Portraits of puppies in their first hunting season

Juniper (CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021) retrieves a big, fat rooster. Juniper is owned by Joey Paxman and Amanda Allpress of Montana.

Jerry and I consider the first hunting season of a puppy’s life to be a crucial element in its development. A puppy’s mind is like a sponge, eager to absorb anything and everything.

For the owner of the puppy, that first fall can be a blast. There’s no pressure. Very little handling is necessary and definitely no “Whoa” command is involved. Just take the puppy onto the prairie and into the woods and expose it to as many wild birds as possible.

Even though Nemadji (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Stardust, 2021) has one sharp-tailed grouse in her mouth, she’s eyeing others on the ground in front. Madji is owned by Ron and Lora Nielsen of Minnesota.

The puppy can really do no wrong. Use its nose to hunt for birds. Find the bird. Flush it. Loose the scent entirely. It doesn’t matter. The puppy is learning with every exposure.

Eventually, the proverbial lightbulb goes on and the puppy gets it. The puppy points, perhaps momentarily, but it does stop.

After a successful hunt, Rickey (CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021) looks cool and calm. Rickey is owned by Jake and Nicole Beveridge of Minnesota.

Puppies from our pointer litter out of Comet by True Confidence and our two setter litters, Grits x Stardust and Rolls Royce x Minerva, had ample opportunity.

Kudos to the owners for taking their puppy hunting. And the scenery is pretty nice, too.

Lupin (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Stardust, 2021) is learning so much during her first season on the prairie. Lupin is owned by Tom and Tammy Beauchamp of Indiana.