Feeding bird dogs

Betsy and I get many inquiries about how we feed dogs to keep them healthy and in good shape. Feeding properly requires attention throughout the year but, especially now with the fall hunting season looming, a healthy dog is imperative. If your dog is overweight, the physical exercise will be hard on bones and joints and will cause premature fatigue. An underweight dog, on the other hand, will not have necessary reserves for endurance and will lack resistance to fight off maladies.

Feeding your hunting dog properly takes time and effort. Betsy and I practice what we preach and manage our dogs’ feeding programs as described below. This has worked exceptionally well for us for more than 15 years and we’re certain it will work for you, too.

Feed a premium quality food.

Reams have been written about various dog foods and it all boils down to one simple statement. Your dog is what it eats. Good dog food is balanced and nutritionally complete and is made with high-quality ingredients. Companies such as Nestle-Purina have done decades of study and research in formulating their foods and the price is worth it.

Feed the right amount at the right time.

Determining how much to feed your dog is an art that will take time and attention. Recommended feeding amounts on dog food bags are good places to start but are merely guidelines. Find out your dog’s body condition and then take into account its current activity level. Then, it’s simple:  if your dog is too heavy, reduce the portion; too light, increase it.

This brings me to another important point: Your dog should eat when you feed it. If your dog is a finicky eater and needs some enticement, try these two tricks. Add warm water and stir until a thin gravy forms. Or mix a spoonful or two of canned dog food into the bowl but then reduce the amount of dry food accordingly.

As with most things in life, timing is crucial. Nestle-Purina has conducted thorough research and their most up-to-date information on when to feed your dog is once per day. Studies show that dogs fed 24 hours before exercise had almost twice the endurance as dogs fed just 12 hours before. Nestle-Purina recommends these guidelines:

— Feed your dog 24 hours before hunting for optimum performance. Minimum time is 12 hours before.

— Feed your dog 40 – 60 minutes after it is done hunting for the day.

Use a glycogen replacement when working your dog hard.

Glycogen is one of the first forms of energy used by the working dog. Studies have shown that glycogen stores cannot be replaced in a short period of time and, further, loss of glycogen can have a negative impact on a dog’s performance. Dr. Ben J. Character, a veterinarian specializing in sporting dog issues has an excellent article on this topic called Power up: The Role of Glycogen Replacement

We have used glycogen replenishment for years. In addition, many field trial competitors use glycogen supplements for both multiple day trials and consecutive days of hard training. We buy Annamaet Glycocharge from Lion Country Supply.

Another happy home for Riptide x Ghost puppy

"Scout is doing well since we brought him home. He’s all paws, legs, and ears at this age, but he has a nose for birds as well. I attached two pictures of him pointing liberated Chukars at 10 weeks old and this morning at 13 weeks. He also loves to retrieve.

"I forgot how much work puppies are at 8 -12 weeks old. Luckily he’s very patient and quiet in his crate, staked out in the yard, and in the outdoor kennel so we get some relief from the mischief. He and our eight year old setter have pretty well sorted things out between themselves already, so that concern is over.

"So overall he’s adjusted quickly and is progressing nicely with his training."

Kindest regards,

Bill

Happy home for Riptide x Ghost puppy

"We hope you are staying cool amidst the muggy, tropical assault August has unleashed on us.  Although you are probably not losing any sleep worrying about Piper, we thought an update was in order..

"In short, she is doing extremely well. She loves her kennel and riding in the car.  We have taken her to multiple places, including visiting emotionally disturbed children at a therapy center, Game Fair, the beach, dog parks and many visits with my niece and nephew (7 and 5 years old).  She has gone swimming in the Mississippi, Kinnikinnic, Willow and St.Croix rivers, and loves wading along the shore.

"She makes eye contact and wants to be w us – her temperament is sweet and well-balanced and bomb-proof.  As Roberta proclaims on a regular basis "she is basically and unequivocally and undisputedly the very best dog in the entire world and she couldn’t be more loved."

"When she is not sleeping in her crate or eating, her days are spent playing with the other dogs and going for multiple walks.  Each 20-30 minute walk usually begins heading up the driveway, with much time spent chasing and pointing butterflies in the adjacent pasture."

