Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Salt Water and Remote Dog training Collars

Be careful where you walk!

I have hunted out west for 20 plus years.  My encounters with rattlesnakes have been few and far between.

Some of that has been luck and some of that has been from avoiding places that snakes prefer to hang out.  I also don’t run my dogs when it gets really really hot.  If the temperature goes over 70 degrees, I head for the truck.

Early season is the time when I have the biggest chance of running into snakes.

A few years back, I started getting my dogs vaccinated with the Rattlesnake Vaccine from Red Rock Biologics.

This vaccine is designed to protect dogs from the bite of the Western Diamondback.  Because of similarities in venom, it offers some protection against other snakes including  the  Prairie, Great Basin, Northern and Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes, Sidewinder, Timber Rattlesnake, Massasauga and the Copperhead. The Red Rock vaccine provides some       protection against the Eastern Diamondback.

I have yet to have a chance to test this vaccine in the field and I hope I never do.  I have seen dogs that had been vaccinated and how they responded after getting bit.  It’s pretty amazing how well they did compared to unvaccinated dogs.

Snake bites are very serious and I highly recommend that you get your dog to the vet ASAP after a bite.  The biggest advantage that I see in the vaccine is that it gives me time.  It isn’t uncommon for me to be 60 to 100 miles from the closest vet when I am out hunting.  Getting a dog to the truck and to a vet in time can be a big issue.

The first time a dog is vaccinated, it requires an initial vaccine and then a booster one month later.  After that one you can do it once a year.  I time mine based on when we will be hunting.  The vaccine works best for the first six months or so.

Dogs that have more exposure throughout the year may require additional boosters.

Like any other vaccination, I recommend that you consult your vet.  You can get more info on Red Rock Biologics on their Rattlesnake FAQ.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Time to get your Rattlesnake Vaccine

Rizzoli the cop tells Isles the medical examiner that she needs her to perform an autopsy in the field instead of at her lab.

Isles’ sarcastic response is “sure Jane, just get me a leatherman and some Duct tape and I’m all good to go.”

Shoot – all she needed beyond that would be some zip ties and it would be the guys trifecta to fix anything….

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Leatherman on Rizzoli and Isles

I could not do it.  Maybe it wouldn’t be worth doing it.  Either way, I have no plans of finding out.

I am a hard guy to shop for.  I normally don’t like many products and the ones that I do like, I am not going to wait around for someone else to buy them for me.

A few years back my brother got me a Leatherman multi-tool for my birthday.  I had never carried a multitool with me before and I wasn’t 100% sure that it was the right piece of gear for me.  Looking back, I am not real sure how I made it
though the day without it. He got me the Leatherman Juice Xe6  in Thunder Purple …

It  features a

• Clip Point Knife
• Serrated Knife
• Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• 3 sizes of Flat head Screwdriver
• 1 Phillips Screwdriver
• Scissors
• Wood/Metal File
• Saw
• Bottle Opener
• Can Opener
• Awl
• Corkscrew with Assist
• Lanyard Ring

My Leatherman Juice Xe6 has a stainless stell body with outside-accessible Tools and Knives.  With some of the Leatherman tools, you have to open the pliers to get to the tools on the inside.  I prefer one that allows you access to the tools on the outside.

I have beat this one up pretty bad.  It gets used everyday.  I have even used it as a hammer from time to time….I am tough on my gear. Leatherman backs them with a 25 year warranty.

My only complaint is that it didn’t hold it’s color very well.  After a few years, the Thunder Purple has worn off.  Keep in mind that I keep mine in my front right pocket and it rubs against two sets of keys and my money clip.

One of the main things that I use my Leatherman for is removing cactus, porcupine quills and other fun objects that get stuck in my bird dogs when they are out in the field.  I used to carry a knife and a pair of needle nose pliers for doing these things.

Having the Leatherman Juice has allowed me the option of only having one tool in the field. We like them so much that we now sell them at Gun Dog Supply.  Click here to see our selection of  Leatherman multitools knives and flashlights .

Just to show off how useful my Leatherman Multitool can be, I am going to keep up with all the times I use it and see what sort of list I can make.

Just yesterday, I used it at least to remove the contact points from an old containment system collar for a customer that needed her strap replaced. And today, I used my Serrated Knife blade to open a knuckle  bone for my puppy english pointer Axl.

More to come…

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Life without my Leatherman?

Hello . I am looking for longer prongs for a training collar.  Do you sell them without the collar?

————

Thanks for contacting Gun Dog Supply.  We do sell the long replacement probes for all the major brands of remote training collars.

Here are links to the brands we carry

• Innotek replacement contact points
• Ultra Smart probes
• SportDOG Long Probes
• Tri-Tronics Contact Points
• Dogtra replacement probes
• DT Systems Contact Points
• Petsafe Comfort Fit probes

Proper collar fit on your dog’s neck is really important to get a consistent stimulation from your remote dog training collar.

I think one of the biggest issues we see with new folks using a training collar is how they put the collar on their dog. Most folks don’t put a dog training collar on tight enough on their dog’s neck to insure good skin contact.  (Rob: How do you do this?)

Without good skin contact, your corrections are going to be intermittent at best assuming that your dog will feel them at all. Most folks are concerned that having the collar on the dog too tight will some how hurt the dog or it will be uncomfortable.  This is not the case.

You can actually cause more damage with a loose collar. The probes moving around on the dogs neck can cause more irritation than a tight collar will over time.  Time being the biggest issue here.

Remote training collars, containment fences and bark collars are NOT designed to be worn more than 10 to 12 hours a day. Keep in mind that this is only an average.  Some dogs can have a collar with probes on for longer periods of time and some dogs will have neck issues in less time.  It varies with the dog.  It’s very important to keep a close eye on your dog’s neck when you first start using any kind of training collar on them and see how they react.

For the most sensitive dogs, we offer the extended contact point pads and comfort adapters. The idea behind these products is that it spreads out the area of the contact interface. This allows for less pressure on the dog’s neck, thus less irritation.

Steve Snell

Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Looking for Longer Prongs for a Training Collar

I purchased a Tri-Tronics G3 Sport Basic and I love it!!!  I use it with my 95 lb Lab. This remote collar is an amazing training tool.  If I understand this correctly, I can use up to three collars with this one hand held remote?  The other dog I want to train with it is a ten pound terrier.  Is there a smaller collar that will work with the G3 Sport Basic?

Jim
————————————————————————————————–
Jim

Thanks for contacting Gun Dog Supply.  Glad to hear the Sport Basic has worked well for you.

You can add up to three collars with that transmitter.

Tri-Tronics now has the smaller “Sport Junior” collar. The Junior is smaller than the standard EXP collar.  It gets less range and uses a user replaceable 3 volt battery.  While you can use it on any size dog, we recommend it for folks that have dogs in the 8 to 12 pound range.

Here we have a side shot of both Tri-tronics collars next to each other

Here are the instructions to add your extra collar / receiver

1. Install strap of the desired color on the new collar and charge new receiver for two hours.

2. Set transmitter dog selection switch to the color of the strap.

3. Set transmitter intensity dial to a number, not a letter.

4. Turn the collar on.

5. Press and hold collar on/off button, then press and hold a “continuous” transmitter button. Hold both buttons down for about 5 seconds – until you hear two quick beeps (ignore the long beep that sounds right away). Release both buttons.

6. The collar will now be set to match your transmitter, and will be turned off.

7. Check for a successful match by turning the collar back on and pressing a “continuous” transmitter button. The collar light will turn on. If you are not planning to use the unit now, turn the collar off after testing.

Note for Classic 70 G3 EXP or Trashbreaker G3 EXP: When adding a receiver for dogs 1 – 3, use the button that matches the strap color and place the dog selection switch in the UP position. When adding a receiver for dogs 4 – 6, use the button inside the colored circle that matches the strap color and place the dog selection switch in the DOWN position.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  We do appreciate your business.

Thanks,

Steve Snell
Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Adding another Collar to my Tri-Tronics System

Yesterday morning we went out to shoot a new video for the Autobacker at my kennel.  We set up a bunch of pigeons in bird launchers and worked 3 different pups to show multiple dogs at different levels of training using the backer.

