Flocking puppies

Sure, a bird dog can be trained to do a lot of things but I’ve learned that it’s critical to evaluate the natural characteristics of a young dog. Among the many qualities I look for is how naturally the puppy wants to hunt with you and in front of you, physical traits and hunting focus.

Buddy Smith, a nationally recognized dog trainer, uses a technique
called “flocking” puppies. This is a favorite method of mine and one I
use often when working a group of similarly aged puppies off a
four-wheeler.

The
workouts start when the puppies are about five months old. In the
beginning I keep my travel length to 2-3 miles. During that 30-minute
period, the dogs travel 7-8 miles according to my Garmin Astro. I’ll
gradually increase my driving distance to 5-6 miles.

I vary
the routes so the puppies are continually stimulated by new cover. Each
route is dotted with ponds so the puppies can drink and cool down.

While
running the puppies, I call or whistle and increase my speed as I
change direction. If they get too wide, lag behind or aren’t paying
attention, they are soon running hard to catch up. Before long, most
start to pay close attention to where I’m heading when they hear a call
or whistle, even if chasing a song bird or butterfly.

During
these workouts I evaluate other natural characteristics such as gait,
carriage, stamina and range. I look for how a puppy drives from its
front and rear. I like a puppy that carries its head and tail high with
a happy way of going that says, “Look at me!”

I like a puppy
that spends every minute in the field hunting—one that gives me a quick
glance as it crosses and doesn’t come back to me. I look for an
athletic dog with good coordination, hearing and eyesight that can
focus on hunting while keeping track of me.

Besides all this valuable information I’m learning about the natural inclinations of a puppy, it’s a blast!

Feeding for ideal body condition

Your dog depends on you for the necessities of life—food, water and shelter. In addition, though, a key responsibility is to stay abreast of your dog’s medical condition and to keep your dog as healthy as possible.

One of the best ways to ensure good health is by maintaining a proper weight. Studies have shown that a complete and balanced ration fed in amounts to sustain a dog’s ideal body condition can help extend its life. For hunters and field trialers, that means more productive years in the field with your dogs.

Ideal body condition is not an indicator of whether your dog is in top shape muscularly but more a gauge of your dog’s overall health and well-being. While an underweight dog presents its own set of issues, a far more common sight is an overweight dog. Just as with people, excess weight increases the risk of blood sugar levels, blood pressure and heart rate. Also, an overweight dog in the field tires more easily and is more likely to overheat on a warm day—both of which lead to inability to stay focused.

How to determine your dog’s body condition.
Nestle Purina Pet Care Center developed a system, the Body Condition System, that examines specific areas of the dog’s body such as ribs, waist and abdominal tuck. Based on observations of those areas, a body condition score is assigned. The scores range from 1 (Emaciated) to 9 (Grossly Obese) with the ideal condition being 4 or 5. To view the Nestle Purina Body Condition chart, click here.

Feeding for ideal body condition.
To keep your dog in ideal body condition, follow these simple guidelines.

• Choose a high-quality dog food. We feed and recommend ProPlan Performance.
• Feed the proper amount. To determine the correct ration, start with the suggested serving amount on the dog food bag. Use a measuring cup–don’t guess! Because the feeding amounts are merely suggestions based on an average, monitor your dog’s body condition. It might need more or less.
• Don’t supplement with vitamins, minerals or table scraps. Too many supplements or too many high calorie treats can dilute the nutritional value of a dog’s diet, predispose them to obesity or cause a finicky eater.
• Feed your dog at the same time each day.

By establishing a feeding routine and feeding the proper amounts, your dog should be eager to eat its food. (Also, if a normally good eater fails to eat, it could be an early sign of a health-related issue.)

Monitoring your dog’s weight and using the Purina Body Condition System will help you keep your dog in ideal body condition.  This will take effort and observation on your part but will pay big dividends in the long run—both for your dog’s health and for more rewarding days afield.

For more information on the Purina Body Condition System as well as other dog health and feeding related topics, visit the Purina website at www.purina.com/dogs.

I’m Houston’s Image (1999 – 2007)

I’m Houston’s Image, call name Jake, was a 45-pound, tri-color English setter with a beautiful blocky head and square build. He naturally backed and retrieved and was an outstanding wild bird dog. Jake was stylish in motion and would take your breath away on point with his lofty pose.

Jake was bred by Paul Hauge out of his stud, Houston, and a double-granddaughter of CH Destinaire. 

