Three-year-old Ridge Creek Cody, a setter male co-bred by Paul Hauge and Northwoods Bird Dogs, won Runner-up in the All America Open Shooting Dog Championship. The trial was held near Carson, North Dakota, and was run on native pheasants and sharp-tailed grouse.
In our gun dog foundation training, we use pigeons in launchers to teach dogs about birds and how to act around them. We need control of the bird to create the necessary training situations. That control gives us better timing and helps instill the desired behavior.
But since the goal is not to have the best pigeon dogs around, we eventually need to transition to wild birds.
While a dog may be finished on pigeons in two or three months, it will take at least that long and much more effort to finish it on wild birds. There are three reasons.
We lose the ability to control the bird.
This creates a whole new set of conditions for us. Since we don’t know when or how the bird will flush, we have to focus intently on everything going on to react and to properly correct the dog.
The level of distraction is much higher.
The locations and terrain are different. The dog is more excited and less focused on us. (Wild birds are much more stimulating to the dog.) The sessions are longer which may cause the dog to be hot and/or tired.
The number of bird contacts changes.
The dog can only progress when it finds a bird. As trainers, knowing where the birds are is critical. Consistent bird contact creates consistent opportunities for learning.
Key points to remember.
• Progress in wild bird training depends on the foundation created during pigeon training. If your dog isn’t performing well in training situations, it’s not ready to move on.
• Expect your dog to do things wrong on wild birds. Give it some freedom to learn from mistakes. Don’t correct too hard or too fast. Look for progress not perfection.
• More birds are not always better. Dogs learn by repetition and consistent bird contact over a longer period will provide those repetitions.
• Some dogs can take a lot of pressure and the finishing will go quickly. Others must be handled more delicately. Read your dog.
• Timing is everything. The dog must understand why it was corrected. If your timing is good, much progress can be made in a few encounters.
• Dogs are place oriented. They learn to respond to certain stimulus in the training field, but it will take repetition to generalize that behavior on wild birds.
• Dogs constantly read our body language. We, too, act differently in situations involving wild birds.
Finishing your dog on wild birds will take time. But the results of that effort will reward you with many years of satisfaction and pride.
When Betsy and I sit down to discuss litters we’d like to produce, it’s a fun process but it also takes hard work. We look at individual sires and dams. We also look at possible combinations of traits, characteristics and tendencies of those dogs, both in the field and in the kennel.
We also evaluate litters already produced. While appraising one dog from a litter gives us some idea of what its parents can produce, an even better option is to evaluate an entire litter. Then we can truly get a feel for the preponderance and/or scarcity of the various traits we’re breeding for.
We’re fortunate to train many dogs we’ve bred and this summer has been fantastic. We’ve looked at offspring from seven litters—from first-year dogs and puppies to three-year-olds.
Six of seven puppies from our January 2011 litter by Northwoods Chablis x Northwoods Blue Ox litter are here for early training. Betsy and I kept two and four are client-owned. We’re getting a good look at what first-time dam Chablis is passing on. We’re very pleased with our initial impressions—all are naturally staunch on point, back and, to some degree, retrieve. They have a strong urge to hunt for birds and are beautiful on point with lofty posture and high, straight tails.
Last year the breeding of Houston’s Belle’s Choice x Northwoods Blue Ox produced seven puppies and all have been in for training. Again, four are client-owned, Dan Stadin, the man who works with us, owns one and we own two. This litter is being steadied to wing and/or shot and is finishing out with great character and intensity. It should be an exciting fall for these one-year-old dogs and their owners.
Parmigiano Ox x Choice (2010) male
In addition to those two, this summer we’re training offspring from the following litters:
2011: Northwoods Prancer x CH Westfall’s Black Ice
2010: CH Houston’s Belle x Northwoods Blue Ox
2009: CH Houston’s Belle x CH Magic’s Rocky Belleboa
2009: Houston’s Belle’s Choice x Blue Shaquille
2008: Old Glory Bluebell x CH Magic’s Rocky Belleboa
The history of using dogs for hunting game birds in the state of North Dakota is peculiar, to say the least. It would be funny, too, except that it actually happened. Less than thirty years earlier, Indian wars were being fought and forty years earlier the American Bison was still being market hunted. How could bird dogs be of that much importance?
In 1919, North Dakota passed a law that outlawed the use of dogs for hunting upland game birds. Dogs were allowed for retrieving waterfowl only. “No bird dogs allowed to run loose or with owners between April 1 and November 1.”
