dogs in top shape with lean muscle mass and powerful frames. Lyle Steinman's Castile Creek Kennel facility rests on 40 arces of realistic waterfowl habitat. It is an impressive display of dog breeding and training professionalism. Castile Creek Kennels not only produces professional trail dogs. Lyle also boards, offers puppy preschool classes, and whelping services.

After our interview ended I walked away feeling very fortunate to have spoken with Lyle candidly about what makes his dogs great.  Without doubt, he is a master of fine details and studies his dogs like a book each and every day. I am gratefully to have met somebody of Lyle's high caliber who is extremely down to earth and very personable.  I clearly understand why he is one of the very best in the business. I thank him tremendously for helping me spread the word about proper gun dog nutrition.

As always, please do not hesitate to post a comment or contact me directly at northupland@yahoo.com with any of your questions or concerns. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Best of luck out there. -Mark  

Images used in this article are courtesy of Castile Creek Kennels and Country Vet Pet Food.

Ronnie Smith on Performance

The Smith family name is synonymous in the bird dog world for many reasons. For generations they have trained some of the finest dogs that consistently challenge for field trail champions and produce superior finished dogs for the foot hunter. Ronnie Smith carries on his family lineage in a very proud tradition. According to his website "Through generations of hard work and dedication, Ronnie Smith Kennels has developed a trusted and proven name in the bird dog industry. The Smith family has a history of raising and training fine bird dogs. Ronnie’s late father, Ronnie Smith Sr., was a well-respected dog trainer. Ronnie’s uncle, Delmar Smith has received the honor of being inducted into the Field Trial Hall of Fame. Ronnie and his cousins, Rick and Tom Smith, continue the Smith family tradition. Bird dogs are not only a business for the Smiths, they are a passion and a way of life. Our training format brings dogs' inherent prey drive to a pinnacle and then begins to mold that natural instinct in to the desired behavior of a confident, mannerly bird dog. Through the development of conditioned responses and learned behavior we are able to produce dogs that are proficient in heeling off lead, handling on cue, and confidently working birds."

I recently had the great fortune to interview Ronnie via email for northUpland. His response to my questions regarding performance, nutrition, and conditioning should be considered an invaluable resource. Here is Ronnie's round up on what makes his gun dogs great!

Following quotes by Ronnie Smith...

"We feed solely Purina Pro Plan Performance. In the summertime, we train all breeds of upland pointing and flushing dogs and in the winter we are guiding hunts in some of the most rigorous country in the state of Texas. We've had great success with this feed with all breeds and all physical requirements."

Pro Plan Performance formula is by the far the top selling food for sporting dogs  in the United States. It is a 30/20 mix, meaning it contains 30% protein and 20% fat. These are considered optimum percentages for working dogs of any breed and age. In fact, Pro Plan Performance is considered an "all life stages formula" meaning it can be fed from to puppies all the way seniors. Click on the bag image for complete info directly from Purina.

When asked about food rations(portion size) Ronnie went on to say...

"Obviously we are constantly monitoring the body condition of each of our dogs. When they are under physical strain, they will need a few more calories to their diet. Brittanys under high physical demands may need as much as 4 1/2 cups, while a maintenance ration may be 2 cups. A high strung pointer who is active in the kennel and running hard in the field may need as much as 6 1/2 cups to maintain perfect body condition. A maintenance ration for a less active pointer may be 3 cups. Bottom line is that you need to monitor your dog's condition and the physical strains he is under and adjust your feeding plan accordingly."

In a follow up question about conditioning and fitness regiments, Ronnie responded...

"Our exercise programs vary. Some of the tools we use to get our bird dogs in shape for a season of guiding hunts include running, swimming, and roading." (Terminology: "Roading" is an effective form of strength training. It is done by safely harnessing dogs off an ATV using an outrigger and allowing them to naturally run alongside and pull against the ATV in motion) "We find the more fit our dogs are going in to season, the fewer injures they tend to have during season.We believe in order to get the best performance with a dog, you have to have them both physically and mentally fit. They have to be thinking birds as soon as their feet hit the ground and their bodies have to be able to withstand the rigors of the country and the demands upon it."

 In my own brief dealings with Ronnie during this interview process I can honestly say he is an genuine as they come. He was extremely receptive to my questions and open to helping out all follow hunters get the most from their dogs! Ronnie is a stand up guy and his reputation as a first class dogman is true. I thank him tremendously for his time.

Ronnie Smith Kennels is known the world over for producing quality bird dogs while maintaining the utmost of professionalism. If any of my readers are looking for a top notch trainer, look no further. His fees are modest, but rest assured, his facility, training skills, and attention to making good bird dogs great are all first class. Also, Ronnie and his cousin, Rick Smith, travel the country every year during their very popular seminar series. Click here for a list of dates and locations. In the end,  I very much enjoy Ronnie's training motto "A dog is like a book, just read!" It is very simple, straight forward, and to the "point"! Yep, that pun is completely intended!


Thank you for reading my blog and please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Leave a comment or email me directly at northupland@yahoo.com


Best of luck out there. -Mark

Images used in this post courtesy of Ronnie Smith Kennels and Nestle Purina.