Everything went pretty well and we will have the finished video up later. 

Around 7pm, I went down to the pen to make sure all the birds had come back and to lock up the Varmint guard.

While counting birds, I noticed some thing odd in one of the pigeon boxes.  It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it was a really, really big snake.

I not really afraid of snakes but I have a very healthy respect for them and I don’t mess with them unless I have no other choice.

I went up to the house to get a hoe and a rake to pull him out. 

The boxes in my pigeon house are removable so I was able to pull the box out and drop it on the floor of my pigeon coop and get a good look at him.

He was a good bit bigger than I originally thought and it was obvious that he had eaten either a bunch of eggs or one of my younger birds.

It took me a bit to make sure he was not poisonous and get him in a position to pull him out of the house.

The good thing about him eating so much is that he was not interested in moving too fast and didn’t put up much of a fight.  The one thing I know about snakes is that they can really move fast.  I pulled him out of the house and let him make a break for it.

Now I have to figure out how he got in and stop that from happening again.  I’ll also be real careful the next time I reach in to catch a bird.

This is been a really “Snaky Spring” for us at the snell house.  Between me and Sammy, we have run across 5 so far….

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Snake in my Pigeon House

Thanks for contacting Gun Dog Supply.  The Astro handheld can track up to 10 dogs.  If you and your guys are only running 10 dogs at one time, you can all track each others dogs.  You can use an unlimited number of Handheld Astro Receivers to track these dogs. 

If you run more than 10 dogs you would not be able to track them all at one time from the same unit.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  We do appreciate your business.

Thanks,

Steve Snell
Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Email Question – How Many Dogs Can You Track with the Garmin Astro?

The Whoa Post is by far my favorite part of the Ronnie Smith Seminar. It is an
amazing way to teach a dog to whoa or sit.

I told several folks today about the first time I saw the whoa post in
action in it’s current form. I grew up using the “Delmar Smith Method”
for teaching whoa. It was similar but it used a leather pinch collar around
the neck instead of a half hitch around the dogs flank.

The reason the Smith’s changed it over to the flank was because of
improvements in Ecollar technology. When the stimulation levels got
low and you could raise them as needed it changed the way you could
use them. That allowed them to use the collar on the flank.

The idea behind the Whoa post is that you have a stationary object
with a rope attached to it with a snap. You have your dog on a
checkcord. You bring the dog to the rope and run it between the
dogs back legs. You tie a half hitch around his waste and attach the
snap to the D ring on the dogs collar.

This makes a Point of Contact at the dogs flank. When you pull tight
on the lead checkcord the dog gets stimulation at the flank. He has no
where to go. He is stuck between you and the stationary object. He can
fight it all he wants, but as long as you hold on, your dog is going to
stand still.

Most dogs fight it at first, but quickly learn that the fastest way
out is to stop the second they feel stimulation at the flank.

Once you have repeated this drill 30 to 50 times depending on the dog,
you can move on to the ecollar around the flank.

It allows you to stop a dog dead in his tracks at any distance. Once
you have this down, you can take the chase from a dog and get him
steady on his game. After that, you can get him steady to wing, shot
and dead fall. These are major parts of developing a fully trained
hunting dog.

The first time I saw this technique in action was at a Rick Smith
Seminar that I attended in 2002 in Pleasanton, TX. It was my first
seminar since I was 14.

Rick was getting ready to start the Whoa Post and needed a dog that
did not know what whoa was and had never stopped for anything. I had
the perfect dog for him.

Ruby was out of my Em dog and Shadow’s Mark. She had more go than she
knew what to do with and I had done very little work with her at the
time. She had no idea how to stop or any good reason why you would
want to stop.

Rick put her on the post and worked her through the basics. He then
moved her past that and had her understanding the “concept” and
stopping as soon as she felt the smallest amount of pressure at her
flank.

He then moved her to an ecollar around her waist. He worked her out to
a check cord toward a bird in a remote release trap. Once she got the
scent and went on point, he stimed her around her flank. She stopped
and held point. He then flushed the bird and stimed her again. She
stood steady to wing.

The next part really amazed me. He walked away and left her standing
there. Rick came back over to where we were sitting and talked a bit
more about what he had done and how to go about training your dog this
way.

I really didn’t hear much of what he said because I was watching Ruby
the whole time.

There she was standing still 75 yards away from anyone. She had never
done this before and she had nothing holding her back. At any point
she could break and run. She had no tracking collar on her and I would
have no way to find her if she did break. My only hope was that Rick
knew everyone in the county and somebody would find my dog.

To make matters worse, about a thousand black birds started flying
over her. Wave after wave of birds started to blacken out the sky. She
watched them all, standing completely still with all four feet planted
firmly on the ground.

I know for a fact that most folks at the seminar thought she was a
plant. A fully trained dog that was brought in to show folks how
talented Rick was and how effective his training would be on their
dogs.

I knew that this particular dog had no idea what she was doing. It was
the Whoa Post – not the dog.

Rick finished up his talking and walked out to my pup. He grabbed her
check cord and quartered her off like it a regular day and she had
done it a thousand times.

Now we were not finished. I had to work her on the post and get her to
fully understand the concepts and move her to the flank. It worked
really fast.

I use this method on all my dogs now and it works like a charm.

Click here to read part one of Rick’s “Whoa Post Redux” and here for “Whoa Post Redux – Part 2″

Steve

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

The Whoa Post

When Do I Start Training My Puppy?

One of the most common questions we get asked is “when do I start training my puppy?”  The answer really seems to surprise most folks. 

You start training the first time you pick him up.  What?  That can’t be.  Yep, it sure is.

Every time you touch your dog some form of “training” is going on.  Now it might not be “good training” but it is training.  Every interaction with your dog will result in him learning something.  Every time you do something with him or let him “get away” with a behavior he learns what he can and can’t do.

One of the best examples of this was shown to me by Rick Smith.

Rick always tells the story of the first time most folks pick up their puppy.   The pup wiggles and squirms trying to get away.  Most folks will tend to immediately put the pup down and let him go play.  Now you have “trained” your pup. He has learned that all he has to do is wiggle and wiggle and you will give in. To get what pup wants, he just has to put in a little effort and you will cave.

What you should do in this situation is apply a little pressure.  Lightly squeeze pup close to your chest and restrain him until he stops wiggling.  Once he is calm, place him on the ground.

You must wait until he stops moving, no matter how it takes.  It seldom takes more than a couple of seconds.  Now pup has learned that when you place your hands on him he needs to be still.  This is TRAINING.

A still dog is required in all forms of training no matter the breed or what you do with him.  We need it for basic grooming, first aid, giving medication, vet visits and sitting at the park.  It’s required for pointing dogs while pointing or backing, retrievers in the duck blind and flushing dogs that are steady to wing. It makes a big difference when you are putting on dog boots, dog vests, e-collars and tracking collars.
 
Every time you put your hands on your dog, you want him to be still.  Little did you know that you have now taught your 8 week old brand new puppy that this isn’t required.  He has learned that all he has to do is put in a little effort and you will cave.

This same concept applies to every other interaction you have with your dog for the rest of his life.  When you put him into a situation where he has a choice to comply or not, if he picks to not and you let him get away with it, you have trained him.

The original question of “when do I start training my puppy?” is where most of our customer’s “dog issues” begin.  They don’t understand why they have a 85 pound lab that likes to jump on people and knock them down.  How did this happen?  Well, they let the 8 week old pup jump on them.  It’s cute and there is no harm done.  Sure, that isn’t a problem, but you are training your pup that this is acceptable behavior.  You have no one to blame but yourself when he knocks your little old lady neighbor over and breaks her hip.

My rule with pups is that we don’t allow them to get away with things as a puppy that we don’t want them doing as full grown dogs.  It’s a pretty simple rule but you have to make a few decisions up front and stick to them. 

 Now some folks might take part of this the wrong way.  I’ll give an example.  I expect my retriever to be steady in the blind.  That means he will wait to go on a retrieve when I send him not before. 

We don’t start pups out this way.  I don’t expect my pup to be steady the first time we throw him a bumper.  I want him to break at a young age.  I’ll teach him not to once we make sure his drive is solid and we get past bird and gun introductions.