Shortly after those restrictions, the North Dakota Game and Fish Board of Control, in its 1919-1920 Biennial Report, bragged about the success of the law: “It is conceded by everybody that the grouse and prairie chickens were never more plentiful than they were the past two seasons…the bill cutting out the use of dogs was one of the most far-sighted pieces of legislation ever passed for the conservation of game and should never be repealed…”
Some members of the Board of Control believed fewer birds were lost or crippled by using dogs to retrieve them. In 1933, after much bantering about what types of dogs, the law was changed again to only allow spaniels or retrievers for retrieving. “Use of Pointers, Setters and Droppers is unlawful.”
Later in 1943, a new law was passed that is still in effect today: “All types of dogs were legal to hunt upland game in season.”
Finally, common sense prevailed.
Quotes from Feathers from the Prairie by Morris D. Johnson and Joseph Knue.
The all-female litter out of CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer is now about 12 weeks old.
We’ve heard excellent reports from Mark & Janie Fouts (Timber), Chip Young (Birdie), Tony & Cheryl Follen (Lucy), Dave Sheley, Mike Stout (Jackie Daniels) and Ben Mergens.
Jerry and I kept an orange-and-white that we named Vixen. Jeff, our neighbor and friend who helps with training, and his wife, Carol, have a black-and-white. They named her Izzie after the doctor on Grey’s Anatomy.
These two couldn’t be cuter or more precocious or more fun. Vixen lives in the house with us and I love sitting on the floor with her and her chew toys. One day Jerry threw a dead pigeon for her. She ran out, picked it up (it was as big as she was) and carried it all the way back to him.
Jeff takes his group of pointers to a nearby lake to cool off on these hot summer afternoons and throws a dummy. Izzie took off after Jeff’s older pointer, Hershey, when he out for the retrieve. What to do? Jeff threw one just for Izzie…and she loved it.
I recently finished the New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz and overall found it fascinating. Horowitz is a cognitive scientist and her book explains, based on her research and the research of others, how dogs perceive their worlds, other dogs and humans. In short, she tries to help us picture what it is like to be a dog.
The book begins with a brief background of how the dog came to be. Horowitz includes interesting information about the importance of genetics vs. environment and concludes that the combination ultimately determines what an individual dog will become.
“…dogs, like us, are more than their genome. No animal develops in a vacuum: Genes interact with the environment to produce the dog you come to know.”
The chapters on the various senses of the dog were insightful but the descriptions of various experiments used to make a point were, at times, too detailed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the section “Inside of a Dog” (same as the book title) which includes topics such as what a dog knows, dogs and time, right and wrong, living in the moment and others. If you only read this section, the book will have been worth your time.
Although not a formal training book, Inside of a Dog has practical application for understanding behavior. And the more we know about how dogs think and act, the better dog trainers we can be.
Puppies go through many stages in the process of reaching their adult forms. Some say that at eight weeks, puppies have the same physical proportions that they will as adults. By about 12 weeks (3 months) they start to “fall apart” as different body parts grow at different rates. At around 10 months they are close to their adult sizes and forms but still have only puppy muscles and will continue to fill out until two years of age.
Below are pictures of three dogs from our “cheese” litter born in 2010 by Northwoods Blue Ox and Houston’s Belle’s Choice. The pictures were taken at eight weeks, 13 weeks and 12 months.
Northwoods Roquefort
Northwoods Parmigiano
Northwoods Brie
Our 2011 litters by Northwoods Chablis and Northwoods Chardonnay represent the sixth generation of setters we have bred, raised, trained, hunted and trialed. It is so much fun to see various traits and characteristics that are passed along. Even if they skip a generation or two, we know our setters so well that we have a good idea where those traits originated. Here are some "family" photos. Enjoy!
A guy is driving around the back woods of Minnesota and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house:
Talking Dog For Sale
He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking pointer sitting there. “You talk?” he asks. “Yep,” the Pointer replies. After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says, “So,what’s your story?”
The Pointer looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I called the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most
valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger, so I decided to settle down….”
“I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.” The Pointer sighs and adds, “Then I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired…”
The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. “Ten dollars,” the guy says. “Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?” “Because he’s a liar! He never did any of that stuff!”
Northwoods Chardonnay edged out her litter sister, Northwoods Chablis, by two points to win the 2011 award. Another littermate, Northwoods Lager, was in the top four. That these dogs were so competitive is no accident. Grandmothers on top and bottom—Blue Silk and CH Houston’s Belle—won this award previously.
Chardonnay has had four field trial placements in as many starts. As a puppy in 2009 she placed second in the very competitive O-Kan puppy stake held in Oklahoma. (Lager placed first.) Later that spring she placed second in the MGDA derby. This spring she placed third in the MGDA Open Derby (beaten by littermates Lager and Chablis) and won first place in the Moose River Grouse Dog Club Open Derby. She pointed grouse in both of this spring’s wins.
