Smith Kennels

12/24/2024

12/22/2024

An intense, classy little bird dog from our Chief x Jewel litter, Cherokee is in formal training now and doing a stellar job. She covers the country with enthusiasm and purpose that is a joy to watch. We are excited about this young bird dog!

12/19/2024

Do you have a young bird dog you are developing? Keep in mind your long-term goals and consistently work to achieve those behaviors on a daily basis. It will come together!

Thanks to Matthew Every for talking with us on this article “7 Ways to Ruin a Hunting Dog”! Check it out for some bird dog development tips!

We spoke with three top-level bird dog trainers to find out the biggest mistakes hunting dog owners make. Here’s what not to do when training a dog.

11/29/2024

It’s time to run some bird dogs!

📸:

11/29/2024

Our hearts are full of gratitude this evening for the people and the animals in our lives. We hope you’ve had a happy Thanksgiving, whether spent at home with friends and family or out in the great outdoors!

11/25/2024

Behavior is rooted in mindset. Think of a composed mindset as a kind of mental muscle that can be strengthened through practice. A composed dog is less subject to impulsivity and can be more successful standing steady on birds.

We are in the last stages of our Intermediate Training where this composure on birds is really developing. It is so rewarding to see our hard work from the last couple of months fall in to place like pieces of a puzzle!

11/02/2024

Feeling blessed to be in the field with the dogs this fall. We’ve had some much needed rain this week (with more forecasted!), temperatures have cooled, scenting conditions have improved, and the bird dogs are doing their thing! The Basic Formal Training Class has officially transitioned to the Intermediate Level of Training and we are getting some great workouts in with our older dogs.

📸 Love Smith

09/27/2024

Some days it’s the little things that make the day great.

09/16/2024

"In the thick of it…”

Our Tune-Up Class has been doing some great work in the field for the last two weeks. It does our hearts good to get back in the field with dogs we have trained in the past! Also, we just welcomed a fresh group of pups in for our Field Introduction Class and got to have our first session in the field with them today. It’s a great time to be training dogs in the Osage!

Oh, and our Intermediate Seminar is happening this weekend! There is still time to get signed up online — it’s going to be filled with valuable insights and hands-on experience steadying bird dogs. We would love to have you join us for a weekend of learning and bird dog fun in the Osage!

📸: Susanna Love Smith

09/03/2024

The temps are dropping, the grass is curing, and bird dogs are gathering in the Osage!

To all of our clients dropping off dogs for training this fall…when you cross that third cattleguard on this dead-end dirt road, you know you are in bird dog country!

We look forward to seeing everyone in the upcoming weeks!

08/09/2024

07/23/2024

The temps will be cooling and the northern prairies will be beckoning bird hunters soon. We are eager to hear about everyone’s adventures!

We do have opportunities this September for Pre-Season Tune Ups at our place in Oklahoma. Reach out to us if you would like to give your SK Alumni a head start this season!

📸: Susanna Love Smith

07/12/2024

We tend just to hang out with bird dogs in the rolling hills of Oklahoma. When Bob St. Pierre reached out to us about being guests on his podcast, On the Wing, we were of course, out of our wheelhouse and at the same time so honored! Hope you enjoy hearing our discussion with Bob about helping bird dogs and a little about our personal lives!

Here is the link to the full podcast:

https://quailforever.org/BlogLanding/Blogs/Quail-Forever/Podcast-Ep-272-Bird-Dog-Training-and-a-Love-Story-with-Susanna-Ronnie-Smith.aspx

07/11/2024

Vacation time for the dog trainers means vacation time for the pigeons. Our flock is loving it. They are free ranging, but will hunt us down every day when they want to be fed. A whistle will bring about 80 birds flying to you!

We may have to start two-a-day practices to get them ready for fall training!

07/09/2024

“Never stop learning and never stop studying the animals around us.”

This video done in collaboration with Purina does a phenomenal job capturing our “Bird Dog Way of Life.” We are proud to share it with you and hope you enjoy watching it!




Purina Pro Club experts Ronnie & Susanna Smith share their knowledge and experience about raising and training bird dogs. Their motto is ""never stop learnin...

07/04/2024

🇺🇸Happy Fourth of July!🇺🇸