What I’m Reading: Don’t Shoot the Dog!

Don’t laugh. After a day spent training bird dogs, guiding grouse hunters or competing in field trials, you might think I’d want to read some easy fiction—a Randy Wayne White book or the newest Daniel Silva. Betsy teases me:  “How can you possibly want to read about dogs?”

While I do, occasionally, read fiction or other types of nonfiction, I really do love to read about dogs, birds and training.

One of the more successful ways to train a dog uses the principle of training with reinforcement. Don’t Shoot The Dog! by Karen Pryor is a 2009-revised edition of a book originally published in 2002.

Reinforcers may be positive, something the learner might like and want more of, such as a smile or a pat, or they may be negative, something to avoid, such as a yank on a leash or a frown.
 ~ Karen Pryor   

While a good share of this book advocates training with “positive” reinforcement, Pryor explains the proper use of “negative” reinforcement to modify behavior. She makes excellent distinctions between shaping, extinction, stimulus control and clicker training. She does so in a practical as opposed to a theoretical manner and uses anecdotal examples to make her points.

The trick to making “No!” effective is to establish it as a conditioned negative reinforcer. For example, anyone who feels it necessary to use a choke chain on a dog should always say “no” as the dog does the wrong thing, and then pause before yanking on the chain, giving the dog a chance to avoid the aversive by changing its behavior.
~ Karen Pryor

This book is informative and an easy read. It’s beneficial to anyone trying to train dogs—or, for that matter, any creature.

A September hunt on the North Dakota prairie: 2012

Frankie and Northwoods Blue Ox with sharp-tailed grouse.

North Dakota in early September is for one thing only—sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge hunting. Ian MacTavish and I were fortunate to be included when Frankie Kartch planned a hunting trip at his farm in western North Dakota. Frankie grew up in the area and knows it well.

Frankie brought Ranger, his setter, and Ian had four setters, Pearl, Maggie, Eli and Chet. I never like to be under-dogged so I hauled our dog trailer and brought 12 dogs. In addition to my guiding string (Oscar, Prancer and Lucy ), I brought client dogs Morris, Franny, Harmon, Gale, Tyler, Liz, Jill, Sean, and Grits to train.  That country is vast and can eat up dogs in a hurry. We had just the right amount!

As it seems with most sharptail openers, the weather was warm and dry.  Making it tolerable for the dogs was the abundance of ponds—that is if they could squeeze between all the ducks. The small grain harvest was almost complete so there was plenty of stubble. We hunted native pastures and alfalfa fields also.

Ian’s salad of greens, asparagus, cashews and grilled sharp-tailed grouse.

We didn’t see as many Huns as we would have liked but the sharptail coveys were large and plentiful. Most of the birds we shot were young; in fact a few of the Huns were very immature.

For three guys, if I must say so myself, we did a fine job in the cooking department.  Every night included what became my famous sharptail kebabs, Ian’s delicious sharptail salads and main courses masterminded by Frankie.

A cold beer while preparing dinner and a nightcap of the single malt Laphroaig was all it took to put us to sleep after a long, fun day in the field.

Northwoods Aerosmith with two limits of sharp-tailed grouse.

To start:  grilled sharptail shish kebabs.

A nice mix of prairie hunting ground.

Northwoods Parmigiano backs Merimac’s Westerly Gale.

Prairie 2012: another season wraps up

Frank prepares two horses for an early morning training run.

Frank LaNasa and I shut down our North Dakota training camp recently and, as usual, the closing was bittersweet. The birds were plentiful and all dogs gained invaluable experience. Plus, we had a blast.

Good friends and clients Steve Snyder and Barry Frieler made the trip west to see their dogs in action on the prairie. Leroy Peterson spent a weekend with us, also. (Leroy founded the “Peterson” setters, which produced the famous Houston, owned by Paul Hauge.)

Lager and Frank’s CH Homemade show intensity and style during a morning workout.

I had derbies Grits and Vixen and four shooting dogs–Lager, Liz, Parmigiano and Kate. Frank had his three pointers plus two setters, Houston’s Blackjack and young Northwoods Nirvana.

But now it’s time to move on. Frank will travel with his string to several horseback championships. Our dogs will transition to their respective roles:  compete in the Wisconsin and Minnesota walking championships; be members of our Bowen Lodge guiding string; and/or be returned to their owners for a season of grouse hunting in the woods.

Hank ground ties in a pasture shared with windmills and round bales.

Liz cools down after her training session.

Kate and Frank’s CH Homemade share point on a nice covey of sharptails.