Chardonnay is out of a litter bred by Paul Hauge in 2009. The sire is Blue Shaquille and the dam is our current producing female, Houston’s Belle’s Choice. We started four from this litter and each is a strong grouse dog.
Chardonnay did a fine job in our grouse guiding string last fall, especially for a 1½ year old. She has the classic Houston-line trademarks: easy, attractive gait; lofty style on point; outstanding ability to find and point grouse.
Northwoods Bird Dogs have won or been in close contention for this award several times before.
2003: CH Houston’s Belle, owner Paul Hauge, won
2001: Blue Silk, owner Paul Hauge, won
1998: Spun Gold, second in points
1997: CH Blue Streak, second in points
1995: That’s Afact Jack, second in points
In addition, dogs sired by our studs have won the award.
2009: Goodgoing Hannah Montana, owner Brett Edstrom/Good Going Kennel, was sired by Dashaway
1999: Milk Run Jessie, owner Brian Miller, was sired by CH Blue Smoke
This accolade was started in 1994 and has subsequently been awarded 17 times. It has been won by pointers on 10 occasions. It is sponsored by Pro Plan who generously purchased the rotating trophy and supplies dog food to each year’s winner.
From field and home
Miles (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Madrid, 2024)
~ Lars Totton, New Jersey
Rip (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022)
~ Mark Fitchett, Kansas
Vida (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods
Carly Simon, 2019)
~ Tom Condon, Montana
Suki (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024)
~ Eric Beauregard, Massachusetts
Birdee-Su (CH Westfall’s Black Ice x Northwoods Prancer, 2011), from a stellar litter of eight females
~ Chip Young, Tennessee
Winnie (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x
Northwoods Comet, 2024)
~ Joe and Jess Nelson Family, Minnesota
Tally (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024), on left, and Georgia (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2015)
~ Joe and Deb Wech, Minnesota
Cosmos (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019), on right, and his pal
~ The Collins Family, Georgia
Stanley (May's Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024)
~ Johansson Family, Minnesota
Tyler (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024)
~ Josh and Des Matel, Minnesota
Filly (May’s Pond Hank x Northwoods Stardust, 2024)
~ Tom and Lauren Strand Family, Minnesota
Sage (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024), top, and Louis (CH Erin's Hidden Shamrock x Northwoods Nickel, 2018)
~ Joey Paxman and Amanda Allpress, Montana
Racer (CH Miller’s Upgraded Version x Northwoods Comet, 2024), right, and his very special pal JTH Cooper (HOF CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015)
~ Doug and Nicole Miller, Oregon
Russell (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024)
~ Gregg Pike and Family, Montana
Abby (CH Woodville’s Yukon Cornelius x Northwoods Redbreast, 2024), on top of her new pal
~ Ben and Penelope Pierce, Montana
Annie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017) on her 7th birthday
~ Lynn and Kathy Olson, Iowa
Maisy (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023)
~ Zenas and Susanne Hutcheson, Minnesota
Molly (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023)
~ Ken and Caroline Taylor, Pennsylvania
Jordy (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Prancer, 2014). Look closely!
~ Mark and Janie Fouts, Wisconsin
Speck (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018)
~ Mike Watson, Pennsylvania
RU-CH Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017)
~ Greg and Michelle Johnson, Wisconsin
Zion (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022)
Harper (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022)
~ Tom Dosen-Windorski, Minnesota
Attie (Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Jeff and Carol Hintz, Arizona
Cedar (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019)
~ Eric and Lindsey Saetre, Minnesota
Chester (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Stardust, 2023)
~ The Milles Family, Minnesota
Millie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017)
~ Mercer Clark, Georgia
Belle (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Kevin Sipple, Wisconsin
Piper (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2021)
~ Tom and Ashton McPherson, Pennsylvania
Tork (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Nik Zewers, Minnesota
Fred Dog (Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva, 2019)
~ Chris and Maggie Standish, Pennsylvania
Phoebe (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Minerva, 2018)
~ Brandon Boedecker, Montana
Earl (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Valencia, 2020)
~ Craig Purse, Wisconsin
Ginny (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022)
~ Pat Kane, Montana
Valencia (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carbon, 2017), on left, and Tasha (Blue Shaquille x Snyder’s Liz, 2012)
~ Tim Esse, Minnesota
Macquina (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2021)
~ Jeremy Moore Family, Wisconsin
Caddie (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Brian Smith, Pennsylvania
