Hittin' it hard this week
| Keeper |
Home Sweet Home
Huge thank you to
➡️ Energy MD
➡️ Complete Heating and Air Conditioning LLC
➡️ Spartan Construction Systems
➡️ ProBuilt Products LLC
➡️ Kuranda Dog Beds
➡️ all our family and friends
... for helping make this a reality!
Running with the big dogs
| Mae |
We can't believe we're here...
Barely a month after losing Gator, we find ourselves again saying goodbye to an old dog.
When Scott started training retrievers, there were four original dogs - two labs, a shorthair, and a vizsla. She was the last one.
She had it rough from the start, requiring double TPLO surgeries and an extended amount of crate rest as a small puppy. Because of this, she never quite caught up in training and wasn't pushed nearly as much. But she didn't know that.
The cover photo on this slideshow is from a time where she was the only retriever option Scott had. Faced with a brutal, jam-packed January on the North Platte River, she was it. Gator was out as he had just been diagnosed with dysautonomia and Steele stepped up in a way we could have never imagined. She hunted that icy river 5 out of every 7 days that month - not an ounce of hesitation.
To the little dog with a heart of gold; the littlest engine that could; the dog who would ALWAYS give you 100%; to Fowler's best friend - thank you ❤️
Thank you for loving us, caring for us, showing us what grit is and what forgiveness looks like.
There isn't a dog with more heart... and there probably never will be.
Rest in Peace Sweet Girl
Join the others
We love you ❤️
Bradleys Steele Magnolia
7/25/2010 - 3/23/2023
We love seeing past students absolutely killing it during the hunting season!
Hard to beat a nice double on the North Platte
I think he's happy we're home...
Puppy Basics
New puppies can be lots of fun...
But there are some important do's and don'ts to make future training a bit easier - both for you and the dog.
*𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 8 -12 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦
Do's:
➡️ Practice "sit" using 3-4 pieces of kibble as treats
▪️ 2-3x/day
▪️ Remember that to a puppy's tummy, kibble adds up quickly, so reduce feeding accordingly
➡️ Throw puppy marks
▪️ Use a small, white, fuzzy paint roller instead of an actual bumper
▪️ Throw these in a hallway so that the puppy has to return to you rather than take
off with the roller
➡️ Entice the puppy to walk alongside you
▪️ While this age is too young to start with the pinch collar, it is not too early to
encourage the puppy to walk alongside you
Remember: we're after progress and effort, not perfection. Reward good behavior and avoid harsh correction.
Don'ts:
➡️ Let them chew on things that aren't specific toys
▪️ We recommend nylabones, kongs, and similar toys that they won't ingest
▪️ Chewing on random items now makes breaking the habit later (with bumpers,
birds, etc.) that much more difficult
➡️ Avoid the kennel (even when they protest)
▪️ We get it, everyone wants to sleep with their new puppy, especially when they
appear to "hate" it so much.
▪️ Getting a dog accustomed to their kennel goes a long way towards having a
dog that can safely remain in a kennel unattended as an adult.
▪️ Being in the kennel shouldn't be a punishment (although sometimes it is used
as such). It is a safe space for your dog to be when you can't give it your attention.
▪️ Think of it as their "bedroom"
➡️ Don't let your puppy trick you into forming bad habits
▪️ Barki
Hard to beat a little family hunt in Kansas with a mixed pack!
Getting the goodies gathered up for the Women's Gundog Clinic this weekend!
More to come...
Dive Bomb Industries
Gun Dog Supply
Purina Pro Plan
Dirty Duck Coffee Company
Wildly Creative Co
Wander Woman - Kansas
Sisterhood Outdoors Inc.
I don't know how many times we see pictures of dogs with their e-collars on completely wrong....
❎ never on vocal cords
❎ never above the ear
❎ never loose enough that it could get hung up on something
1. Position - collar receiver should be below the dogs ear canal, behind the jaw but NEVER on the vocal cords or throat.
2. Tightness - collar should be tight enough that the collar cannot be moved and the prongs have constant contact with the skin. It should not, however, be so tight that the dog cannot breathe normally. Our typical rule of thumb is that you should be able to slide two fingers snuggly under the receiver.
3. Stimulation level - assuming the dog is properly collar-conditioned (this is key!!!), always start with the lowest stimulation level needed to achieve the desired correction. Less is more.
And if you're in the market for good collars, we always recommend Dogtra to any of our clients and friends.
#bella #dogtraedgert #toolsofthetrade #propercollarplacement #moreharmthangood #fridayfeedback #summertraining #proplansportingdogs #dogtrahuntingops #buildingretrievers #bradleyretrievers
Put me in coach!
It's the hand around the shoulders that does it 🤣
Hard to beat having a kid that loves dogs as much as we do.
Dogtra
Purina Pro Plan