First, brush up on blind water entry techniques myself; there’s a variety of them and I haven’t taught this technique before, so it’s a matter of finding one that they best understand. Once I begin working with my trainer again, this is something he’ll be able to help with.

Second, refresher whistle training. About a year-and-half ago before I found a trainer to work with, I began whistle training the guys. I sent video of it to a trainer who at the time was something of a long distance mentor, and his assessment was “what the heck I thought I was doing?” End of whistle training. Last year I spoke with another trainer – one who bred, trained and tested Spinone – and it turns out that I was on the right track to begin with, however never got back to to whistle training until yesterday.

Third, casting, particularly in sending them out; they cast fairly well at short distances so I need to work on stretching them out. This may be particularly difficult for Dakota since she refuses to pick up a bumper that she hasn’t seen thrown; a child psychologist told us once that if Dakota was a child, she’d be diagnosed with autism.

Finally, once those are in place, I can begin moving their training to water – by then the ice will either have melted or I can take the training to some warm water springs in the area.

I was impressed with how well Sophie did with the stop whistle, especially when you take into consideration what little I worked with her and that being a year-and-a-half ago. Ten minutes into our training and Sophie was almost up to the level that she was the last time we worked on it. Dakota was a different story. It was understandable that she didn’t remember her training as well, but by far the greater challenge was keeping her from becoming distracted and eating poop that the neighbor’s cats have deposited around the yard. Unfortunately the battery in my helmet cam is becoming increasingly unreliable, so nothing other than my initial training with Sophie was recorded.

Hanging on a nail in the wall of my den is a ball cap. Nothing special about it, a cheap one, really, with the plastic thing in the back that adjusts for size. That’s where it does get special, though, the reason I keep it. On the plastic band are tiny puppy teeth marks left by my setter Jess when she was eight weeks old and I made the mistake of leaving the cap within her reach – and for puppies, seemingly nothing is out of their reach. Jess. Dead and buried now twelve years, after living to be nearly fourteen.

Maggie the Lab was our worst chewer. She chewed to get even more than anything else, or maybe I should say to escape. Once when company came, I shut her in a downstairs bedroom. She shredded two square feet of carpet trying to burrow her way under the door. Once while I was in the backyard training Roxie the new Lab puppy, Maggie splintered and gouged an eighteen-inch section of windowsill trying to find a way to join in the fun. Maggie was my son Chris’s dog, and we had an inkling of what she would be like her first hunting season. Chris parked his car on a country road and got out to scout some pheasant cover. When he came back, he found that she had dismantled the entire dashboard of his car, the remnants lying about in great slobber-covered chunks on the seat and the floor. Chris drove the car like that – the chunks reattached with duct tape – all the way through college. I think he had graduated and was on his own for three years before he could laugh about it.

I have a friend who tied up his setter pup to take a little snooze one October afternoon out in the woods after a morning woodcock hunt. He leaned his double, a low-grade Parker, against a tree and dozed off. As he snored, his pup passed the time gnawing on the gun’s grip. Naturally, my friend wasn’t thrilled; he tried to erase the marks by refinishing the stock (I know about refinishing Parkers; but like I said, it was a low grade) but they’re still visible, even today, eight years after that pup died in his arms at the age of eleven and a half. He looks at those teeth marks differently now. As we all do.

At the time it happens, you’d gleefully dice the dog up and use the pieces for salmon bait. After a time, you chuckle about it. Then too soon comes the day when those silken ears will never again be within reach, even though in your memory, you can still feel them; and you look at those teeth marks and be willing to give a lot to relive the moment they first appeared.

Lilly, from a litter of 11 puppies rescued from the animal shelter

Lilly with a toy

That meant my wife was up early this morning to collect the puppy that we had already committed, freezing fog and roads of black ice aside. The rush was to get Lilly – that’s her new name – before they were transported to the state Humane Society where we understand there is a long waiting list for German Shepherds. We’re going to foster her for a month or two until the new owner is ready to take her.

Mia and Lilly

Lilly and our dogs are doing well together, giving each other the space and respect they need. We do need to keep an eye on Squirt, who’s a little grumpy with the pup; We’ve had to reprimand Squirt a couple of times for being a little over the top on the way she reacts to the pup. Other than that, they’re getting along very well together.

Dakota and Lilly check each other out

Just as your dog gains a few years of experience and becomes a well-trained hunting pro, the canine aging process may start to slow him down. Not unlike people, dogs often experience joint pain and arthritis in their later years. Unfortunately, highly athletic dogs like hunting dogs endure more wear and tear on their joints than your average canine. Luckily, there are a few things hunting dog owners can do to keep their dogs as healthy and active as possible into their golden years.

The Skinny on Weight Control: The relationship between weight and joint pain is simple; the more excess weight joints have to endure, the greater the likelihood of the animal experiencing joint pain. If it’s common for your sporting dog to put on a couple of extra pounds during the offseason, a weight control formula food might be a good option. It’s okay to switch to a protein rich food during hunting season when your dog’s energy needs are elevated.