I just don’t let him wiggle his way out of things or jump on people because it’s cute.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

When Do I Start Training My Puppy?

The last day of the Texas hunting season we started early to get the right light for taking pictures.  Rob prefers that magical hour right after the sun pops over the horizon and that means we have to be on the ground before sun up.  I have to get out there early so I can prep my gear and get my dogs exercised.

I don’t like to put out a stake out chain at the hotel at 6am out of respect for the other hotel guests that are still asleep.  Nothing like the sound of a sledge hammer to wake you up in the morning.  I seldom have barking issues at the hotel because I make sure any of my barkers are wearing bark collars.  I can’t stand having to get up at 3am because a cat decides to cruise by my truck and gets the crew worked up.

I started using the chain gang more this year since I made more trips to Texas on my own.  I doubt I will go back to walking dogs since I can do this SO much faster.  I can exercise 12 dogs in about 20 minutes.  That’s start to finish and it includes clean up and poop scooping time.  I couldn’t do that with two or three guys helping me.  It also allows more time on the ground per dog.

We got all the dogs settled and started the first round.  I ran Em, Click and Sage.  Em prefers to go first and Sage and Click are my “pretty” dogs.  They take better pictures and Rob wanted to finish up a few specific shots. 

I knew 5 minutes out of the truck that I had a problem.  Em was having a leg issue.  She had ran well the two days before and overall she had a pretty nice season.  She may look her age but she can still run. 

She had recovered well from her torn ACL from last summer.  The TPLO surgery had really fixed the issue and I was real pleased with her progress. 

I could tell from the way she was holding her leg that she had screwed up the repair job.  My guess was that one of the plates had come lose or worse.  I called her in and took her back to the truck. 

She did not appear to be in any pain so once we got her settled, we moved on to another spot to finish running dogs. 

Once we got back to Starkville, I took her in to my vet to have him look at it and see what had happened.  He called me back that morning to tell me that the hurt leg was not the one she had messed up last summer but her other leg.  She had torn her other ACL.

I guess in hind sight, it’s a good thing that the repaired leg held up.  I had just forgotten which leg it was that was hurt last year.

My vet gave me my options but I really didn’t need to spend a bunch of time thinking about it.  Em is the reason I bird hunt today and really the reason that I am running Gun Dog Supply.  She was my third bird dog.  I got my first one Dee, when I was 9.  My next was a duaghter of hers names Babe.  My dad bought Em when I was 28.  She quickly became my dog.

 At some point, I’ll spend more time writing about her, but needless to say, I’ll do what ever it takes to make her time left here comfortable.

I could not be happier with the way she responded to her first TPLO surgery, so I had little or no doubt that this one would also go well.  It’s never easy to make this kind of decision on a dog her age, but I felt pretty comfortable that it would work out.

I had my vet set up the appointment in Birmingham and we headed there two days later.  I had them check her and no question it needed to be repaired.  I left her over night and came back to pick her up the next day. 

The Doctors were real pleased with how it went and I thought she looked better than the last time.

Now we begin the two weeks of little or no movement and the daily regiment of pills.  She also has to wear the stylish Elizabethan collar that keeps her from chewing  out the staples.  Last time I gave her some time with out the collar but I was pushing my luck and I don’t need to do that this time.  She will wear it unless I am with her.

I set her up a new smaller dog run in the garage.  This way she is close to me and does not have to deal with the other dogs.  She can stay in the crate in the house at night and come to the office with me on most days.

She hates taking pills.  I have always been good at getting pills dog a dog, but I think if she had any teeth left, I would have lost a finger by now.  Only a few more days left of pills and less than a week until we get the staples taken out.  We will both be much happier after that is done.

Then it’s on to physical rehab.  It will be good for both of us. 

I’ll right more in the near future about the TPLO surgery and using a roading harness to keep your dogs in shape during the off season.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Last day in Texas – Another Torn ACL

These youth hunts were supported by funding from the 2009 Youth Participation Initiative Program of the MDWFP and from the generous support of
our two event hosts, Millbrook Plantation and Prairie Wildlife Preserve.

Mississippi Quail Hunting Youth Event was sponsored by the Golden Triangle Chapter of Quail Forever in cooperation with The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and Mississippi State University Extension Service.

These youth quail hunts were developed to introduce young hunters and their parents to quail hunting, quail management and conservation.

The objective was to introduce quail hunting to kids that may have hunted before, but have not had the opportunity to bird hunt.  The long term goal is that some of them will maintain an interest in quail habitat management and upland bird hunting.

The first hunt was at Millbrook Plantation in Stonewall, MS on February 27, 2010 and the second hunt was at Prairie Wildlife Preserve in West Point on Saturday, March 6, 2010.

These two quail shooting preserves were selected because they have realistic habitat settings and practice sound upland wildlife management.

The Mississippi Quail Hunting Youth Events taught the principles of hunting and firearms safety, particularly as it pertains to upland bird hunting.  Habitat management was taught based on the the daily life needs of a bobwhite quail throughout the year.

Other activities included wing-shooting practice (clay targets), field dressing quail, quail biology and a prescribed burn demonstration.

Youth participants also had the opportunity to watch bird dogs work and participate in a real quail hunt.

I missed the first event since I was quail hunting in Texas but I made sure I was around for the second one.  It was really nice to see kids that had never had the chance to quail get to experience it.

I thought hunts went very well and were well received by all participants.  Special thanks go out to all the volunteers that made it possible.

The Youth Participation Initiative Program is a great idea. In it’s first year, MDWFP was able to fund 24 YPI applications.  In total, nearly $900,000 was requested with over 1 million dollars in matching monetary. This program has helped highlight a great deal of interest and concern for youth outreach and recruitment when it comes to getting Mississippi’s youth back into the woods and on the water.

Contact  Justin Thayer,  MDWFP Youth Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator at (601) 432-2014 for more information.

Steve Snell

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Mississippi Quail Hunting Youth Event

Not everyone has a place to raise them and keep them.  If you don’t, you’ll need to find either a dog training club, professional dog trainer, or a shooting preserve where you can keep birds or buy them as needed. 

If you DO have a place to keep birds then you need proper housing for them. 

If you are handy with a hammer and saw, you can build your own.  We sell plans for a pigeon loft.  It’s a pretty easy design and will fit in most backyards.

We have also have plans for one of the nicest quail recall or “Johnny Houses” that I have every seen.  The Phantom Quail Kennel is the Taj Mahal of recall pens.  I don’t have one yet, but I will someday soon.

If you are not handy with a hammer – like me – then you can get out your wallet out and have one built. 

If you want to get a really, really nice one built then check out W.L. Jaggers Quailty Pigeon Lofts & Recall Pens.

W.L. is a bird dog man and makes a mighty nice bird pen.  I have seen several of his in the field and they are well worth the price tag.  The cool thing too is that he can ship you one almost anywhere.

Here are a few images of his work.  Check out his site for more info. 

You have to have birds to train a bird dog.

Steve Snell – Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

You Have to Have Birds

We stayed at a pretty high end hotel with an insanely well trained staff.  It went way beyond the little touches.

For example, every time I called down stairs they would answer the phone ” Hello, Mr Snell how may we assist you?”   Lucky for them Rob and I have the same last name.  It was neat to watch it.  I am a bit of a Customer Service junkie and I like to find folks that are good at it.

I also like to find the holes.

The moment it all fell apart was 4:20 am the morning we left.  I got my wake up call on time and I even got the backup call they recommended since my call was at 4 am.

When I called down to the front desk to arrange for a cab to the airport I got no answer. It took 4 calls to the front desk to get someone on the phone. Once I did she was perfect just like every other time.

It placed an odd moment in an otherwise very “high level service” experience.  I also was impressed at the greetings we got from the staff on our way out at the early hour.

My expectation of service was raised by the hotel and I was quite annoyed when they dropped the ball.  It was really out of place.

It brought up two emails that I got earlier that week that I think require at least some examination.

