Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis female puppy gives her new owner a kiss.
A common question Jerry and I hear when a family picks up their eight-week-old puppy is: “Aren’t you sad to see your puppies go?”
It seems such an innocent question but, as with many things, the real answer is complex.
First of all, it’s our business. Even though we train dogs, guide hunters and sell gear, a key component of Northwoods Bird Dogs is breeding dogs, whelping litters and selling puppies.
The reason we’re in this business, though, is because we love dogs and sometimes it is difficult when puppy dispersal time comes around. For whatever reason, a certain puppy will become a favorite of Jerry’s or I’ll fall hard for the littlest male or the perkiest female. In fact, I still remember very special puppies from years ago…puppies we named Lily, Linus, Moxie, Cotton, Pete, Peanut, Zeus and Jingles.
Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chardonnay female puppy takes a nap on her new owner.
Ultimately, the whole thing becomes a win-win-win situation: Jerry and I make a living, the new owners gain a treasured pet/hunting companion and the puppy has a great life.
To borrow from Ina Garten, how gratifying is that?
P.S. I’m happy to report that puppies from our three litters this year seem to be relishing their new lives. Many thanks to the Gudenkauf, Blomberg and Rader families for sharing these photos.
Blue Shaquille x Snyder’s Liz female puppy loves rides in her family’s boat.
Great things can be accomplished by prairie training in summer. ~ Jack Harper, Bird Dogs and Field Trials, 1983
There is no better place to evaluate a bird dog than on the prairies. In this vast open countryside, every move the dog makes can be followed and analyzed. You see how the dog uses the wind and what objectives it chooses to hunt. Often the temperatures are warm and the ground is hard so you learn how the dog copes with stress and how much desire and heart it possesses. Plus, an inefficient gait, unattractive carriage or poor ground application can’t be hidden.
This summer as usual, my good friend and training partner, Frank LaNasa, and I head out to a camp we’ve had in North Dakota for 13 years. We spend long weekends working our small strings of dogs from horseback. Our days are lengthy ones that start at 4:30 in the morning and end after dark but we love it.
Northwoods Lager points in the foreground while Frank handles his dog Northwoods Nirvana.
Running side by side with some of the very best dogs is an excellent way to observe and learn. Frank’s string is as good a yardstick as can be found. His five includes two female pointer champions, CH Homemade and CH Lil’ Miss Sunshine, a pointer male True Confidence and setters Houston’s Blackjack and Northwoods Nirvana.
Northwoods Parmigiano.
Our string consists of five setters—Northwoods Highclass Kate (owned by Barry Frieler), Northwoods Lager (Jim Bires), Northwoods Parmigiano (Paul Hauge), Northwoods Grits (Bob Senkler) and Snyder’s Liz (Steve Snyder)—and Betsy and I own the lone pointer, Northwoods Vixen.
A more spectacular place to train dogs can’t be found. And if the dog work doesn’t attract your attention, the vistas surely will.
Seeing little puppies on point is definitely exciting but that cute stance is just the beginning. Developing puppies into a top-notch hunting dogs or finished field trial performers will take years. The paramount time for that development is during the first few months of life.
Our goal is to raise happy, healthy, well-balanced puppies. Over the years, Jerry and I have developed a program that works. At a minimum, we feel puppies need:
• mental and physical stimulation
• exercises and introductory training to develop their natural instincts
• exposure to different situations, people and dogs
We also provide structure, stability and consistent rules. Equally important, though, we want them to enjoy life and have fun.
Detailed below are some of our puppy development and training ideas.
Time in the exercise pens
Ample time in our exercise pens allows the puppies to play and to rest at their choosing. We believe this freedom develops a physically sound dog with a calm, well-adjusted mental disposition. They also learn the invaluable lesson of how to interact with other dogs.
Barrel work
We put our puppies on a barrel where they learn to stand still with confidence. They love this exercise because they have our full attention and receive lots of praise through touching.
Retrieving
We encourage puppies to retrieve because they’re at a stage when they really want to please. Starting with a retrieving dummy we progress to freshly killed birds. A few retrieves two or three times a week is plenty and we always praise them lavishly when they bring the dummy or bird back.
Time on a stakeout chain
Especially when puppies are young and getting used to wearing a collar, we clip them to stakeout chain. They learn to give in and to be comfortable with restraint. They all struggle at first—some more than others—but all eventually do relent and relax.
Gang run
We gang run puppies from foot at eight weeks and later introduce them to group runs from four-wheeler as the next level in physical exercise. During these runs we also teach them to turn on a whistle, run to the front and handle to our voice.
Swimming and finding water
On our gang runs we swing by ponds. Not only do the puppies learn to swim (they follow May, our Labrador retriever) but they learn to cool off and drink. This method teaches them independence to find water on their own.
Some Simple Commands
We introduce preliminary commands such as HERE, KENNEL, and call their NAME using pieces of wieners as rewards. This encourages puppies to obey simple commands and create a positive association with people.
