Fischer’s Wild Feather Hunting Dogs

05/19/2024

Full day and up with the sunrise. Hunting, fishing and nice views. The pups were confused why we were not going after the pheasants.

01/07/2024

Another fun weekend for this group. Sadie and Bailey had another full trip to Miller Ranch.

12/03/2023

Great day in the field!

10/15/2022

The day is here! Opener!!!

10/07/2022

Rules For Owning a Gun Dog

1. Spend time with them each day. You are their everything.

2. Don’t hide your excitement, let them see the kid in you.

3. Your expectations of a bird dog are high but their expectations of an owner are higher.

4. Don’t sleep on it take them to the vet.

5. Go hunting with them at least one time just the two of you.

6. Tell your new friends about your old dogs.

7. Their falses aren’t the only ones in the field.

8. Judge your hunting friends by how they treat their dogs.

9. Always stop to pet them.

10. Stop walking, sit down you will see how much they love you. Enjoy it.

11. Treat puppies like puppies and treat your 12 year old like he still is one.

12. Know when to retire them and give them everything they want. They gave you everything they had.

13. Have patience when they are hard of hearing...it’s the birds fault.

14. Show your boys that there’s reasons to be gentle in this world. Bird dogs are just one of them.

15. You helped her down the stairs when she was young now help her up them when she is old.

16. Take the picture every single damn time. It’s worth it.

17. Enjoy their determination even when it’s not after a bird.

18. When it’s time to say goodbye don’t leave his side. Hold him. He knows what’s happening and he’s happy you are with him.

19. Remember them, visit the places that made you both so happy. Think about her while you stop walking and sit down with her daughter on an October afternoon.

20. Understand that you can not fill the hole they left in your heart but remember them and they will be with you every step of the way.

08/13/2022

I thought I would post a short video of Sadie. We got to go visit Sadie at summer camp. She is progressing well in training. She is still the life of the party but is loving bird work.

07/15/2022

This is an old post, but a good thing to keep in mind when selecting a working breed dog for a family pet. It does not mean Labradors have to hunt, it just means they do need a job and adequate exercise to be happy and healthy, physically and mentally.

”One of the First questions I ask clients who come to me for advice on behavior or training for obedience is, “Why did you Choose this breed?”
So many times the answer is, “Because they are really cool dogs!”
This, of course, is not a valid reason for choosing one breed over another.
When you see a dog doing what he was bred to do, harkening back to his ancestors whispering into their ears, telling them exactly how they should perform the task....well, it can make you weep.
EVERY dog needs a job, a purpose to validate them. A job that makes them stand proud and causes his tail to wag and his heart to smile.
Dogs were bred to work alongside humans, and they consider that a high calling.....along with educating us.....
And if one does not have sheep for a Collie or rabbits for a Beagle, or rats for a Terrier, there are still other functions for them to perform within their households. Our job is to find that activity, introduce it to the dog, and enjoy the companionship.

There's a woman that jogs with her GSD every day by the Indiana K9 Learning Center. She puts a prong collar on her huge working dog and off they go. We had a nice visit over the fence the other day. I complimented her on her dog's manners. I stood about six feet from her when we initially met and he was relaxed and unconcerned. (And no, I didn't ask if I could pet him). That's when I find out what a mean owner she is.

Her large GSD carries a doggy style backpack with water in it and she's been told that's mean.

She stopped at a yard sale, bought some books, put them in the backpack and she was told that's mean.

She's been chastised for running her dog with her because running a dog is mean.

I'm not sure why someone would feel that a 100 pound working breed isn't capable of carrying 10 pounds of books but someone did. I'd say that person has never looked up what a GSD was bred for. It's bred for work!

I know a Canadian that has huge herds of sheep free ranging on hundreds of acres. He has two border collies that he sends out as a team to round them up and bring them in to be counted. They'd go out before the sun was up and by mid afternoon they'd have them gathered in a large pen for him. He'd do a head count, open the gate and off they'd go. Imagine the intelligence and duration those dogs have to do that seven days a week! Now take those dogs and put them in an apartment. Yowza!

How about the frustrated woman who brought her German Short Haired Pointer in for classes...AKC's website said the breed is "easy to train" so she got one. She's a white collar wife with a young son who lives in a suburban neighborhood. That breed may be easy to train for a hunter or someone that is experienced with independent, strong willed breeds but she was really struggling with him. His energy level, strong personality and tenacity is a requirement for the job he was bred to do but a typical owner will really struggle with this breed.

