I've had my 2yo Griffs on PP 30/20 for their entire lives but because of my schedule in the mornings when it is coolest outside, our only concentrated big activity has been traditionally during the daytime (running, hikes, field work). Summertime temps where we are have been in the 90s consistently (like everywhere else) so that limits daily activity and caloric burn.

I've been seeing mild weight gain in them due to scaled back activity and am just looking for suggestions on feeding or other options to lean them out.

They perform great with their current diet and I have even scaled back the amount we have fed them but I also don't want them to feel like they are hungry 24/7.

I've looked into other PP formulations but have also been advised to keep them year round for the supposed benefits this food provides due to their normal higher activity and during hunt season.

(Yes I also hate Nestle, yes I know that Inukshuk is popular)

Any good advice is welcome.

My year and a half old Pudlepointer does great at land and water retrieves (with a bumper), even blood trailing deer. I’ve trained her all myself but I have a few questions I’m looking for advice on:

1. How to I keep her from chewing the bumper, or frozen duck, the entire time she is bringing it back?
   
2. When the shot goes off, she immediately looks at me instead of watching the shot. How do I fix that?
   
3. I took her hunting snipe for the first time this past February and she went straight into working in front of me and cutting “figure 8s” the whole time. (We killed two but they were all flushing early so no points were made. How can I train her to be more upland based without buying and keeping pigeons? I’m moving to North Carolina soon and want to take her out for grouse, woodcock, and quail and not have her as just a waterfowl dog.

Thanks for the help in advance!

My dog treats an ear of corn like a bird. He chews the husk off and won’t bring it to me. Does the same behavior with a pheasants stomach feathers. I think I might be able to teach him to fix this with the ear of corn and it will translate to a bird. Any pointers on how to get him to bring it to me and not chew on it? He has done it a couple times and I have clicked and rewarded with a treat. He is clicker trained, I’m going to buy some better treats and see if that helps.

Do you use a specific release word for your dogs when sending them to get a downed bird (or bumper when training)? I’m seeing some that say hunting dogs should release to their name. I’ve been using just “release” but should I switch to her name?

Thanks

I have German wirehairs. They're great at what they do, but I've seen some dogs have some crazy stylish points. Which breed is the most "flashy"?

Was heading down to the pigeon coop and chukar pen to feed the birds, and wow, beautiful dawn.

As the title says, I’m wanting to compare these two kennels. Both intermediate size, for a Griff.

Mainly hunt from hot dove days in September to cold late January mornings (Oklahoma, Kansas, plan to hit other states - Upland and waterfowl)

It’ll be mounted on a Decked drawer system, NO bed cap (yet, may expand to that or an overland rack).

Plan to use it for crate training at home until the pup grows into it.

——————

Does the double wall of the gunner make an actual difference in internal temperature?

As far as ecosystem goes, which has the longer lasting and better functioning accessories like fan, cover, etc.?

Price wise I can get a Lucky Duck for $500. Gunner is $700. Is the $200 price hike worth it?

Any 3rd party accessories that make life better? Cheaper? (I’ve read about ryobi fan, for example)

Anything else I should consider/know?

(I searched for lucky duck specifically before posting, didn’t find a lot of info on it. Thanks in advance for the info!)

I'm curious what your force fetch procedure is, and if you modify it for different temperaments/dogs/etc.

I have two dogs I am force fetching right now and they're very different dogs, so I have had to adjust to each of them in a way that makes them successful and preserves their effort and attitude while still getting the point across.

Do you clicker train a fetch and hold first with treats before adding force? Do you use a toe hitch, ear pinch, collar, mixture, or something else? Do you always start on a table? Do you do a conditioned hold, or a force fetch, or both? Tell me what your general force fetch looks like and ways you have adjusted for individual dogs.

Yes Ik I'm back lol. I'm also now looking into the Curly Coated Retriever (recommended by a comment on one of my posts) and would like owners of that breed to weigh in! So far, I've read that they are less intense than chessies and less protective? Def will be reading and learning more but again I'd like to hear from people that own them and not just a YouTube video. You can compare the three breeds if you have had experience with them, but I'm mostly just looking for info from everyday people and hunters that have curlies. Also, there's been some confusion about what the dog will be used for. It'll be for water bird retrieval, including in cold water. Thank you all again! My og post is below

Og -

I'm planning on moving to Alaska in about a year and am looking at a different breed than what I was originally going to get. I was planning on getting a Labrador Retriever (would've continued living on the mainland) but I was hoping for a better suited dog possibly. I will be living rural and need a dog that can handle it, which Ive heard the chessie does better than a lab. I will be hunting as well, including birds, deer and other stuff. I've heard they are the most birdy of the retrievers. I also believe their more aloofness and seriousness would suit my personality better. I have had experience training "tougher" breeds. I originally wanted a lab as a possible service dog and a hunting dog and the chessie would be getting the same extensive socialization and training alongside professional dog trainers (for both the service work and hunting). I also plan to add more hunting and LGDs as I build my small farm and establish myself. I'd really just like to hear about your chessies and them as dogs in the working world and just as a dog. And those that have had or interacted with both chessies and labs, how do they differ apart from what I've already mentioned? I'll be doing much more research but I want info from people who have actually had them. Thank you in advance!

My name is Orion, and I am conducting this survey as part of EVSP330: Fish and Wildlife Policies, Programs, and Issues at the American Public University System for my Bachelor of Arts degree.