Chris

Orange pals

Northwoods Prancer and Northwoods Blue Ox

When Jerry and I designed our kennel building, we thought long and hard about the size of the runs—both inside and outside. Since our goal was a small yet efficient space, we wanted to keep the number of total runs to 20 but how big to make each run was our conundrum.

After many drawings, lengthy discussions and permutations, we ultimately settled on 16 regular-size runs at 4’ in width and four larger runs at 6’. The larger spaces would be for whelping and raising litters.

An unforeseen benefit has been the opportunity to keep two dogs together in one run. The dogs seem to enjoy it and, in fact, become pals. (Jill and Shaq are currently together as are Prancer and Oscar.)  They sniff and nuzzle each other, roll around in their runs and play together with their chew toys. Jerry is careful who gets kenneled together and there is always one male and one female. He also considers size, age and temperament.

Jerry and I walk down to the kennel about 9:00 pm each evening to make one final check and to give all dogs a nightly biscuit. After treats are given in the larger runs, the two pals drink together out of their water bucket, curl up next to each other on the bed and settle in for the night.

Bill Nettles visits

Bill Nettles is a field trialer I met several years ago at the Grand National Grouse and Woodcock Invitational. This summer Bill and his wife have been traveling and working dogs and I invited him to spend a few days training with us while he was in Minnesota.

Bill posted the following message on the Cover Dog Message Board about his visit.

“I benefited a lot from a recent visit to Jerry Kolter’s. Jerry did me a kindness as bracemate in the 2001 Invitational, by letting me know that there was ground water around the bend, thus saving me and my dog some time. This was the first chance I have had to look him up.

"Jerry seems to enjoy tutoring even the most minute details about best practices in bird dog training. He showed me how many seemingly trivial and unrelated aspects all fit together to bring out the best in a bird dog. Each day my thoughts ranged from ‘why didn’t I think of that’ to ‘I never knew that’ to ‘I had forgotten that.’ I just hope to remember most of his teaching. There was quite a lot of detail and he is very soft-spoken, the exact opposite of what I need as a slow learner, but I still learned a lot.

"Earl Crangle wrote something about how the better a trainer is the more organized you will find his gear. I could never maintain the obsessive neatness of Jerry’s operation, it is beyond my skills, but I do admire it. I think Jerry handled the last of Earl’s dogs which ran in competition, maybe it was Earl’s influence.

"We did not get to meet Betsy, but for a place to be that organized and clean, I suspected there must be a strong female supervisor involved there.

"This is all said by way of thanking Northwoods Bird Dogs and to state my observations. If anyone gets up there, note his kennel, which has expanded since the website. There is a grouse feather over his logo that is hard to believe. Minnesota must have some huge grouse, and that feather must have come from the granddaddy of them all.”

Training puppies on a stakeout chain

The best way to train a pup or dog is to let another pup or dog do it.
~ Bill Tarrant, Best Way To Train Your Gundog – The Delmar Smith Method

One of the tools we use in the education of our puppies is a stakeout chain. Sometimes called a chain gang, the stakeout chain is a long chain with huge eye bolts at each end through which stakes are pounded into the ground. Shorter chains are attached along its length to fasten individual dogs.

When first clipped to a stakeout chain, puppies are uneasy and often bark or howl.

The stakeout chain is also a great tool when traveling. It’s an easy way to care for multiple dogs…plus it keeps the dogs secure and out of trouble. We put them on the chain to relieve themselves, feed and water them and to allow them to simply relax and be outside.

Stakeout chains can be made various ways. For many years I have made my own and now know exactly what works best. My stakeout chains hold six dogs and are 32’ long. Six drop chains are evenly spaced about 65” apart along the chain and are 18” long. (You don’t want them too long or the dogs can get into trouble with their neighbors along the chain.)

We begin putting puppies on the stakeout chain when they’re about eight weeks old. They get accustomed to physical restraint in general and learn, specifically, to give to pressure on their neck. We attach each puppy to their own drop chain and then leave them alone.

The chain gives enough so that when one puppy tugs, those next to it get a tug, also. Most puppies are uncomfortable at first and bark, pull or sometimes, just freeze. In time, though, they give in to the tugs without thinking and that’s the response we want. The transition to the leash or checkcord is now fairly easy.