Madji (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Stardust, 2021)
~ Ron and Lora Nielsen, Minnesota
Russell (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Nathan and Gretchen Johnson Family, Minnesota
Willie (Northwoods Rolls Royce x Northwoods Minerva, 2021)
~ Chris Smith, Wisconsin
Junie (CH True Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2021)
~ Joey Paxman and Amanda Allpress, Montana
Enni (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar 2022)
~ Eric and Lindsey Saetre, Minnesota
Layla (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023)
Frisco (Blue Riptide x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2014), on left, and Zion (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022)
~ Rick and Jodi Buchholz, North Dakota
RU-CH Northwoods Atlas (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017)
~ Greg and Michelle Johnson, Wisconsin
Watson (CH Houston’s Blackjack x Northwoods Highclass Kate, 2013), on left, and Walker (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023)
~ The Long Family, Ontario, Canada
Northwoods Highclass Kate (Northwoods Blue Ox x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2010)
~ Barry and Jill Frieler, Minnesota
Pep (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Houston’s Nelly Bly, 2023)
~ The McCrary Family, Michigan
Maple (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022), on left, and her pal
~ The Watson Family, Montana
Rip (Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Stardust, 2023), on left, and Flint (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2015)
~ Ben and Adrian Kurtz, Colorado
Attie (CH Southern Confidence x Northwoods Comet, 2023)
~ Jeff and Carol Hintz, Minnesota
Luna (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon 2017)
~ The McCrary Family, Michigan
Stoeger (CH Ridge Creek Cody x Northwoods Chardonnay, 2013), on right, and Chester (RU-CH Northwoods Atlas x Northwoods Stardust, 2023)
~ The Milles Family, Minnesota
CH Northwoods Sir Gordon (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2016), on left, and Eddie (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Northwoods Valencia, 2023)
~ Ben and Maureen McKean, Minnesota
Griffin (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Northwoods Valencia, 2023)
~ The Johnson Family, Minnesota
Annie (CH Rufus del Fuego x Northwoods Valencia, 2021)
~ The Sligh Family, Georgia
Chrissy (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022), on left, and Carly (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2015)
~ Bob and Carol Berry, Wyoming
Sage (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Northwoods Valencia, 2022)
~ The Orstad Family, Minnesota
Dottie (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Betty, 2020)
~ Tom (on left) and Lauren Strand, Minnesota
Lacey (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Minerva, 2020)
~ Zenas and Susanne Hutcheson, Massachusetts
Smooch (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2013)
~ Wayne and Julie Grayson, Mississippi
Biscuit (Northwoods Blue Ox x Northwoods Chablis, 2011), litter sister to our beloved Grits
~ Ryan and Monica Gould, Minnesota
Rayna (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2017)
~ Jeff Bird, Oregon
Carly Simon (Blue Shaquille x Houston’s Belle’s Choice, 2011)
~ Jessica Kramer, Wisconsin
Jenny (CH Shadow Oak Bo x Northwoods Carbon, 2016)
~ John and Jeri Cleverdon, Michigan
Lacey (CH Elhew G Force x Northwoods Vixen, 2016)
~ Brian Smith, Pennsylvania
Jade (CH Rock Acre Blackhawk x Northwoods Vixen, 2015)
~ Frank Ilijanic, Michigan
Jones, on left, and Nellie (both out of CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Northwoods Valencia, 2022)
~ Chris and Laura Miller, Illinois
~ Gregg and Sherrie Knapp, Wisconsin
Tippy (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022)
~ Bill and Gail Heig, Minnesota
Dexter (CH Snyder’s Pioneer Scout x Northwoods Cedar, 2022)
~ Mike Rosario, Wisconsin
Jones (CH Northwoods Sir Gordon x Northwoods Valencia, 2022), on left, Stella (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2015), center, Rose (Blue Riptide x Blue Ghost, 2010), on right
~ Chris and Laura Miller, Illinois
Rip (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022)
~ Mark and Jana Fitchett, Kansas
Willow (Northwoods Louis Vuitton x Houston’s Dancing Queen, 2022)
~ Rhon and Lori Tranberg, Indiana
Madison (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Nickel, 2018)
~ Barry and Jill Frieler, Minnesota
Lady P (RU-CH Erin's Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2018)
~ DeWolf Emery, Maine
Nellie (Northwoods Grits x Northwoods Bismuth, 2017)
~ Dick and Melanie Taylor, Michigan
Elmer (Northwoods Grits x Houston’s Belle’s
Choice, 2014), Annie (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017), Sig (Northwoods Rob Roy x Northwoods Minerva, 2019), front to back
~ The Olson Family, Illinois
~ Kathy and Lynn Olson, Iowa
~ Chris Bye, Wisconsin
Winston (CH Rufus Del Fuego x Northwoods Valencia, 2021)
~ The Short Family, Oregon
Cosmos (RU-CH Erin’s Prometheus x Northwoods Carly Simon, 2019)
~ The Collins Family, Georgia
Northwoods Diana (RU-CH Northwoods Nirvana x Northwoods Carbon, 2017)
~ Lynn and Kathy Olson, Iowa