The first customer started out his email with the sentence. “I doubt there is little chance this email will actually get to Steve Snell but…..”  He went on to ask some questions about the differences between the Tritronics Sport Basic and the SportDOG 1825 that I use. Most of his questions where based on the use of vibration and training.

I once answered the majority of the emails. Well, that’s not totally true. When my father was alive, he did a big part of them.

Later I brought in folks to do the easy ones.  Tracking numbers and basic questions.

Today we have 5 folks that over see email plus me. We get a bunch and I expect them to be answered quickly.

I do still see every email and every answer. I still answer my share (even some of the easy ones) and sometimes I’ll add additional info emails if I feel our answer needs some clarification.

Email is one of the biggest ways we interact with our customers and it’s important.  We are nowhere as good at it as I would like to be, but I think we do a good job.

The other email came from a customer that had some issues with an automatic waterer he had just received in the mail.

Based on his multiple emails and the level of detail in his email there was no question he had put in the effort to get the product to work. It was a dud product.  It happens.

My issue was that he  felt he was “getting ripped off.”

I am always amazed how folks expect to get screwed in business transaction. Sometimes it’s the first thing they run to without ever giving us the chance to make it right.

I have to be real careful how I deal with these folks because I sometimes take their reaction the wrong way.

Our family has been in the mail order business for 37 years. We have not done it by ripping folks off.  Our goal is to sell a high quality product and give a high level of service. Before and after the sale.

Does it always workout?  I wish.

Mistakes happen. Defective products happen. Sometimes things out of our control make the buying experience less than pleasant.

All I want is a chance to make it right. If we can, we will.  It’s not real common in today’s market, but it is how we run our company.

I emailed the customer (midnight on a Friday while I was 1000 miles away from the warehouse) just to let him know we would correct the issue to his satisfaction.

He was pleased (and a little surprised) that we responded at all…..

Steve Snell – Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Customer Expectations….

I am not much of a gun guy.  I have a few and once I find one I love, I tend to stick with it. 

I’m also not the best at taking care of them.  I clean my guns at least once a year even if they don’t need it…..

OK, I’m really not that bad, but it isn’t my strong suit.  That’s why I use Clenzoil.  It’s a all around great gun cleaning product.  What I really love about it is that it works great on metal, wood and leather.  I can clean my entire gun with one product. It’s also a cleaner, lubricant and metal protector.  That cuts down on the number of things I have to carry with me.

I first read about Clenzoil in an Quail Unlimited article by Bill Hanus.

It sounded so good, I had to give it a try.  It’s easy to use and does a great job.

Here are a few places you can buy Clenzoil

Optics Planet

Cabela’s

Clenzoil

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

One of My Favorite Gun Cleaning Products – Clenzoil

“In The Shadow” (call name – Buster) is owned by Carl Bowman of Louisville, KY.   He is  handled by Robin Gates and was scouted by  Robin’s son Hunter Gates.

  Buster ran his brace on 2/11/2010 and had 10 finds.

Click here to read about his winning brace and here for the Brace by Brace Synopsis.

Photos from the trial are here and you can read newspaper articles from the NY Times, Commercial Appeal and WHNT.

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

2010 National Bird Dog Champion – In The Shadow

I picked up my last new puppy for a while……I swear….no more.  Not until these are all trained.

Axl is the grandaughter of 2007 National Champion Funseeker’s Rebel 

She is out out a Funseeker’s Rebel Joe and a daughter of CH Sir Lancelot Phantom’s Shakira

I got to see both dogs run last summer in South Dakota and was so impressed I had to have one for myself.  I wish I had picked up a direct son or daughter before Funseeker’s Rebel pasted away.

Axl is as bold of a pup as I have seen in a long time.  I expect her to make a really nice bird dog.  

This gives me dogs out of the last three National Champions.  Should be interesting. 

For those of you that don’t know, she is named after Axl Rose of the rock band Guns n Roses. 

 I named my Lester’s Snowatch pup “Izzy” after guitarist Izzy Stradlin.   I’m not that big of a fan, but they really had cool names.

I guess that means the next pup will be “Slash”…..when I get my next pup…..four or five years from now……I swear….

Steve Snell

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Welcome to the Jungle

If I can drive it I will. 14 hours from Starkville is my cutoff.  I find that I can’t do more than that in a day and be worth much the next few days.

One of the joys of flying out of this part of the world is that you can’t get a direct flight any where.  Everything has a connection.  Nothing better than flying from Starkville to Atlanta, waiting an hour and then flying back over Mississippi to get to the west coast. 

If you want to fly west, you have to drive to Jackson or Memphis.  That’s a couple of hours there and back.  It really adds to the trip.

14 hours is my cutoff point so Boston was way out side of that since it’s 21 hours from Starkville.

This morning at 5am I had another example of the reason that some folks just should not fly.

The line to security was insane.  We get up to security and folks are running stuff through the x ray machine.  The guy in front of me has a mallet in his carry on bag.

I am not talking about a little hammer. This monster was at least a foot and a half long. It looked a little like ”Mjolner” the hammer of Thor- the Norse God of Thunder.

Needless to say, the TSA folks freaked.

Steve Snell

www.gundogsupply.com
1-800-624-6378

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Just because it fits in your carry on bag…..

We just wrapped up the 2009 – 2010 Texas Quail Season.  I still have to post all my notes from the year.  I’ll get that done in the next week or so.

It was my longest bird season ever.  I started it in August in South Dakota and ran until the end of February.

We hunted South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.

That covered Sharptail Grouse, Huns, Pheasants, Bobwhite Quail, Blue Quail and too many species of ducks and geese to name.

It was a mediocre year at best.  We had good bird numbers up north, but the weather and the late corn harvest made getting to them tough.

Our Quail numbers were better than most of Texas based on folks that I talked to throughout the year, but they were pretty bad.  It was one of those years that makes us appreciate the good years.

The good news is that the parts of Texas that I hunt have gotten winter rains.  This year we had mud in Texas.  That’s pretty rare.  All the stock tanks are full and there should be plenty of greens and cover.

Quail can bounce back at a staggering rate when everything lines up right.  If we ever get a repeat of the 2007 – 2008 season, I might just spend the whole season in Texas.

I was real pleased with the progress of my main dogs.  Click, Stud and Sage had a good year.

Stud really found his groove. He understands now how I hunt and what I want from him.  It took a little longer than it should have, but most of that was my fault.

I have a hard time believing Click is only 3.  This was his fourth hunting season and he really took off this year.

What I like about down years is that it really shows you the talent level of your dogs.  Any dog can find birds in a boom year.  It’s the bust years that tell you want you want to know.

Em held up better then I expected after her TPLO surgery but she may have made her last trip.  12 is pretty old for an English Pointer.  Keep in mind I said the same thing about her last year….and the year before.  She will get to go as long as she wants.

Now, it’s puppy time.  I have 6 dogs under 1 1/2 years old.  Cash and Brandy are behind where I want them but I can fix that pretty quick.  Mac is way ahead of where he should be.  Izzy, Apple and Axl are right on target.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

The End of Quail Season

Last trip of the 2008 – 2009 bird hunting season.  Texas starts on the last Saturday of October and runs to the last Sunday of February. 

I made this trip with our head buyer, Jonathan.  Jonathan owns a female German Shorthair named “Chick”.

She gets to go with me more than Jonathan does (since she doesn’t mind riding in the dog trailer) but every once in a while we take him along with us.

We headed over to my Aspermont lease first.  The drive to Midland is pick much for one haul, so I like to head to Aspermont first.  We run dogs there a day or two and then head southwest.

While Midland has mainly Blues with a few Bobs, Aspermont has Bobs with a few Blues. 

We get many more of your traditional “covey rises” at Aspermont and the birds don’t run any where as much.  It is a little more relaxed.

We first ran Em and Chick.  Chick found one covey and  two singles.

Next we ran Click and Richard. Both ran well but we didn’t find any birds.  Johnny walked up two singles.

The next brace was Sage and Stud. They found 6 coveys total. Sage found three of them and Stud found two.  The last group got up wild. 

Sage did a real nice job on his coveys. He also had 2 singles.

Stud ran well. When he streched out he found two coveys. Held both until we got to him. Very Em like….