Don’t Skimp on Offseason Exercise: When a dog is inactive most of the year and then is all of a sudden expected to jump back into full blown hunting training, joint problems can occur. Regular exercise sessions, including walks and swims, will help your dog maintain his overall endurance throughout the year. This way your dog’s joints won’t be shocked by too much activity all at one.

Consider a Joint Supplement: In addition to maintaining a healthy weight and committing to regular exercise, adding a joint supplement to your dog’s daily routine might be a smart choice. Supplements containing glucosamine, such as GlycoFlex, help protect the cartilage around the joints and support healthy joint function.

Always speak to your pet’s veterinarian regarding any questions or concerns you may have about joint pain. Serious joint pain and arthritis may need to be treated with pain medications, while mild joint pain might benefit from lifestyle changes and supplements.

As our economy continues to struggle and the unemployment remains high, families are being forced to make sacrifices. One of the sacrifices being made is the family dog and people in desperate situations are resorting to dumping. Compound that with the fact that local and state government budgets are being cut, Fido is in a really tough spot.

So what can we do about it? The first thing is to bring awareness to the situation and hope that people will step up to the plate as fosters and rescues. The second is more controversial, difficult and long term: crack down on unethical breeders, puppy mills, and many of your “backyard breeders”. Begin eliminating the source of overpopulation, rather than having to deal with the consequences of it.

Pass Along JL
December 2011

Coming Soon: Winterize Your Lab
by Kimberly Button

Winter last year was rough. Really rough. While harsh winter weather can be an inconvenience for you, it can definitely be a health hazard for your Lab. Not only does your Lab have to brave the elements for potty breaks and exercise – no matter what the temperature is – he also has less protective gear and an increased exposure to potentially toxic materials that are commonly used in cold-weather conditions.

Just like you pull out the heavy sweaters and coats from the back of the closet, your pet’s lifestyle needs a few changes, too, in anticipation of the temperature dropping. Here are a few steps to take to prepare your Lab for the cold (but hopefully not long!) days of winter.

Diet
You might find yourself starting to crave hearty soups and calorie-laden casseroles during the winter to stay warm, but does your dog need a change in his diet, too? “Overall, for most urban and suburban dogs that wear coats and spend much of their winter indoors, there really isn’t a need to increase calories for the winter,” says Dr. Bruce Silverman, VMD, MBA, with Village West Veterinary in Chicago, Illinois.

If your Lab is especially active and spends a lot of time outdoors, though, Dr. Silverman says that “increasing calories probably isn’t a bad idea.” He suggests increasing your Lab’s diet by 10-15 percent, whether you increase the amount of food that you give your dog, or find another type of food with a higher calorie density.

Dr. Ihor Basko, DVM, CVA, author of Fresh Food & Ancient Wisdom: Preparing Healthy & Balanced Meals for Your Dog, suggests increasing the fat content of your pet’s diet to help him better handle the physical challenges of winter, which might be especially important depending on where you live. “If Labs are living in a high-altitude environment, where the climate is dry, they will need diets with more fat to help them stay warm during the winter,” Basko explains.Ender

“Winterize Your Lab” by Kimberly Button appears in the upcoming January/February 2012 issue of Just Labs. If you are a subscriber, that issue will soon mail! Visit our Coming Soon page for a full Table of Contents!

If you are not a subscriber and would like to read the rest of this article, sign up to receive a no-obligation issue or call 1-800-447-7367. Make sure you tell our circulation representatives that you’d like the January/February 2012 issue!

It took me about a year to find a trainer who fit my criteria, and in the process I learned a great deal about techniques, training and trainers. Although Elvis and Mia didn’t have a training program their first year, I did introduce to them to the basic concepts and didn’t make any of the critical mistakes that could have ruined them. For example, I was told of one Weimaraner owner who sent his dog off to a trainer to get “finished” and it came back a complete wreck, unable to ever hunt again.

I personally would not send my dogs off to a trainer, but not everyone has that luxury. However If I were to send my dogs off to a trainer, the only one I would unquestionably consider is the one I work with, who I know from personal experience. There are two other trainers that I would consider, since I and my trainer follow their methodologies, but even so, I would not send my dogs to them based solely on reputation.

The roosters flushed when we went outside, one of them flying just over the fence line and into the ditch. I let Mia through the fence whereupon she immediately hit scent and was off and tracking. She tracked it the entire length of our property before losing scent. Now this is speculation but what I’m assuming happened is: the bird ran up the bank and into the weeds and that Mia climbed out of the ditch as well and looped back through the weeds where she caught its scent again.

I caught a brief glimpse of her tracking just before the bird flushed and flew off, and what really pleased me (aside from her tracking) is that I could see she was steady-to-flush. Her normal reaction was to chase flushed birds, so she is showing some good improvement in this area. In the videos, Mia is still searching for the Pheasants.

On more than one occasion, Dakota damaged our window blinds by trying to watch us out in the pasture so normally I’ll either crate Dakota (and sometimes Sophie and Elvis) or kick them in the back yard. Yesterday I had things to do and didn’t want to leave Carrie with a houseful of spun up dogs, so to save time I let them all out together. Dakota reminds me of Scooby Doo where his feet are going a mile a minute and he stays in place.