SPONSORED CONTENT: PURINA PRO PLAN Your hunting dog doesn’t come with an owner’s manual detailing specific guidelines for his or her well-being. It’s up to you to work with your veterinarian to create an optimal preventive-maintenance schedule for your dog. Not only will it keep him or her healthy, it will also give you the chance to catch anything serious before it potentially becomes a major problem. “Regularly scheduled veterinary exams are the foundation of good preventive health care,” says Purina Chief Veterinary Officer Kurt Venator. “Preventive care is especially essential for sporting ..read more

By Jessie Richards Photos by Jeffrey Karis When a retriever owner asks me why his or her normally well-behaved dog breaks during a waterfowl hunt, my answer is short and simple: Because you’re letting it.  Breaking is the opposite of steadiness, and it’s no doubt one of the most irritating behaviors retriever owners typically deal with. You can read book-length explanations for why dogs break and the nuances of how to remedy this cardinal sin, but it’s easier to just be honest about what you’ve done—and not done—to create this problem. Do that, and the solutions usually become obvious.&nb ..read more

SPONSORED CONTENT: EUKANUBA Even the most conditioned dogs get tired, but what you choose to feed your dog can have a positive impact on his post-exercise recovery. Give a pointer, setter, shorthair or Lab a choice between working or taking a nap, and the odds are stacked that he’ll take work at every opportunity. Labs were bred to make retrieve after retrieve, just as bird dogs were born to run fields and to snake through covers. Helping your dog maintain an ideal weight year-round along with regular conditioning helps prepare him for the season ahead. But nutrition can help give him an ..read more

SPONSORED BY EUKANUBA There’s only one way to get your gundog ready for hunting season, and that’s to condition when it’s hot. Conditioning is progressive, and it’s best if it starts in the spring. Still, summer training includes high heat and humidity, which can be a dangerous combination. Here are some ways to get started so that you and your string safely get to Opening Day. How Much for How Much? If you’ve been running field trials or hunt tests since the end of the hunting season, then your dog probably is in great shape. But if your string has been sedentary, then you’ve got some pre-con ..read more

Ask any dog person what his or her favorite part of the hunt is, and you’re likely to hear, “Watching the dogs work.” For someone who appreciates hunting with four-footed companions, there is no more joy than in seeing a dog perform the job it was bred and trained to do. That’s why hunters want the best for their canine charges—from gear for hunting, training and protection to fuel for peak performance. MUD RIVER DELUXE DOG HANDLER BAG Organizing and carrying dog-training supplies just got easier with Mud River’s Deluxe Dog Handler Bag. The bag has a heavy-duty, water-resistant polyurethane s ..read more

SPONSORED CONTENT: PURINA When it comes to grains, by-products and raw diets, do you know what’s myth and what’s fact? With all of the competing information out there, it’s easy to become confused over what you should or shouldn’t be feeding your hard-working bird dog. “Quality diet and nutrition are essential to helping a dog live a long, healthy life. However, many owners aren’t aware of what this consists of and are looking to the latest trends and fads to help make decisions about their dog’s health,” explains Purina Veterinary Communications Manager Shelly Adrian, DVM. “It’s important to ..read more

SPONSORED BY EUKANUBA Preseason training often requires upland and waterfowl hunters to work dogs when it’s really hot and humid. Fortunately, there are several workarounds to help safeguard hunting dogs during summer sessions. HOW DOGS COOL According to Russ Kelley, the Scientific Services Nutritionist at Eukanuba’s Pet Health and Nutrition Center, “Dogs reduce body heat in a variety of ways. 70% of their heat is dissipated through their skin.1 But intense heat and humidity mean that dogs’ core body temperatures are close to the ambient temperature, so they don’t cool off easily. Breezes usu ..read more

When it comes to dog training, attitude is everything. Barton Ramsey of Southern Oak Kennels, in Saltillo, Mississippi, keeps the attitude high with his Labrador retriever “Red” by doing fun water marks coupled with pattern blinds and handling drills. Red has a genuine love for the water, so getting out in the rain, as he did on this March day, doesn’t bother him one bit. To increase a dog’s love for water, Ramsey recommends paying close attention to the dog’s attitude when doing water work. Body language will tell you what you need to know. Never train a dog in water that’s cold, especially w ..read more

SPONSORED CONTENT: EUKANUBA You’ve waited to hit your honey-hole spot for the perfect day. You know that you’re hitting the migration just right, and if you’ve played your cards correctly, you’ll be limited out by early morning. Eyes to the sky, your calls have a large flock of mallards cupping its wings into your spread—when suddenly, your Lab breaks from his dog blind and that group of mallards is now small beating specs as it flies away. How do you handle training issues while hunting that may make or break your hunt? Make excited dogs wait for three minutes before sending them on a retriev ..read more

Between dangers in the field and training-related issues while hunting, how do you handle and prepare for obstacles that may arise this season? You’ve waited since last fall for the hunting season to roll around, and your expectations are high for your bird dog. You’ve envisioned staunch points or hard flushes and a heavy game bag at the end of each hunt. But what do you do when your dog has other ideas? Hunting with a bird dog isn’t always easy. Sometimes a dog completely forgets his training or runs into unforeseen dangers that can result in a medical emergency far from the truck. How do you ..read more