Ran Chick and Richard on the hill close to camp. We have really bad sandspurs in this area and we had to boot the dogs.

The Ruff Wear Dog Boots did a good job but the socks did not work for me.  I could not get them to stay in place.  I may try either vet wrap or wrist bands for the dogs that have rubbing issues.

Richard found 1 covey. He also nice job on finding a winged bird.

We ran Sage by himself  north of 448. No birds.  Early afternoon it got to hot to hunt and we called it a day.  We packed the truck and headed southwest.

2/20/2009 Midland

Ran Em and Chick first morning.  Em found a nice covey. Both dogs found singles and worked them well. Killed 1 bird.  Walked up 3 more coveys.  It was very windy and the dogs were having major issues locating birds.

Ran Sage and Click next.  Click had a nice find. Killed one bird.

Ran Stud and Richard.  Both did great. Stud had 3 covey points and 4 singles.  Richard had 2 coveys and 4 singles. Killed 6 birds.

2/21/2009 Midland

Ran Em and Chick. Wind was blowing about 35 mph. Really had no plan of seeing anything so we checked a new spot.

4 coveys later and 11 birds in the bag we headed back to the truck.  Both dogs pointed nultiple coveys and singles. The found all our dead birds and did a really nice job.  Chick is doing really well for a dog with very little experience.  She has a lot of natual ability and is a good overall bird dog.  Our GSP’s  come from Wildrose German Shorthaired Pointers and I have been really pleased with all of them.

Stud had a really good day with mutiple finds on coveys and singles.  He needs some work on ”steady to shot” and “steady to kill”  issues but he is finding birds.  I can fix his manners in the spring.

Richard and Sage also had a really nice round.  It was a really good day.

2/22/2009  Midland

Last day of the 2008 – 2009 season.

Ran Em and Chick. Em made a 800 yard cast and went on point. By the time we got there the birds had moved.

She relocated and found them again. We killed 2 on the rise. She picked up one. Good way to end the season with her.

Richard and Click have hurt feet and are done for this trip.  The sand has been tough on them this year.

We made the last round with Sage and Stud.  Sage found 1 covey. Stud found 2. Both did really well.

We had a really good season.  It was nothing like 2007 – 2008 as far as number of birds, but it was easily in my top 5 of all time.

We ended on a high note with this trip.  I have a bunch of training to do in the off season and I am ready to get it going.

Steve Snell

www.gundogsupply.com
1-800-624-6378

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Quail Hunting – Last week of the 2008-2009 season

1/23 Midland

I came over early before meeting up with the SportDOG boys.  I spent the day hunting with in the Quail Buggy.

We found 7 coveys.  While I was originally not a big fan of hunting out of a vehicle, I have changed my take on it after doing it a few times.

There are a couple of really big advantages, especially if you hunt with really young dogs still in training, or if you like to run older dogs.

I do both.   The advantage with young dogs is that you can put them on the ground for how ever long it takes.  Once they get the bird contacts that they need, you can put them up.  It might take 10 minutes.  It might take an hour.

Once you have had success, you are much better off to get them up and let them think about it.  If you have to leave them on the ground while you are headed back to the truck, you stand the chance of them screwing up something or running into a bad situation where the training falls apart.

Since you had success and put them up, you also have the opportunity of running themn again once the other dogs have been on the ground.  It’s win – win.

The advantage for older dogs is similar.  Em is 12 now.  She still loves it and still finds as many birds as the next dog, but she just can’t go as long.  I can run her for 30 minutes and put her up.  I can run her multiple times of the day and give her long breaks between.  If I feel she has had enough, we load her in the buggy and let her relax.  It’s hard to take short rounds when you are hunting on foot.  The buggy fixes this problem.

I also hunt in the heat.   The buggy lets me carry more water and rotate dogs faster.  It’s a big advantage it certain parts of the world.

1/24/2009 Midland

Hunting with L and S.  Kiled 21 birds. Lost count on the number of coveys.  Everyone had a good day.

1/25/2009 Midland

Bad hot today.   Ran Em and Richard first.  No birds.   Ran Click and Sage.  Found 3 coveys of blues.

1/26/2009  Midland

Hunted South East section for the first time.  Found 5 coveys.  I was really pleased with the size of the coveys especially for this time of year.

2/10/2009-2/13/2009 – Midland

 It was me, my brother and Sam.  It had been years since the three of us had traveled together and we had a blast.  Rob came out to shoot photos for the website and do a few product videos.

 Click here to see all the pictures.

It was a good week for the dogs and we actually got a bunch of work done.
Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

2009 Midland Texas

Hunted for the first time with longtime firends and suppliers Chuck and Blanche Johnson.  The Johnsons own  Wilderness Adventures Press where we get many of our books including the popular and really handy Wingshooter Guides.

Chuck and Blanche have also written a mighty fine cook book – Savor Wild Game Cookbook  and Training The Versatile Hunting Dog – a guide for training and bringing out the  natural abilities, desire, search, pointing, and tracking in the versatile breeds.

Chuck also writes the Versatile Dog column for the Pointing Dog Journal.  You can read about his trip to Texas in the November December 2009 issue.

Chuck brought two of his fine German wirehaired pointers.  It was their first trip to hunt Texas Bobs.  I was very pleased with how they ran and handled their birds.  

The first day out was pretty typical Texas.  Hot and Dry.  We were only able to make a few rounds and did not move any birds.  It was my first “shut out” of the season.

We headed back to town and will try again tomorrow.

1/22/2009 Aspermont

Ran Em and one of Chuck’s GWPs. Em really needs a couple of  days off.  She  hurt her foot and I had to carry her back to the truck.  She just turned 11 and is really starting to show her age.

We ran Richard and Click. Richard found two coveys. Click got to back a couple of times.

Richard did a really nice job.  I think many of  his issues in the past whave been from a  lack of maturity. He still has a way to go, but he will make a fine bird dog.

Ran Stud and Sage.  Sage found one covey.  I killed one bird on the rise.  Stud found it and retrieved to hand.

Stud ran much better.  I really love the new SportDog 1825 high stim collar.  It’s the only collar I have found so far that will get Stud’s attention.  The thing I have to be most careful about is making sure I reset the collar back to medium before I put it on another one of my dogs.  It’s really easy to switch it back and forth between settings.

I worked Roxy on a few blind setups just to keep her sharp and then ran the pups.  The heat finished another day early for us. 

That’s just part of bird hunting in Texas.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Quail Hunting – Aspermont, TX 1-21 to 1-22-2009

A few days before Christmas,  my family went out to the movies.  You would think it would
be a simple operation, but it’s more like moving a small army.

I took the kids to see “Avatar” and Kathy went with her folks to see “The
Blindside.”

 After getting out of the movie I checked my phone to see
if I had any messages.

I had several from our alarm company.  When I got them on the phone
they told me that the alarm had gone off and the sheriff department
had been dispatched.

I called the Sheriff Department to see if anything bad had happened.

They said the back sliding door was open when they got there but
everything seemed fine and they locked up.

I immediately knew I had a major problem.  Brandy and Lucy were in the
backyard when we left for the movies.  Lucy knows how to open the
backdoor if you don’t lock it.  My guess is that one of the kids put
her out and forgot to lock the door.

She opened the door after we left and set off the alarm.  When the police
got there, either the dogs were upstairs or since they were already inside
the officers figured they should be there and left them inside.

Lucy isn’t really an issue.  She is not a chewer anymore and behaves
pretty well.

Brandy is another story.  She just turned a year old and loves to
shred anything she can.  She is about as high drive of an animal that
I have ever owned.

I just knew what I would get home to…..every Christmas present torn
open, the Christmas tree dragged across the house.  Stuffed animals
ripped into small pieces, every Santa figurine of my wife’s in small,
spit covered hunks, and several dead small pets (snake, rat and
bearded dragon were in the house unprotected from the Brandy tornado)

Much to my surprise, there was very little damage.  They had dragged a
bunch of stuffed animals out from under one of the beds.  They also
found a bag of food for the rat that was too tasty to pass up.