Jake
spent his early years as a guide dog on a hunting preserve in
Wisconsin. The first time I saw Jake, he was being worked with two young
dogs. Jake went on point and, for a brief time, the young dogs backed
him. Eventually they went in and busted his birds and, through it all,
Jake stood like a brick!  During his tenure at the preserve he had
hundreds of birds killed over him.

Paul bought Jake and
sent him to us as a field-trial prospect. Jake could definitely find and
point wilds birds but one major issue became apparent. At the game
farm, he was basically followed as he went from bird to bird. In a field
trial, however, he had to handle to the course. He never overcame the
problem and it eventually eliminated him from competition.

In
the meantime, though, I had started using Jake on guided grouse hunts
and Texas quail hunts. He was a bit difficult in the grouse woods—he
could find grouse and stay on point for a long time, but the challenge
was to find Jake on point! He was awesome on Texas quail. He went from
covey to covey and pointed like a bull. One memorable evening hunt, Jake
pointed 12 wild coveys!

Jake was bred sparingly—probably
to fewer than five dams—and produced very nice dogs. We bred Blue Silk
to him early in 2006 and that litter of eight puppies turned out to be
exceptional. We worked six of them, including three females, Satin From
Silk, Blue Spirit and I’m Blue Gert. All three have been successfully
field trialed and have garnered placements in puppy, derby and shooting
dog stakes. In fact, I’m Blue Gert won the Region 19 Amateur Walking
Shooting Dog Championship at 29 months of age.

Even
though not widely known, Jake possessed extremely valuable genetic
traits to pass on to future generations. We are grateful for his
contribution to our bloodlines.

Working spring grouse and woodcock

Belleboa and Kay share woodcock.

Working dogs on spring grouse is quite different from autumn training.  The grassy cover is matted down and birds are frequently seen walking in front of the dog—quite a tempting situation for a young (or not-so-young!) dog—which also makes for great training. It’s common to flush two or more grouse in front of a point.

Shaq pointing grouse.

The spring grouse woods in Minnesota can be tough on a dog.  The terrain includes spots of ice, soft mud, cold creeks and many obstacles in thick cover. It is no small effort for dogs to constantly twist, turn, jump and navigate and all at a good rate of speed. It’s important to have the dogs in decent condition. Some of our dogs’ worst injuries have occurred in the spring. 

Jill pointing woodcock.

We love working dogs on spring grouse and woodcock…..and we basically have the woods to ourselves.

Through Markville

Directions to Northwoods Bird Dogs through Markville

•    Just south of St. Croix Trail on Wisconsin Highway 35/77 (or approximately 10 miles north of Danbury), turn west onto N. Markville Road.
•    Continue for 3 miles to State Line Road and turn left, or south.
•    Continue .5 mile to Markville Road, or County Road 25, and turn right, or west.
•    Continue for about 11.4 miles to a T.
•    Turn right, or north, onto Tamarack River Road, or County Road 24.
•    Continue for 2 miles to stop sign and turn left, or west, onto Duxbury Road, or County Road 30.
•    Continue for about 6 miles.
•    Look for a blue fire number, 53370. That is our driveway.  Continue past the house to the kennel at the end of the driveway.  

Northwoods Bird Dogs
53370 Duxbury Road
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
320-245-6988

Through Finlayson

Directions to Northwoods Bird Dogs through Finlayson

•    At the T intersection a couple miles after Finlayson, turn right, or south, to stay on Highway 18.
•    Continue straight at next intersection, where road turns into Highway 23 West.
•    Follow for a couple miles, veering to the left by Rich’s Bar and across the railroad tracks where the road becomes the main street of Sandstone.
•    Turn left in downtown, following the sign for 123. Follow over the Kettle River and continue east for about 3 miles to a stop sign.
•    Continue east, or straight ahead, where the road turns into County Road 30, or Duxbury Road, for about 10 miles.
•    Look for a blue fire number, 53370. That is our driveway. Continue past the house to the kennel at the end of the driveway.  