CH Ridge Creek Cody wins presitigous award & national championship

Betsy and I are very proud of CH Ridge Creek Cody and his latest accomplishments. He won the 2012 Elwin G. Smith Setter Shooting Dog Award that honors the top setter shooting dog in the nation in open horseback competition.

Four-year-old Cody accumulated his points by winning the Idaho Open Shooting Dog Championship and placing runner-up in the All America Open Shooting Dog championship. Placing in these stakes is quite an accomplishment for a setter because his competition is mostly pointers and some outstanding ones at that.

In addition, Cody was just named champion in the National Amateur Pheasant Shooting Dog Championship held in Circle, Montana. Cody bested a field of 38 dogs with three finds and, according to one source, “a scintillating ground race.”

Cody is owned by Larry Brutger of St. Cloud, Minnesota, and handled by pro Shawn Kinkelaar. He was co-bred by us and Paul Hauge. He is out of Paul’s 2X CH/4X RU-CH Houston’s Belle and CH Can’t Go Wrong.  He was whelped and raised at our kennel and I worked him at our North Dakota prairie camp his first summer.

Congratulations to Larry and Shawn!

Prairie 2012: how sweet it is

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.

Northwoods Highclass Kate.

Patience and puppies

pa-tience (pa’shens) n. 1. The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.

For several weeks, I’ve been exercising three male littermates out of our Ox x Chablis litter and Molly, a female from Sean Derrig’s breeding. All are five months old. I run them off a four-wheeler and plan routes to pass ponds along the way.

At a very young age, the three males took to the water like fish. They loved to swim—but not Molly. She would ease up to the edge of the pond, get a drink and then watch. She was just as hot as the others, but unsure of the water.

This happened time after time….until today. When the other puppies jumped into the pond, so did Molly. She swam around and played like she’d done it all her life. It was so satisfying to see.

I didn’t teach Molly to swim. I just gave her ample opportunity and then she figured it out.

The key was patience.

There comes times when it is absolutely necessary for the breaker to go afield with his dog and do nothing but let the dog develop.
~ Training The Bird Dog, C. B. Whitford, 1908

Dogs develop on different schedules and at different paces. To get the best out of your dog, don’t rush it.

Remember this the next time you head out to work your dog. Be patient.

Proper conformation

…the distinction between a good and bad specimen in the canine world is conformation.
~McDowell Lyon, The Dog In Action

Good conformation in a dog is highly valuable but essential for a working dog. It allows a bird dog to perform its job effortlessly and gracefully. It provides stamina for long periods of work. It endows the dog with durability for many years of service. Also conformation that is pleasing to the eye can be appreciated even when a dog isn’t working.

Northwoods Nirvana displays ideal conformation for strength and endurance.

Two characteristics form the foundation of good conformation:  balance and symmetry; angulation of the front and rear limb assemblies.
Balance and symmetry refer to a dog having proportional size and structure from front to rear, top to bottom and between the individual parts. Some examples of improper balance and symmetry are:

  • heavy fronts combined with light rears (a common fault in setters)
  • heavy bone without corresponding musculature
  • overly large heads
  • short necks
  • long bodies with short legs
Northwoods Lager shows how the parts should fit together.

Northwoods Lager shows how the parts should fit together.

Correct angulation provides the propulsion for the dog which gives it strength, speed and stamina.  These angles work like levers, multiplying the result for a given amount of effort. It is critical that both assemblies are angulated in unison and don’t work against each other. Examples of improper angulation include:

  • straight shoulder blades which cause the front legs to hit the ground too hard
  • straight rear legs which cause a reduction in drive and speed
  • over-angulated rear legs that interfere with the front legs when in motion, also called crabbing
Northwoods Parmigiano displays good shoulder angulation and balance between front and rear assemblies.

Northwoods Parmigiano displays good shoulder angulation and balance between front and rear assemblies.

A well-performing dog is the result of good conformation.
~ Robert G. Wehle

At Northwoods Bird Dogs, Betsy and I apply a singular conformation standard to both our pointers and setters. We adopted it from legendary pointer breeder Robert Wehle.

These are the details we look for:

  • square, balanced head
  • long neck and smooth shoulders with angular blades that are well laid back
  • feet should be tight with the dog standing well up on the pad
  • front legs should be straight with a medium-deep chest (as opposed to wide)
  • back should be slightly arched and have strong, developed loins
  • well-tucked stomach
  • well-angulated hind legs
  • hind quarters should be square and straight
  • tail should be set and carried high

For more information about conformation and locomotion in dogs, read McDowell Lyon’s excellent book, The Dog In Action.

