Lost Highway Kennels

09/01/2024

Congratulations to my friend Jonathan and his sweet Maddie on closing out her MH this weekend. Super cool guy and a talented Pudel. Well earned!

08/29/2024

I really enjoyed this one.

Musings on wasted effort, wasted talent, and wasted youth from Cap'n Stump's porch. We talked about old timers and old meat dogs, and a simpler way of thinking

08/26/2024

This year's St Hubert's Cup (World Championship) will be held in Croatia on October 24-27. As far as I know there has never been a competitor from the US at the Cup. Feb 2025 will mark the third running of the US Championship for this style of trial. I am going to set a personal goal of helping field at least one American dog/handler team competing at this prestigious trial by 2030.

Follow for more info on the 2024-25 American St Hubert's Championship.

08/25/2024

One day I hope we're able to send a team representing the USA.
https://www.wchpracticalhunting2024.com/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3zOSn_b4JTEmZzdwMhisgTRfL7vZmmOuXbBLD9wZQBpaBA2C4Z8dkzQeA_aem_4fkQUMivwCE5mgas22j6oQ

It is great pleasure that we welcome you to the official website of the World Championship in practical hunting and the Saint Hubert Cup, which will be held this year in the beautiful surroundings of Rugvica, organized by the Croatian Kennel Club, the Croatian Hunting Association and the Municipalit...

08/24/2024

For all those out there that have ever said "I don't need no fancy trial dog" .."I just want a meat dog"

Well here he is. Steady as the day is long. Calm and easy to manage in all environments. Can be handled by anyone.

Sure you could put a JH on him tomorrow. And with a little time and effort do fine in more advanced tests, but this boy is happiest at your side and picking up whatever you send him out to get.

He doesn't have a full force program behind him, but I would happily take him hunting in anywhere I get an invite. Long story short ...he's sensitive with a high pain tolerance. Gator gets clammy under force and I just didn't have the heart to try beating a square peg through a round hole. He's got a fantastic work ethic and is absolutely the type of dog that will get you invited back to those fancy shoots.

Come spend a day with him and see what I'm talking about.

Shoot me a DM if you'd like more info.

08/20/2024

Fall 2024 Group Class schedule is available to view on the website. This time around we'll be hosting them on Sundays from 8am-1pm with the last hour of the class dedicated solely to obedience (open to pet dogs as well). Dates are Sept 1st, 15th, 22nd, 29th, and Oct 13th.

$50/team + cost of birds

Please text 336-438-9560 to RSVP.

08/18/2024

08/16/2024

This is a breeding I would Jump on. Sprig du Mas Pataula x Ruthie d'Hokumpoke. Ruthie is an extremely beautiful and talented daughter of my Versatile Champion (and UKC Champion of Field), Lost Highway's Noble Pete and Sprig is a beautiful representation of the Pelligrinotti line by way of L'Ardour and Pataula kennels. This breeding checks all of the boxes... Conformation, Brains, Temperament, Speed, Power, Trainability, Bird Sense. There are some very nice Epagneul Breton in this country and this breeding brings together most of my favorites, many of which have passed through my hands in the last decade. If you're considering a pup I would certainly give Cap'n Stump a call.

08/14/2024

08/13/2024

Here's a few pictures from the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center. Highly recommend. Worth the trip to Harker's Island.

08/10/2024

Duke went home yesterday after a long residential stint here with me that started in March.

I always let him out first during the morning airing if he was being calm, quiet, and waiting patiently. It was a bit sad not having him downstairs to greet me this morning.

Many thanks to the Drummeys for trusting me with their boy. There are a lot of great memories ahead for this crew.

08/07/2024

Belle the Doodle went home yesterday. This was a first for me. Her owner, Micah and I had been wading cautiously into this program for nearly a year prior to her arrival in May. Today she went home a companion gundog. Some days were better than others, there were squeaky toys and lots of silly praise involved, but when a shot is fired she looks to the sky, and if a bird happens to fall she is ready and willing to get out there, pick it, and get it home to her handler.

I always want to be a trainer that will give any dog a chance. I'm really grateful to have had this opportunity with Belle. I definitely feel that it was a summer of growth for me thanks to her. Belle and I probably won't make the cover of the Retriever News or Hunting Retriever, but I'm as proud of her as any dog that's ever passed through my hands.

08/05/2024

Millie is a really well balanced pup out of GrHRCH Got My Mojo Working "Cletus" and HRCH Lady Lilly of Re*****on "Remi". She had a good summer here going through her basics and is now home with her owner anxiously awaiting Labor Day weekend. I started Millie's full sister (different breeding), Winnie last summer and they are carbon copies. I've also raised detection prospects with a couple of their brothers that are now on the streets with various law enforcement agencies. This breeding has produced consistent stability, temperament, and drive, and which are my three top innate criteria for working labs. Both Millie and her sister, Winnie are potential brood matrons here pending full genetic and health testing.

08/02/2024

This is Belle's excited face.