Northwoods Bird Dogs
53370 Duxbury Road
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
320-245-6988

From Minneapolis/St. Paul

Directions to Northwoods Bird Dogs from Minneapolis/St. Paul

•    Follow Interstate 35 north.
•    Exit at the main Hinckley exit, #183.  
•    Turn east, or right, onto State Highway 48.  Continue for about 9 miles to the tiny village of Cloverdale.  
•    Turn north, or left, onto County Road 21 or Cloverdale Road.  Continue for about 8 miles.  
•    At the stop sign, turn east, or right, onto County Road 30 or Duxbury Road.  Continue for 7 miles.
•    Look for the blue fire number, 53370.  That is our driveway.  Continue past the house to the kennel at the end of the driveway.

Northwoods Bird Dogs
53370 Duxbury Road
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
320-245-6988

From Duluth

Directions to Northwoods Bird Dogs from Duluth

•    Follow Interstate 35 south.
•    Exit at the Askov/Finlayson exit, #195.
•    Turn left, or east, onto highway 23. Continue for about 3.5 miles.
•    Turn right, or south, onto highway 123. Continue for about 4 miles.
•    Turn left, or east, onto County Road 30, or Duxbury Road. Continue for 10 miles. 
•    Look for blue fire number, 53370. That is our driveway. Turn right, or south.
•    Continue to the kennel which is past the house at the end of the driveway.

Northwoods Bird Dogs
53370 Duxbury Road
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
320-245-6988

From Danbury, Wisconsin

Directions to Northwoods Bird Dogs from Danbury, Wisconsin

•    Follow Highway 35.
•    In Danbury, turn west onto Highway 77.
•    Continue for about 4 miles and just after crossing the St. Croix River into Minnesota, turn right, or north, onto Grace Lake Road.
•    Continue for about 5.8 miles to a stop sign.
•    Turn left, or west, onto Markville Road, or County Road 25.
•    Continue for about 3.5 miles to a T.  
•    Turn right, or north, onto Tamarack River Road, or County Road 24.
•    Continue for 2 miles to stop sign and turn left, or west, onto Duxbury Road, or County Road 30.
•    Continue for about 6 miles.
•    Look for a blue fire number, 53370. That is our driveway.  Continue past the house to the kennel at the end of the driveway.  
 

Northwoods Bird Dogs
53370 Duxbury Road
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
320-245-6988 

A visit to southwestern Arizona quail country

Betsy and I traveled to southeastern Arizona in early January as both a vacation and an opportunity to hunt Mearns quail with our dogs.

That corner of Arizona is distinct with converging areas of desert, grasslands, rolling hills and several mountain ranges. We explored an area southeast of Tucson near the towns of Patagonia and Sonoita.

The country inhabited by the Mearns quail is beautiful, but rugged. The birds are found in plant communities such as Madrean Evergreen Woodlands, which are characterized by canyon after canyon dotted with evergreen black oaks and oneseed junipers. The ground is rocky and the hillsides are steep.  Footing can be treacherous and it seemed we rarely walked on level ground.

Mearns quail

The male Mearns are truly distinctive with colorful, black-and-white heads and brightly speckled, black-and-white breasts.  The females look similar to a hen bobwhite but have a thicker beak. Mearns eat tubers which they find by scratching the ground with their exceptionally long toenails.

Oscar backs Tom’s pointer.

In general, the coveys we saw held well for the dogs’ points.  In fact, sometimes they were reluctant to flush and almost had to be stepped on to get them to move.  When a covey did flush it usually did so in several waves instead of one big flush.  We found some coveys that ran quite a bit and then flushed wild and others that the dogs worked diligently only to see one or two birds flush out of range.  Experienced Mearns hunters we talked to thought these runners and small coveys had been hunted hard and were just wary.

Maggie backs Silk.

We were pleased with how our dogs handled the country and the birds. Silk, Moxie, Maggie and Oscar pointed the first coveys they smelled and handled them like they’d done it all their lives.  Our black Labrador, May, was very effective in getting those tight-sitters to flush once they were found by the pointing dogs.   After the first day, all dogs seemed a bit foot sore from the rocks but warmed up quickly.  The weather was perfect—we usually hunted in temperatures between 50 and 70 with bright sunshine.

We rarely saw javelinas,  but noticed quite a bit of sign indicating their presence.  One day, Oscar went into a juniper clump and after a burst of squealing and snorting came out—proudly carrying a young piglet in his mouth.

Our good friend, Jeff Hintz, who lives in Minnesota and winters in Tucson, and Tom Gardiner of Vail, Arizona, hunted with us.  We appreciated their
time and truly enjoyed their company and seeing good dog work by their pointers.

We had a wonderful time and hope to make another trip!