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Sitting is not terribly comfortable for long periods of time. If I'm expecting the dog to stay in place for a long period of time, I use a down stay. However, when I cue sit-stay, I do expect the dog...

My new curly pup, River, is here. He's SUCH a doll. Thanks so much to Brio Retrievers in Ohio. He's a brilliant little guy, and I'm already madly in love.

I went to a hunt test last weekend and...

No, no -- I'm not trying to be a smartass -- I swear. I'm new to this. I really don't know why you wouldn't want to use "Fetch."

It depends on the style of training of the organization/training. The clicker/positive training orgs don't force fetch. The more traditional ones do.

I know this is a really stupid question, but if I don't ask, I won't learn. What's wrong with using "Fetch" to send a dog? As long as you're consistent, why does it matter what cue you use to send...

Hey thanks everyone! I appreciate the responses.

The idea that the judges are dropping dogs that pick up the blind by hunting their way to it makes sense. I'm really glad I asked here! It seemed...

I've enjoyed reading the responses to the thread about what situations a dog should be able to handle before graduating from Junior to Senior. So I'm asking -- purely for my edification -- what a dog...

Hey thanks for the club suggestions, everyone!

I would LOVE to go to the hunt test at Peppers this weekend. Will anyone from this board be there? I'd love to meet up with someone and ask some...

Hi everyone,

On August 30, my newest little bundle of joy -- a 9-week-old curly coated retriever -- will be coming home. In preparation I've been watching DVDs like Hillman's "Training a Retriever...

FC = Field Champion
AFC = Amateur Field Champion
OTCH = Obedience Trial Champion

Hi everyone,

How do you handle a situation where there are likely to be poisonous snakes in the area where you're training/trialing? Do you assume that your snake proofing will keep the dog safe?...

Thanks! I appreciate the input. I thought you'd probably just run it as a blind and hope you didn't have to handle to get him to the gunner.

I hadn't even thought about a retured gunner. I mused...

I was hoping you guys could help me work out something. Here's the situation...

Field trial.
Mark.
Bird doesn't see the fall, but the handler does.
Judge does NOT call for a rethrow.

How...

"Non profit" doesn't mean that you don't make money -- unless you're looking to fold quickly. Non-profits businesses are BUSINESSES. The difference is in where the money goes. In a non-profit, the...

Have you read Virginia Lanier's series about the SAR bloodhounds? Great books!

If you like Laurien Berenson, you might also like Susan Connant.

I used to have a dog named Rain. Technically, it was short for Rainier -- because we live in sight of the volcano -- but he was called Rain. Problem is, living where I live, I am innundated with the...

I've seen lots of threads to brainstorm registered names and, sure, there are call names suggested in those threads. But in all the dogs you've known, what are your absolutely favorite call names?...

It's a dog's life, but it's not so bad
By Bob Farrell

I am not too sure about these designer dogs some people seem to have taken into their possession. I thought the dogs of the olden days were...

Thanks, y'all, for the feedback.

I teach tracking on hard surface (concrete, asphalt) first, and add vegetation last, so the environments won't look the same to the pup. Still, I hear you about...

Is there any harm in teaching a hunting retriever pup to track? Will it confuse any of his later (or concurrent) retriever training?

Oh, oh, oh. Sorry. My question above was stupid. I totally overlooked the fact that the pup was sniffing the ground. I thought the goal was heeling with the dog looking up/back at the handler, and I...

Are you moving another dog out there with him? I wouldn't recommend isolating a social animal like that, especially a youngster.

Why does the dog need to look at you? (That's a sincere question to the listers.)

What about tracking? Would introducing tracking to a pup of this age create a problem later?

I have to eat crow!

Someone wrote me to tell me that the Derby dog I mentioned has been trained in a program that mixes clicker and force, so she is not the stellar example I thought she was. It...