08/01/2024

Pat Nolan gives a lot of stuff away. I hold him in very high regard. I don't know if there's such a thing as the right way, but this is so comprehensive that it's bound to be right for everyone some of the time.

08/01/2024

This young man heads off to AppState (my alma mater) in a couple of weeks. He sure has been an enormous help around here. It's been cool to see him go from a complete greenhorn to a responsible, motivated man.

We spent the last couple of weeks getting his pup, Gunner on live game before dove season. They're going to make a solid team come dove and duck season.

07/30/2024

Mrs. Marshall Field with her yellow Lab Carl of Boghurst at the third meeting of the Labrador Retriever Club in 1933, held at the Meadow Farm estate of Charles Lawrance in East Islip L.I. Carl of Boghurst and Mrs. Field won the very first retriever field trial held in the USA in 1931. Held in the Hudson Valley Glenmere estate of Robert Goelet. Mrs. Field's husband Mr. Marshall Field III is the grandson of the founder of Marshall Field's Dept. store.

In light of recent videos surfacing depicting animal abuse at the hands of gundog handlers/trainers...

There is a long and interesting history of training for sport and shooting in this country. Proper treatment and husbandry of these animals has been priority one for amateurs and professionals since time in memoriam.

We often work alone, without the scrutiny of public oversight. We are humans like everyone else, subject to good days and bad. I reckon most of us have witnessed inappropriate or unethical handling of animals by other trainers, sometimes those we held in high regard. It is imperative that we reflect constantly on our own practices and hold ourselves to account.

One of my mentors told me to "never speak ill of a dog in your care". This is a good start towards the constant vigilance required to regulate your own temper in your daily work. Thoughts become words, words become actions and such.

I have always appreciated working in a relatively unregulated industry. We that do this for a living are governed by the rule of merit. If you are mistreating the animals in your care it will eventually come out in the wash. Protect your reputation, livelihood, family, industry, and conscience by having integrity and doing what's right even when no one is watching. Someone is likely watching.

07/26/2024

My friend Jimmy posted this yesterday. I must have looked at it 2 dozen times in the last 24hours.

This is my champion, VC CHF Pete (2024 St Hubert Champion) and his sister Penny becoming little monsters. They turn 7 next month.

I will never stop letting them bump chase and catch. It's not for everyone, but it is certainly for me.

Thanks for the beautiful memory

07/25/2024

There are so many exciting and wonderful things happening in our industry. So many fantastic trainers to celebrate. Resist the pull of negativity. Look for the good, and when you find it, share it.

NEGATIVE MARKETING IS THE CRY OF FAILURE

The dog training world is a cesspit of resentments, jealousies, and contrived controversies.

Folks who were wearing short pants and just learning to shave when other trainers were holding seminars and changing history, are pretty sure they have the newest and best stuff, and why won't the world pay attention and respect their authority?

It's all a bit tiring, and it's also a bit counterproductive as far as advertising goes.

Negative marketing sets up a frame in which the negative advertiser is displaying his or her frustrations and failures.

Here's a hint: If your product or service is really great, you don't have to spend time criticizing your competitors. After all, if their product, service, or system doesn't work, that will become self-evident. People are smart, and when that happens, they will draw their own conclusions and spread the message among themselves.

Have you noticed that great and successful service and product vendors never go negative?

Could you imagine an advertisement for Tiffany's denouncing "tired, dull, flawed, and listless diamonds from Jared?" Of course not. Typically, it’s the underdog who is criticizing the top dog.

Do you want to look like the failing underdog? Think about that -- do you want to announce you are losing in the marketplace of goods, services, and ideas?

And what are you really saying when you go negative? The deep message that you are unconsciously telegraphing is that you think all of your potential customers are stupid.

“Why did you buy Brand X, which is never as good or reliable as Brand Z? Are you that hazy, lazy, or crazy?”

“My god, are you so ignorant that you don't even know how to train a dog? Are you that stupid? Are you one of those cruel owners, or are you one of those weak-willed, low-standards people who still can't get it done? Go on now; which one are you??”

07/25/2024

Many years ago (shortly after 9/11) I happened to catch a tv show featuring Francis Metcalf and his Malinois, Turbeaux. I was struck by how he described his relationship with his dog and began to follow his content and career with awe from afar. Ringmaster of the Canine Circus School in the bay area of CA, Francis is a showman, an artist, a historian, a musician, an OG ringer, but above all he is just one hell of a dog trainer.

I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to spend two hours picking the brain of one of my all time greatest influences. Many thanks to for the opportunity. Go check out the latest episode of the Conpanion Gundog Podcast and give it a listen.

I got a little nervous to conduct this interview and forgot to plug my sponsor so do me a solid ...give Mike a visit to help me make it up to him.

07/19/2024

Molly...
Nearly 15 years ago I did a board and train with this wild pup in my one bedroom apartment in St Louis. This picture was taken a couple of years later when her owner, Beth moved to NC and brought her for a refresher while I was between deployments to AFG with the bomb dogs.