Can we all agree on something right here, right now? Every dog that is in a home, in a shelter, in the show ring, or anywhere else comes from someone that was breeding dogs for a purpose. It may be way back in the dog's pedigree but it's there. Hunting, fighting, chasing, pulling, retrieving, protecting, patrolling, killing...your dog laying at your feet right now has ancestors that did at least one of those tasks very, very well. Those instincts don't disappear when they walk through your front door and become your family pet.

There's a reason terriers are tough! Because you have to be a tenacious little s**t to go down a hole after a rodent bigger than you knowing you're likely to get bitten.

There's a reason you can't get your beagle's nose off the ground during agility classes. Watch a youtube video of beagles in the field!

There's a reason your whippet wants to chase every squirrel in the yard. Watch a youtube video of sighthounds lure coursing!

There's a reason that cattle dogs go in low and nip anything moving. Watch a youtube video of them working cattle!

Here's the kicker...a cattle dog that goes in low and nips is probably the result of someone's responsible breeding. Same with the beagle, the whippet and the border collie. Those are desirable behaviors in each breed.

Understanding the propensity of certain behaviors in breeds and mixes will help owners understand where the behavior is coming from. It doesn't mean the dog gets a free pass for the behavior, but someone looking for an agility dog may not want to go with a bloodhound "because I just love their ears" or a herding breed "because I want a dog to lay around all weekend with."

All of us in the dog industry, including shelters and rescues, have a responsibility to the dogs we're in charge of and the people that want to add them to their family. We're responsible to educate the uneducated.”

- Michelle Steigmeyer, Indiana K9 Learning Center

Book reference: Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by Caroline Coile, PHD.

06/17/2022

Happy Birthday Bailey!

05/25/2022

I think Sadie has embraced the off season.

04/17/2022

Happy Easter!

01/30/2022

It was a family affair today.

01/23/2022

Sadie got to hunt with her sister Kota this weekend. 😍

01/04/2022

Another weekend out on the water. Sadie is no dummy… she chose to sit where it was dry. Brrr. Here is hoping that 2022 starts a little warmer than 2021 ended.

12/24/2021

Merry Christmas from Wild Feather Hunting Dogs! After a short hunt this morning, Sadie is all cleaned up and ready for Christmas.

12/14/2021

Our girls! 💕

11/08/2021

Almost time for Sadie to come home!!!

10/25/2021

We were busy for the real duck opener, so this weekend was opener for Bailey and Bobby. After a year off Bailey had a litter of puppies, been spayed, had some time off, then went back into training. This weekend she looked like she didn’t miss a beat. She was steady and ready to be back in the field. Can’t wait to see how her daughter does. Only a few more weeks until Sadie can come home.

10/02/2021

Sadie’s last day at home for a few weeks. 😒 She’s off to learn more about being a gun dog. We will miss you Sadie Mae!

09/19/2021

Some still shots from today. Such a good puppy.

09/19/2021

Took Sadie out for her first experience with live flapping birds and and new person. She did amazing.

08/05/2021

Sadie is growing into quite the dog, full of personality and drive.

07/24/2021

One thing about living with a lab...be prepared to be showered with gifts. And by gifts, I mean random junk and garbage they find in your kids room. Sitting down for coffee this morning I collected quite the “treasurers.”

07/03/2021

06/06/2021

Sadie is getting big. A lot of new experiences including camping, puppy class, meeting new friends and off leash adventures. She is the most athletic couch potato around. 😉

04/19/2021

Wild Feather’s Sadie Mae Otto

04/09/2021

Sadie is really excited about this new game she gets to play. She did pretty good for 9 weeks old.

04/06/2021

Sadie Mae is coming along nicely. Such a sweet, but driven girl. 💕 We may have our hands full with her.

04/04/2021

We are proud to present Wild Feather’s Sadie Mae Otto. It’s her first day here without her siblings. We got her a stuffy to cuddle with. I think she likes it.

03/28/2021

Most of the puppies went to their new homes this weekend. Only Blue and our Sadie Mae remain. While it’s hard to see them go it is such an exciting time seeing the babies become new members of great families. 💕

03/27/2021

Puppies are ready for their new homes! These babies have grown a ton! Just look at them today compared to 4 weeks and day 1! 💕 sweetest puppies ever!