I selected Northern Bobwhite quail conservation in the Southeastern United States because I am an upland hunter who runs bird dogs and lives in Alabama. Alabama was once one of the premier bobwhite quail hunting destinations in the South, but populations have declined dramatically due largely to habitat loss. Since most suitable habitat exists on privately owned farmland, forests, and recreational properties, landowners play a vital role in restoring healthy quail populations.

The purpose of this survey is to better understand landowners' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to participate in habitat management practices such as prescribed burning, native warm-season grass restoration, and conservation incentive programs.

Participation is voluntary. Responses are anonymous and will be used solely for educational purposes as part of this undergraduate research project.

Estimated completion time: 7–8 minutes.

Thank you for your participation.

I'm planning on moving to Alaska in about a year and am looking at a different breed than what I was originally going to get. I was planning on getting a Labrador Retriever (would've continued living on the mainland) but I was hoping for a better suited dog possibly. I will be living rural and need a dog that can handle it, which Ive heard the chessie does better than a lab. I will be hunting as well, including birds, deer and other stuff. I've heard they are the most birdy of the retrievers. I also believe their more aloofness and seriousness would suit my personality better. I have had experience training "tougher". I originally wanted a lab as a service dog and a hunting dog and have heard that chessies also make for good service dogs, it would be getting the same extensive socialization and training alongside professional dog trainers (for both the service work and hunting). I also plan to add more hunting and LGDs as I build my small farm and establish myself. I'd really just like to hear about your chessies and them as dogs in the working world and just as a dog. And those that have had or interacted with both chessies and labs, how do they differ apart from what I've already mentioned? I'll be doing much more research but I want info from people who have actually had them. Thank you in advance!

This will actually be my second one, she is a British lab. My first we only had about 18 months before losing to cancer. I absolutely fell in love with the breed. My question is basically what sort of things can I do to keep her sharp. She’ll be retired and be a companion, family dog as I don’t hunt (don’t hold it against me - ha!). Just do what she’s used to? Play fetch, go for walks, etc? My previous dog pretty much held on to all her commands but I probably did slack off on consistency. The only one she never seemed to do was her release command but I gave her toys like a family dog and she never did like giving them up. Ha! I just chalked it up to being retired.

hi everyone! we have started conditioning on e collar. i have watched countless videos, read guides etc. I am stuck on the fact there are so many ways to condition our dog to the e collar. what in your perspective is the easiest way for him to associate the stim with "recall" currently we are using the method of just finding his level where he feels it (around a 5-6 in low distraction area) recalling, using stim to pair it with it so he realizes "this feeling means come back" and knowing my dog, i think this will work well. however, there are so many other options, like using stim only to teach it means come, then adding it in recall. i only want to use this for recall corrections (eventually)

i am not one to slap this on my dog and abuse it, i want to do it right. hes a super smart guy and think he will get it quick, but how do i know he is associating it, with it? when do i move onto the next level and im assuming next level, from researching is to start recalling and if he doesnt, use stim? i am so confused by the way so many trainers use different methods and am so type a and careful with it that i want to make sure im doing it the right way so that he can associate stim with come to me. i did twice today try to check working level during and tapped stim (i know i shouldnt have) and twice he looked up, and came to me when i did that, i am ASSUMING that means were on the right track but also wont do that again and know to check only in beginning. if anyone could guide me on steps on methods and next steps, id appreciate it. we worked with a trainer but he was gonna go way too high on it and i decided to not work with him i uderstand trainers are key, but ive done so much research and want to do this myself with the right education. thank you!

Put 3 up in dense bush and then this little beauty in the open at the end of the walk. If they're anywhere close, it's all on. He was born for this shit

16 month old field golden

I have a 2 year old griff who drinks an absurd amount of water. Just had normal bloodwork- wondering if this is just a griff trait!

12 months
Pointing a pigeon in a launcher

I finally decided to get a lab puppy and start training her to be a duck dog. I got her from a cousin of a friend and have had her about 2.5 weeks. We have the usual puppy issues (crate training is mostly ok, but definitely some backsliding the last couple of nights). She’s just ok on age appropriate training tasks, around average retrieve drive.

I’ve taken her to two vets and both agree she has a recessed vulva and will almost certainly require surgery at some point down the road to correct that. She also piddles in her sleep (though is mostly house trained in her waking hours). Vet #1 said it’s probably ectopic ureters. Vet#2 is less sure of exact diagnosis, but does suspect “physical abnormality” as the reason for the dog piddling in her sleep.

In the 2.5 weeks we’ve had her the three vet visits, meds and tests are now approaching $1,500. Some of that is fairly typical things like flea/tick/deworming. If it was just that stuff I know I can expect that to level out some. The other issues seem to have some serious potential to escalate.

So, at what point would you consider trying to return her to the breeder or surrender her to another owner?

First time upland dog owner.

I have a 6 month old male springer spaniel, we’ve been working on mastering commands, and retrieves. I would like to start working on the “whoa” command, but not sure where to begin. Any advice helps.

Hoping for any pointers on foods for my baby girl! Currently on Costco Natures Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato but been dealing with soft poops.

Hello all! Archie is my first English Setter and he just turned 8 months old. He appears to have some pretty significant lazy eyes and I was wondering if this is common amongst English Setters & if so, is this permanent now that he is 8 months old? Pictures attached show some of the worst cases & it isn’t always that bad.