Not a single Christmas present or decoration was touched.  Hard to
believe.  Maybe Brandy is coming around as she gets older….or it
could have just been a Christmas Miracle.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Home Alone – The Doggy Version

The issue that we run into is folks that have a 90 pound Labrador and a 15 terrier.  They want to be able to work both dogs at the same time from one hand held transmitter but they feel that they need a different size collar for their two dogs.

Some folks feel that a “standard” size ecollar is way too big for a dog under 20 pounds.  This really isn’t the case, but it is important that folks feel comfortable that the collar their dog is wearing is not too much weight for their dog.

The other concern that we run into is that folks feel that the size of the actual electronics relates to the “power” of the stimulation levels.  The bigger concern here is that a “bigger” collar would be two strong for a small dog.  The assumption is that the size of the dog has something to do with the required level of stimulation that a dog needs or can handle.

This really isn’t the case.  Some of the smallest dogs require much higher levels of stimulation and some of the largest dogs need very low levels to get the desired reaction.

It has nothing to do with the size of the dog.  That’s why we always recommend that you start low and work your way up with stimulation levels on your ecollar to find the right level for you dog.  You just can’t tell what’s needed based off the size or temperament of the dog.

While all this is easy to explain, folks still want an appropriate sized ecollar for their dog.  That’s where the Cross Compatible units come into play.

We first got this option from the folks at SportDOG way back in 2004.  The 1800 series systems, 800 systems and the 400 series systems are “cross compatible.”   This means you can buy an 1800 Sporthunter system and add the 400 / 800 extra collar if you have a smaller dog.

You can also add the 1800 Add a Dog collar to a 400 or 800 tranmitter if you want the smaller tranmitter but need a little more range.

Tri-Tronics joined the party last year with the introduction of the Sport Junior collar.   The Junior collar is the same size as the Tri-Tronics Bark Limter and will fit on dogs down to around 8 pounds.  The other features of the Junior are that it uses a replaceable 3 volt battery and has built in safty lights that you can operate remotely from some Tri-Tronics Transmitters.

The Sport Junior collar can be added to any of the current Tri-Tronics Sport or Field & Pro Units if you want a smaller addtional collar for your little dog.   The Junior collar and transmitter also work with any of the older G2 systems.

You can also pair the Junior collar with any of the replacement transmitters that we sell and make your own uniqe system.  We did this already with our Basic Junior.   

We now also have this option from DT Systems since they have introduced their line of expandible systems for 2010.  The Micro IDT Plus and the H2O Plus allow you to add additional collars at any time and they also allow you to mix and match collar sizes if you need a smaller collar or a bigger collar.  Both expandible collars now work with either transmitter.

Right now, Dogtra is the only major ecollar company that has big dog collars and small dog collars but does not have an expandible or cross compatible option.

Knowing which systems you can mix and match can be a bit confusing.  If you want to setup a system to fit the different sizes of your pack of hounds, let us know and we can help you get what you need.

Steve

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Cross Compatible Remote Dog training Collars

This particular lease is going under a major habitat restoration for
quail using the Conservation Reserve Program: CP33-Habitat Buffers for
Upland Birds.  CP 33 is a field boarder program that creates upland
bird habitat using the marginal areas around crop fields.

Click here read more about the CP33 – Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds

CP33 buffers are 30- to 120-foot buffers established in native warm-season grasses  on  row crop fields. Incentives, annual rental rates, and cost-shares are paid to the land owner for enrollment in this Conservation Reserve Program (CRP.)

CP 33 may be the only hope for the return of huntable quail
populations on private land in the Southeastern states.  

Buffers are good for farmers, land owners, all wildlife (not just ground nesting birds) and the environment.

Thanks,

Steve Snell
Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

400 Industrial Park Road, Suite G
Starkville, MS 39759

For customer service call 1-800-624-6378
FAX 1-662-324-6011

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

The CP 33 Buffer Program

Mac is out of Phantom’s Wizard  and Phantom’s Southern Sky

Wiz is the sire of several of our dogs including Click, Stud and Merle.

Apple is also out of Wizard and Phantom’s Saffron

Izzy may just be the best bred female I have ever had in my kennel.

Her sire is 2009 National Champion Lester’s Snowatch.

Her dam is Phantom’s Wild Chick

Wild Chick is a full sister to 2008 National Champion Whippoorwill Wild Agin

All three are finding and pointing birds and holding them pretty well for their age.

Mac is the most natural bird dog I think I have ever seen.  He seems to really understand birds and how to find them.  What has really impressed me about him is that he has found wild birds in both Texas and Georgia.  These are very different scent back grounds and it normally takes grown dogs time to adjust to the change.

It’s going to be a really busy this spring getting them ready for the fall.

Steve Snell
Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

400 Industrial Park Road, Suite G
Starkville, MS 39759

For customer service call 1-800-624-6378
FAX 1-662-324-6011

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

New Pups in the Field

First we ran Em and  Preston’s  young German Shorthair “Penny”

Em found 3 coveys and about 10 singles and small groups of birds. Penny found one covey and a single.   6 birds killed. Lost one  These seem like pretty low numbers for the amount of birds we found, but anyone that has hunted blues knows how tough they are to kill.

We had really nice weather and dog work.

Next we ran Stud and Richard.  We found either 2 coveys or one really big one.  Sometimes with Blues it’s hard to tell.  Running little buggers.

Richard had a nice point. Stud also had a couple of good finds.
Killed 6 birds.
Click and Katy. Found 2 coveys. Couple of nice points. Killed 7 birds. 

Ran the pups – Merle and Cash . Both did much better about going with us and running to the front. Both are turning and coming better. Flushed one single with Cash

Merle runs a little bigger than Click.

Steve Snell
www.gundogsupply.com
1-800-624-6378

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Quail Hunting 1/20/2009 Midland, Tx

That means we have a few dogs that have room mates. 

I really don’t like to kennel dogs together, but I do it sometimes.  I really need to add a few runs if I am going to keep this many dogs.

I got to the kennel last night to find that Apple had chewed off Mac’s leather collar.  Here’s all that was left.

I’ll be seeing the rest of of again soon but in a slightly digested format.

I guess it could have been worse.  At least they didn’t eat the metal too.

It’s my fault.  I like using leather collars but they taste better than nylon or coated nylon.

It reminds me of a situation that happened to my dad pack in the early 1980’s.  He had just purchased his first bark collar.  Back then bark collars were pretty expensive.  If my memory is correct, he spent around $300 on it.  Keep in mind that that was $300 in 1980 dollars.

The first night he put it on a dog in a kennel run with another dog.  It seemed to work really well since there was no barking that night.

He woke up to find that the reason there was no barking was because the kennel mate had chewed the collar strap off the dog and the two of them spent the night destroying his $300 bark collar. 

There was little left.  It was a hard lesson learned.  Much easier for me to replace my $15 leather collar.

Steve Snell

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

How’s the Leather Being Prepared Tonight?

Let’s go under the assumption that you are buying a well made, high quality system.  We expect it to work.

The four parts that determine how the customer feels about the ecollar are the parts that he interacts with on a daily basis.

 #1 The Collar On/Off Button

Everytime you use your remote training collar, you have to turn it on.  The collar on/off button must be easy to use but not so easy that it can be turned on or off by it self.  You want it to to big enough and easy to get to, but not in the way.  You want it to have a good “feel” and designed so you know you actually turned the collar on or off.

The more bad button designs I see makes me prefer a magnetic on/off switch.  They are easy to use and easy to waterproof, but the general public doesn’t seem to like them as much. 

#2 The Collar Strap and Buckle

This one drives the manufacturers a little crazy.  Yep – this is the part that you use next.  Having a high quality strap that is easy to correctly put the ecollar on the dog is a major issue.  It’s also a pretty inexpensive thing for the manufacturer to deal with if they think it’s important.

If the strap is too stiff or the buckle is hard to use, this causes customer frustration.  It can also make it difficult to put the ecollar on the dog correctly.  That can cause performance issues. 

The other issue is the quality of the strap material.  What’s it made out of and how long is it going to hold up.  Nothing worse than a cheap strap that falls apart a year or two after you start using it.  Collar straps are easy to replace on most systems, but it isn’t something most folks want to deal with after spending a couple of hundred bucks on a remote collar.

