Pheasant hunting 2015 with the Von Meistern dogs was one of the most successful and fun seasons I have had: ever. The quantity of birds shot wasn’t the reason. Although enough birds were shot to eat Pheasant once a week for the last two and a half months and …
The Amazing Story of How Kaiser Came to Von Meistern
It was an amazing set of circumstances that brought Diamond Willow’s Kaiser Von Meistern to our home. Kaiser is the product of the outstanding breeding and training program at Sharp Shooters’ kennel. Arguably, the finest, most successful Versatile German Shorthaired Pointer kennel in the United States. Diamond Willow is Joe and Janet Renfrow, who owns, raised, and trained …
Illowa Navhda Spring 2014 Natural Ability Test
The Spring 2014 Natural Ability test held by the Illowa chapter of NAVHDA ( http://www.illowanavhda.org/ ) , was a smashing success. In case you don’t know, NAVHDA stands for North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. See (www.navhda.org/) for more information about NAVHDA and it’s testing standards and procedures. NAVHDA strives to test and quantify the abilities of …
A Paradox: More Quality Bird Dogs, But Fewer Game-Birds.
The Sub-Title of this article is How Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources is Helping to Destroy upland Game-Bird hunting! In my never to be to humble opinion, recent times have brought an unfortunate paradox to the Game-Bird hunter : More quality bird dogs, but fewer game-birds. The best way to describe the paradox as unfortunate is to use an …
A Most Bizarre Canine Injury
Rango sustained a most bizarre injury during the first week of the Iowa pheasant season. And I didn’t have a clue. When you hunt with dogs, especially the hard-driving types, your dog is at risk for injury. It is unfortunately unavoidable. When we were done hunting that day, he seemed to be in a …
Hunting Flushing Versus Pointing Dogs
The subtitle of this Post could be An Evolution in my Preference for Hunting Dogs. Way back when I was just a lad living with my parents, they bought me a half Lab/half Weimaraner who was a flusher. When She died of cancer she was replaced by a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, who obviously was a flushing …
Doree, A Very Pleasant Surprise.
I have fallen in love with the way Doree, who is just 10 mo’s old, hunts for me. What a pleasant surprise she has been this season. I really didn’t have big expectations for her this season due to her age and just plain goofy nature. I discovered that if you put her in a field she …
Get Off Your Lazy Butt and Exercise Your Dog
Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about why you should keep your Hunting Dog in shape year round. It is my belief that owning a Hunting Dog is a year round commitment. In fact taking care of your Hunting Dog is a priority just behind that of taking care of your family. Unless …
Training Hunting Dogs in the Real World Verses Canine Learning Theory.
What is Canine Learning Theory and Why is it Important? It is important because the better you understand how your dog learns, the more effective your training. From birth canines learn by association. Experiences they encounter cause a set of associations to form. These associations are stored in the memory to tell it whether something is …
Critique of the Natural Ability Test to Actually Test Natural Ability
The Natural Ability Test is a hunt type test offered by the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association also known as NAVHDA. http://navhda.org/ The Natural Ability Test will be referred to as the NA . The NA is Quote “designed to evaluate young dogs on their inherent natural abilities” Seven hereditary characteristics are evaluated during the NA test. Use of the …
AKC Senior Hunt Test
5 things I learned at My First AKC Senior Hunt Test …
Whoa Training with the Buddy Stick
THE BUDDY STICK A GREAT TOOL FOR WHOA TRAINING I discovered the Buddy Stick when I purchased a DVD by Mark Payton, Sr. on whoa training called Whoa, Dog. Whoa! It is the perfect tool for getting your pointing dog to stop immediately on command. The Buddy Stick was invented by Buddy Smith a member of the Field …