Molly was the first dog I took on after deciding to make training a full time career. She was the perfect dog for the moment. Just crazy enough to need professional training, but tractable enough to absorb and retain it. Affectionate and engaged, we exchanged a good deal of oxytocin in our time together. She had a gravity about her that was rarely escaped without a pet or full-blown snuggle. She represents an important milestone in my life.

Yesterday Molly went on to wherever consciousness goes when it escapes the material world. She gave and received lots of love while here. I reckon that's all that's needed for a life well lived. Be like Molly.

07/16/2024

This is my buddy Jimmy's beautiful girl Stella. Jimmy and Stella were one of the earliest teams to be regular fixtures around Lost Highway after we stood it up. Sadly, he lost her not long ago. We both learned a lot from this ol' girl. She is sorely missed.

07/14/2024

I am saddened to hear of the passing of Mr Robert Milner. I was lucky to meet him on a couple of occasions and have some long chats on the topic of training. Though we didn't see eye to eye on everything, he was a gracious host and a gentleman. Looking back, I reckon I become more aligned with his way of thinking with each passing year. He certainly influenced my taste in dogs and challenged my notions of what a gundog is and what it can be. Mr Milner was an important member of our community and will be missed.

07/12/2024

My friend, Noah and yearling bitch, Remi came to spend the week with me on a mini-apprenticeship. Remi was bred here (Yadkin River Lucy x HRCH Tater) in the summer of '23. She is a powerful, driven, tough, tractable, affectionate and engaging young dog that had several ducks shot over her in her first year of life. She came slightly unruly, but extremely keen to hunt and retrieve. Seeing as we only had a week I chose to help Noah start her in the British tradition. She and Noah will be heading home tomorrow with a good start on leash work (heeling, recall, sit/stay), whistle stops/sits, memories, place work, delivery, and a big head start in steadiness and honoring. We also added a thorough collar conditioning to keep it somewhat 'merica. I'm extremely proud of Noah's dedication to Remi and her training. This team has a an enviable future ahead of them considering they live in a sporting paradise. I hope I get an invite.

07/09/2024

Dogs represent the eras of our lives. I got Ella in September of 2012 after a deployment to Afghanistan. Today we're celebrating her 12th birthday by snuggling on the couch for some cartoons and hiding from the oppressive July heat. I hope you all get one like her in your lifetime.

07/06/2024

Mac about to learn how to not rock the boat. Canoes, especially those built for touring (smooth and fast) are a great tool for learning how to be on the water. Both humans and dogs need to understand primary and secondary stability, how to manage their own center of gravity, and to stay cool when things get a little wobbly. If you can do it in a Penobscot 16, you can do it most other boats. Best to start in a pond with dogs and humans that are comfortable in the water. Boat time is a good reprieve from the day to day of pile-work.

07/04/2024

"What a stupendous, what an incomprehensible machine is man! Who can endure toil, famine, stripes, imprisonment & death itself in vindication of his own liberty, and the next moment . . . inflict on his fellow men a bo***ge, one hour of which is fraught with more misery than ages of that which he rose in rebellion to oppose."
-Thomas Jefferson

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
-Ben Franklin

"It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting any thing by it; nay, that absolute monarchs will often make war when their nations are to get nothing by it, but for purposes and objects merely personal, such as, a thirst for military glory, revenge for personal affronts, ambition, or private compacts to aggrandize or support their particular families, or partisans. These, and a variety of motives, which affect only the mind of the sovereign, often lead him to engage in wars not sanctioned by justice, or the voice and interests of his people."
-John Jay

"To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them..."
-George Mason

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation."
-James Madison

"Posterity! you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it."
-John Adams

"A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one."
-Alexander Hamilton

"A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?"
-George Washington

"Give me liberty, or give me death."
-Patrick Henry

07/02/2024

Big G is back in town. Ghost has had a heck of a journey to this point. Two years ago he stuffers a full femur fracture after attempting a full send from the top of a very high waterfall in Western NC. At some point I'm going to sit down with his owner and do a podcast about his recovery and the value of pet insurance.

07/01/2024

This piece (first frame) was painted in France in 1879 by Jules Bertrand Gelibertand depicts what appears to be a pair of Brittany Spaniels hunting ducks. I find this particular painting interesting because in my opinion the pair depicted really favor the modern American Brittany. There are many other works from this period and earlier showing more of the modern French type (Epagneul Breton). The following chart depicts regional variations of the breed in its early days (turn of the 20th century). In the 13 years or so that I've been involved with them I've seen a lot of squabbling over "type" both morphologically and stylistically (Kinetic). Each faction always seems to push homogeny with their specific "type" being labeled correct and seem to wish to exclude the other types from the gene pool. I got into these dogs because I wanted a capable, practical, versatile little pointing dog with a sweet disposition. Regardless of where you fall in terms of "type", I think these are the real defining characteristics of the breed, transcendent across all variations.

12/05/2023

Tucker is a graduate of our September basic pointing class and a heck of a good boy. Here he is with his first wild SC Bob. Congrats David.