 #3 Transmitter Buttons

The next part that gets the most interaction is the buttons on the transmitter.  Buttons need to be easy to access but not easy to accidentally set off.  Buttons need to be big enough to use with gloves on. 

Buttons need to have the correct “give.”  When you push it, you need to know it.  There are few things worse than a “squishy” transmitter button.  A “squishy” button moves around as you touch it.  It can be activated from different angles and it is not consistant.

 #4 Transmitter Dials

Last but not least, is the transmitter dial.  The dial is what allows you to raise and lower the stimulation level on your ecollar.

Dials should be big enough that you can  get to them.  Nothing worse than a thin dial that doesn’t have any “meat” to it. 

If your dial has detents or clicks then they should be very consistant.  When you move up or down a level you need to “know” that you have moved a level.  There should be no question about what level you are on. 

I prefer dials that have a rubber coating on them so they are easy to use no matter the weather conditions.  Non coated dial can get hard to use when it’s wet.

These are the four parts that I look at first when I evaluate a remote dog training collar.  If you have a product that doesn’t hit three or four of these issues then it isn’t going to get a good review from us or our customers.

Steve Snell

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

The Four Major Parts of an Ecollar….That Matter to the Customer

Hot,  dry and windy.  Not exactly the perfect conditions for quail hunting but pretty common in West Texas.

Ran Em and Roxy. Found two coveys of Blue Quail.  Killed four birds.

Ran Click and Sage on a road covey. Found another group of birds in the field.

Sage had 2 nice points. Killed one bird. He was steady to wing and shot but not kill.  His desire to retrieve can get the best of him at times.

Ran Richard and Stud on another road covey.  Richard got on the wrong side of the birds and never smelled them.

Stud is still a problem. He does not seem to understand the way I need him to hunt.  It is a constant struggle to keep him in foot range,

Ran the puppies Merle and Cash together. I won’t make that mistake again any time soon.  Both will be big runners and need a bunch of control added to them.

Steve Snell

www.gundogsupply.com
1-800-624-6378

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Quail Hunting 1/19/09 Midland, Texas

This is the “Superbowl” of Birddog Field Trials.  The Ames Plantation is the  home of the National Field Trial Championship for All-Age Bird Dogs.

The Ames Plantation website has a section that gives daily updates and photos so those of us that can’t be there can keep up with the daily results.

Click here for a list of the dogs nominated for the trial

Click here for the Brace by Brace Synopsis and here for daily photo updates

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

2010 National Bird Dog Championship

This may seem like an odd subject to discuss from someone that sells the Garmin Astro, but it is an issue that I have and I need to work it out.

The Garmin Astro changed the way I hunt.  It allows me to run dogs in places that I would not have before it came out.  It lets me keep up with more dogs at a time.

The Garmin Astro lets me buy bigger running dogs and not worry about them.  It removed an enormous amount of stress from my hunting.  Before it you never knew once that dog went over the hill if you would ever see him again. 

It’s one of my favorite dog devices that we sell and I am addicted to it.

Now some folks might not see this as a bad thing, but I have some concerns about it.

I grew up running bird dogs with bells.  I was well trained in the art of locating a dog on point that was making no sound at all.  The trick here was knowing the last place you heard the bell and how long it had been since you last heard the bell. 

This was a skill that you really had to practice to be good at and I was pretty darn good at it.

Once we started hunting Texas, we changed over to running dog beepers.  The advantage with beepers was that you could tell if the dogs were running on on point since the beeper made a different sound once the dog stopped moving.

This was better than bells but it only worked if you could hear the beeper.  The wind in Texas really made that an issue.  I also never really liked the listening to beepers when I hunted.  It really ruined the experience.  Nothing like the sound of a garbage truck backing up while you are out in the field.

After losing one of our dogs for about four days one trip, we moved to Dog Tracking Collars.  Tracking dogs by telemetry was much better than beepers or bells but it was hard a hard skill to master and I never was great at it.  I could always find my dog no matter the range, but I was never 100% comfortable with the art of dog tracking with telemetry.

Garmin fixed all these issues with the Astro.  It was perfect.  It told you where your dog was and what he was doing.  You could track multiple dogs over a pretty standard bird dog range.  It was silent and dead on accurate.  The Garmin Astro was everything I wanted in a tracking system.

This is a good thing? Right?

Well, yes and no.  It’s a great thing and I’ll never run a dog without a GPS tracking system (until something better comes along) but it has destroyed my ability to locate a dog without it.  I don’t blame the Astro for this.  I have just come to rely on it too much.  It’s my crutch.  It works too well.

I have lost the skill to “know” where my dogs are without some kind of electronic help.  I don’t have to keep up with their location like I did before. The Garmin Astro works too well….

I am going to fix this.  I will spend more time keeping up with the location of my dog and not jump to my hand held unit every time my dogs are out of site.  It will take some practice and self control, but I will get my dog location skills back.

The Garmin Astro works too well….

Steve

Gun Dog Supply

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Curing My Addiction to the Garmin Astro

I find it funny when some ecollar manufacturers use the word tickle when they talk about how your dog feels stimulation.

“Tickle your Dog” to stop your barking problem is pretty common.

I have felt stimulation off of every brand of collar we sell. I never thought it tickled.
Now that doesn’t mean that all stimulation is or has to be painful. It isn’t. It just doesn’t tickle. 

“Tap Your Dog” would a much better description of what we are doing with low level stimulation.

We use it as a cue or a tap on the shoulder that says “Hey.”  ”Remember how you are trained to behave in this situation.”

The goal is to refocus the dog.  Dogs are very much in the moment.  No matter if that moment is barking, chasing or not coming when called.   Directing him to the outcome that you need to happen “no matter what” in any given situation.

Making sure that the dog understands what you expect and the required outcome is the goal.  That’s why it’s called “dog training”

Stimulation doesn’t “tickle” but it also doesn’t have to hurt.  

Steve Snell

www.gundogsupply.com
1-800-624-6378

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Using the Word “Tickle” to Describe Stimulation from Ecollars

What product do you suggest I try to keep my 6 year old dog off our good couches…thanks
======================================================

Howdy – Thanks for contacting Gun Dog Supply.

I would recommend that you look at the Zone system from Innotek and Petsafe

Petsafe Pawz Away Indoor Pet-Proof Barriers (formerly Innotek The Zone) is similar to a dog containment system, but instead of keeping him contained IN an area, it keeps him OUT of an area.

Place the disk near a doorway and your dog can’t enter the room.  Put it under a couch and he can come in the room but not jump on the couch.

Get the Outdoor Rock version  and keep him out of your flower beds (or better yet keep him out of your spouse’s flower beds!)

What’s really cool is that you can combine most of these systems to fit your needs. Pet Safe Outdoor Pawz Away is Compatible with

The Petsafe Outdoor barrier systems are compatible with these other systems:

Innotek / PetSafe IUC  containment systems
Innotek / PetSafe znd-1200 Zone Indoor Barrier System

Thanks,

Steve Snell
Gun Dog Supply – http://www.gundogsupply.com

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Keeping your Dog Off the Couch…and out the Flower Beds

We have hunted a bunch – Montana, South Dakota and Texas so far.  Including Nebraska and North Dakota and Mississippi that takes us to 6 states for the year.

That meets my obligation as a founding member of the North American Nomadic Birdhunter’s Association…..

I also have 3 new pointer pups and one more on the way out of a son of Funseeker’s Rebel.  It’s going to be a busy Spring.

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Lost in the world…..

9/21 North Dakota

Today was the first decent weather we have had on this trip. It would have been perfect if the wind had not been blowing 40 miles per hour.
Cold and overcast. I was wearing a sweatshirt under my jacket.

We started the day with some basic horse lessons for me. Mr. Herman is a cowboy from the word go. He gave me a really good lesson on what to do and what not to allow the horse to get away with when you are riding.  Horses are really new to me but I want to learn all I can. I have spent more time in a saddle this year than ever before and I am getting better. I have a long way to go.

We started the morning with Cash and Merle. Cash hunted very close and did a good job. Merle wanted to see what was in the next county and went there quickly.  He made a really nice All Age cast and was hunting toward the front.  He is going to be a big running dog that will find a bunch of birds. He has a really big motor.