Minnesota 2012: May training report

For the months of May through August, our focus is training  dogs to be steady to wing and shot. With invaluable help from Jeff Hintz, Dan and I worked a talented group of young dogs. All possessed natural instincts and trainability that made them a joy to work with.

Dan, his own Northwoods Guns and Roses (Houston's Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay) and Jeff.

Dan, his own Northwoods Guns and Roses (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay) and Jeff.

Houston's Bold and Fresh (Houston's Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay).

Houston’s Bold and Fresh (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay).

Northwoods Aerosmith (Blue Shaquille x Houston's Belle's Choice).

Northwoods Aerosmith (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice).

Northwoods Anhiwake Grace (Northwoods Blue Ox X Houston's Belle's Choice).

Northwoods Anhiwake Grace (Northwoods Blue Ox X Houston’s Belle’s Choice).

Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston's Belle's Choice).

Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice).

Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston's Belle's Choice).

Northwoods Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice).

Northwoods Heart (Houston's Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay).

Northwoods Heart (Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Chardonnay).

Northwoods Jeter (Blue Shaquille x Houston's Belle's Choice).

Northwoods Jeter (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice).

Northwoods Mars (CH Can't Go Wrong x Cold Creel Pearl).

Northwoods Mars (CH Can’t Go Wrong x Cold Creel Pearl).

Northwoods Vixen (CH Westfalls Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer).

Northwoods Vixen (CH Westfalls Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer).

Jake (bred by Superior Pointers).

Jake (bred by Superior Pointers).

Shigger (Ryman setter).

Shigger (Ryman setter).

Minnesota 2012: spring training on grouse and woodcock

Spring is a great time to train on grouse. Scenting can be tough, though, and savvy winter survivors often use their legs more than their wings to escape.  Finding the birds is one thing; getting them pointed, much less pinned, is another. Spring grouse make fall birds seem easy.

Dan and I had some excellent sessions in the woods with dogs here for training. Enjoy our photos.

Buck (a Ryman setter) can find birds!

Houston’s Belle’s Choice (Gusty Blue x CH Houston’s Belle) points a grouse in a black ash swamp.

15-month-old Northwoods Grits (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis) finds a grouse.

Northwoods Lager (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) points a woodcock. Paul Diggan stands by.

Northwoods Blue Ox (CH Peace Dale Duke x Blue Silk) pins a grouse.

Northwoods Porter (sired by Blue Shaquille) backs his mother, Houston’s Belle’s Choice.

Northwoods Magic Man (Houston x Northwoods Blue Babe) backs Houston’s Miss Liddy (Northwoods Blue Ox x CH Houston’s Belle).

The handsome Northwoods Magic Man points.

9-month-old Northwoods Aerosmith (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice) points a woodcock and Gigi (Ryman littermate to Buck) backs.

Moose River Grouse Dog Club trial results

Open Puppy Winners Northwoods Carly Simon with Paul Diggan and Gracie with Mr. Lawton. Back row: Dan Stadin and judges Brad Holt and Bert Benshoof.

    

Wet, drizzly and overcast—perfect bird-finding weather—was the forecast for the Moose River Grouse Dog Club field trial held the weekend of April 21 – 22.

First-year shooting dog Northwoods Lager, owned by Jim Bires, was our only entry in the Open Shooting Dog stake. He ran strong and powerful, hit all the right places and yet showed when needed.  At about 40 minutes he had an unproductive but stood strong when his bracemate interfered.  Lager ended his bid at 50 when he unsuccessfully tried to relocate on a touchy, running grouse.

In the Open Derby, Northwoods Classy Kate, owned by Barry Frieler, ran her namesake race—driving, forward and classy. That day, though, she went without bird contact. Houston’s Miss Liddy, owned by Paul Hauge, also ran very well but missed some opportunities on birds. Northwoods Roquefort, owned and handled by Dan Stadin, ran well and had an unproductive in likely cover.

The highlight of the trial was when 13-year-old Paul Diggan handled 9-month-old Northwoods Carly Simon to third place in the Open Puppy stake. He had to work hard to pull her out of likely cover on the outside edge of the puppy course loop.

 

Open Shooting Dog

1st Marley, Sig Degitz

2nd Ralph, Luebke

3rd Mickey, Peters

Open Derby

1st Hank, Visger

2nd Rain, Brent Sittlow

3rd Maddie, Harvat

Open Puppy

1st Gracie, Lawton

2nd Ole, Gerrits

3rd Carly, Paul Diggan

Northwoods Birds Dogs    53370 Duxbury Road, Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
Jerry: 651-492-7312     |      Betsy: 651-769-3159     |           |      Directions
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