Within a bit of time, puppies are completely relaxed on the stakeout chain.

By leaving the puppies to figure it out on their own, we’re not perceived as causing the restraint. In fact, after they settle down and we bring fresh water, they think we’re the good guys!

Happy puppies and puppy buyers

Ron Nielsen Family.

The puppies from our Blue Riptide x Blue Ghost litter were eight weeks old last weekend and Jerry and I had a steady stream of families here to pick out their puppy.

This was the second Northwoods Bird Dog puppy for two of the buyers. As we all know, it’s a small world. In 2006, Kevin Sipple first bought a wonderful tri-color female that is a littermate to this litter’s dam, Blue Ghost. This year he picked a matching, even-marked, tri-color female. Dwayne Splan is also back. His first puppy was a male out of Magic’s Rocky Belleboa x Old Glory Bluebelle in 2008 and, again, he was on the list for another male.

Splan clan

Other buyers included Chris Bye and Roberta Scherf from Wisconsin and the Nielsen and Head families from Minnesota.

It’s a sad day for me when the puppies go…but we’re grateful to the new owners and happy for the puppies.

Proud owner of Ox x Choice puppy

"Great to see you guys…Again, we really appreciate all your care and attention to these pups for their first 8 wks. They are so very much better socialized, confident and relaxed among people as a result.

"Our pup took about a half hour to get acquainted with her new surroundings, and then she acted like she’d been living here for her entire life. My wirehair treated her gently, and they have been getting along fine. I’m happy to report that she didn’t make a noticeable sound last night–to our great surprise and delight. She regaled us most of the way home when she wasn’t sleeping, but I put her kennel right next to our guy Chance last evening, and that may have made all the difference."

Matt 

Chris Mathan visits Northwoods Bird Dogs

Chris Mathan, a friend and owner of The Sportsman’s Cabinet, visited while she in Minnesota recently. We have known and worked with Chris for many years. She is a marketing specialist geared toward the outdoors and developed the brand and website for both Northwoods Bird Dogs and Dazzle Gardens, my horticulture business.

In addition, Chris is an excellent photographer and has provided us exquisite photographs of dogs, training sessions, flowers and landscapes. She has an extraordinary sense of style and a keen artistic eye. She perfectly captures her subjects and her photos are, literally, breathtaking.

Chris and I also collaborated on a 2010 calendar project, Why We Love Flowers.

We feel fortunate that Chris brought her camera and took time to photograph some of our dogs. Luckily also, the pasture was in full bloom when Chris photographed Roquefort and Parmigiano, 9-week-old littermates out of Northwoods Blue Ox and Houston’s Belle’s Choice.

Check out more of Chris’ photography—including shots of Bird Dogs, Field Trials, Upland Hunting and garden photos—and her other work at sportsmanscabinet.com.

How to pet a dog

Touch remains forever the most potent reward that a dog can receive.
~Bruce Fogle, The Dogs Mind

Physical touch is a powerful way to communicate with a dog.  By far the most common means is petting. While petting might seem like a no-brainer it is incredible that so many people do it incorrectly.

First of all, petting a dog is not “patting” a dog. “Patting” is a slap and similar in motion to dribbling a basketball. Dogs don’t like to be “patted” anywhere but especially on their heads. (I’ve seen dogs flinch when being “patted” on the head.) Watch while a dog is getting “patted.” It’s obvious by the expression and reaction of the dog that it’s not a pleasing or enjoyable experience.

What dogs really like is being touched with gentle, stroking motions. This petting can be applied differently to various parts of the dog’s anatomy and to convey specific messages.  Long, slow, light strokes calm and quiet a dog while harder, short, quick pets will excite. Petting a dog under its chin is similar to how a submissive dog reacts to a more dominate dog and isn’t the message to convey. When petting the side of the head or cheek area in a front-to-back motion, the dog assumes a “submissive grin” which reinforces your status as the pack leader.

All dogs have a “sweet spot” where they love being petted. This spot is the area between and slightly behind the shoulder blades. When dogs roll on their backs on grass or carpet, they are really focusing on these parts of their bodies.  It’s obvious how good it feels.

Petting your dog using the proper touch, technique and location is very important. You’ll be communicating the message you desire and the dog will be much happier, too!