He ended up getting way ahead of us because my horse “Blue Duck” had some issues getting across a creek.  Mr. Herman had to come in and work him through it.
I stayed in and worked Cash while Larry and Vernon went up to get Merle back on course.  He came in and hunted well for the rest of the round.

Next we ran a puppy prospect of Larry’s, Richard the GSP and Brandy.

Larry’s pointer is a big running dog out of 2008 National Champion Whippoorwill Wild Agin. Brandy and Richard did their best to keep up.

Richard had the best round as far as finds went. He was steady to wing and shot on multiple groups of pheasants. Larry’s dog ran the best. He’ll do well in the future.

Brandy can flat cover some ground for a little bird dog. She busted a few pheasants in a corn field and was gone.  We picked her up later and she had found a porcupine to play with. We got to remove about 20 quills. I hope she has learned her lesson.

While we were picking up Brandy, Larry got a bunch of work done with his derby and with Vernon’s GSP.  The birds had moved down into the creek edge to get out of the wind.

Next we ran Stud. He did a nice job and handled well with a few strong reminders. He may be the toughest bird dog I have ever owned.

He’s also a big part of why I moved to the SportDOG 1825. The previous system I used was not strong enough to stop him.  He would grit his teeth and blow me off.  I have never had that experience before.  Most of my bird dogs don’t take more than a 1 or a 2 to get them to stop any unwanted behavior.

We headed home as the wind picked up more.  We went to Bismark for some supplies after lunch.
Headed home tomorrow. – Steve

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

9/21/2009 Dog Training in North Dakota

We headed up to North Dakota for a few days of working off horseback with my good friend Larry Garner of Spalding Fly Predator fame.

Ran Cash, Merle and a dog of Larry’s also named Cash.

Working bird dogs off horseback is something that all folks should get to do from time to time.  I am not much of a horseman but I am learning.I was on a young horse named “Blue Duck.”  He did real well until it all fell apart and I ended up on the ground. I landed in a soft spot and my only major injury is a busted lip.  It wasn’t the first time I have ended up on the ground and I doubt it will be the last.  Finding a good soft spot to hit the ground is the trick…..

Looks like he got spooked by the large water bottle I had on the back of my saddle. It was new for him and he didn’t like it.

We got back on and finished the round. Merle ran really big and did a good job.

I was pleased with Cash but he did not move any birds.  I really like how he hunts.  He’s all business.

We ran Brandy next. She is going to be a really big runner.  We were in some thick CRP grass and she had to hop to keep up.  That really didn’t hold her back.  She still covered a bunch of ground and ran a nice “Shooting Dog” race.

We ran Click with another one of Larry’s pointer puppies. Both did well.

We then ran a nice derby dog of Larry’s and Sage. Sage had two nice finds and backed Larry’s dog on two nice finds also.

We then headed home for lunch and a nap.

Later that afternoon we worked pups off the road edges for a bit. Got a little done with the labs.  We didn’t see the number of birds I had hoped for but there was a front blowing in and I think that had them on the move.

We found another Prairie Rattler on the road that had been hit by a truck.

Looks like the weather should be good for Monday. – Steve

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

9/20/2009 Dog Training in North Dakota

9/19 Nebraska

We got in one last round for the sand hills. Same results as before. I am not really sure what went wrong but all the early reports had the area looking good. Ted has been coming here 30 years and he had never seen this few birds.

Nebraska and most of the states in this area are doing research on Sharptails and Prairie Chickens.  Part of the research requires you to save a wing from each bird and fill out some information about your hunt. It’s a reasonable thing to do and I think most folks that hunt the prairie birds appreciate that something is being done for them.

The issue that I have is with the idiot that cleans his birds at the roadside by the collection area and then leaves the guts, feathers, feet, head and wings for everyone to see. I do not understand this kind of behavior. I see it all the time and not just from birdhunters. Deer hunters do it also.

There is a very active anti hunter community, there is also a very active pro hunter community.  You will never convince either side that the other has any valid points.  I’m OK with that fact.

The issue is the folks in the middle.  The vast majority of folks out there don’t have real strong feelings one way or another.

When hunters show this kind of disrespect to the game we hunt and to the land and the other non hunters that also enjoy that land, we add to the ranks of the antihunters.

This kind of  idiotic act helps the people that are fighting to end your way of life. When hunters act with this level of disrespect, we get what we deserve.

Steve Snell

www.gundogsupply.com

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

9/19/2009 Hunting Prairie Birds in Nebraska

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Sand Spurs in Nebraska

9/18 Nebraska -

Ran the same dog sets  as the first day but we didn’t make as big of a round with Em.  She didn’t show any issues from the long first day.
We had a really slow first round. No points and we only saw one bird flush wild way out in the distance.

Em ran well. I will be interested to see how she does later in the season. Both of us have to come to terms with the fact that she is 11 years old and she can’t run like she could at a younger age.  I think it’s been harder on her than me.  The biggest problem is that I have yet to find the dog that will step up and take her place.  It will be interesting to see who can fill this void.

It’s the only bad thing about dogs. They don’t live as long as they should.  It’s pretty important to enjoy the limited time that we have with them.

We ran the four broke dogs next. It was really hilly and we had a hard time keeping Stud in range.  Richard had a really nice find on a flock of Sharptail Grouse. Sage and Click came in to back. The dogs did perfect but we could not get there in time.

Two birds flushed and the rest of the flock followed. The dogs remained steady. While we worked the dogs, Stud made a 700 yard cast and got out of range.

We headed west and continued to work the hills. Stud was still working an area but could not seem to figure out how to get back to us.

The advantage of running the Garmin Astro is that I knew exactly where he was the whole time. I could tell that he was trying to get back to where he thought we were but could not seem to catch up.  Unlike the first year I had him, Stud isn’t just running as far as possible in a straight line. He is doing his best to hunt with me and find birds. I just have to make sure that I put him into situations where he can do well.

The Sandhills made that pretty tough since the hills made it really tough to see each other. Over all I was pleased with how he did.

Sage and the Porcupine

Sage is the only dog I have ever had to remove porcupine quills from him. He found his first one in North Dakota two years ago and his second one today.
He had about 20 quills in his face and all but one came out easily. He had one in his gums that I had to pull out with my Leatherman pliers.

I made the mistake of putting my shotgun on the ground to help Sage. When I picked it up it was covered in sand. Unlike Texas, you just can’t put a gun on the ground in the Sand Hills.  It wouldn’t close so I was done shooting until I could get back to my truck and clean it out.

As we circled back and headed to the truck, we went to the area that Stud was hunting. We found him with little effort and got him going the right way.

With in a few minutes of getting back with us, Stud locked up on point. Sage, Click and Richard came in to back. Before we could get in shooting range a couple of Sharptails flushed. All the dogs remained steady to wing.

I went down the hill to get in front of the dogs to release them. Everyone else stayed up on the ridge.  I stopped to take a few pictures. After I was finished with my photos, a grouse flushed about 2 feet in front of me. I stood there like an idiot with an unloaded gun full of sand.

The dogs remained steady and the guys got a good laugh at my expense so it was worthwhile.

Pups

We ran Cash and Merle next.  The goal was to see how far they had come since going to South Dakota for the summer.  Both dogs handled really well and hunted the entire time they were on the ground.  I was real pleased with how much progress they have made.

Merle cooling off in the water

Next we ran Brandy and Mishka.  Both hunted closer than I prefer but I think we can stretch them out with a few bird contacts.  Brandy made a couple of nice casts toward the end.

I am headed to Montana later this year and I only have one slot left open in the truck.  I expect based on what I saw today that Merle will fill that spot.  Cash ran almost as well but he is not as far along on his whoa training.

We finished  up and headed back to town.  I called the folks at K-9 Kondo to see if we could come by and see their warehouse.  We have been selling the K-9 Kondo and Dog Den Dog Houses for years but I had never met Joe or Judy.  I’ll do a post on it later.

We are going to run dogs in the morning and then head north.  – Steve

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9/18/09 Hunitng Prairie Birds in Nebraska