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?

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

“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

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

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

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.

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Lost in the world…..

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

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9/19/2009 Hunting Prairie Birds in Nebraska

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Sand Spurs in Nebraska

This particular shoot we were getting shots of the Garmin Astro,  Tri-tronics EXP receiver, DT Systems Bird Launchers, and the Dokken Dead Fowl Trainers.

These pictures where taken by my oldest son, Sam, while his Uncle Rob was taking the product shots that you see on our website.

Sam was pretty pleased when some of his shots were picked over his Uncle’s to appear on Gun Dog Supply – Steve

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Gun Dog Supply Photo Shoot

I always heard the horrors of “Blue Quail.”  I couldn’t find a single quail hunter who liked them.  They ran; They would ruin a good bird dog.  They didn’t hold in a covey like Bobs.  They didn’t play fair.  Like most folks, I believed what was said and I stayed as far away from them as possible.  I spent most of my time around Childress, Texas.  In the 10 years I Quail hunted there I saw one covey of Blues.

In 2003 I went on a Horseback hunt around Gail, TX.  They had a mix of Bobs and Blues in that part of the state.

Everything I had been told about blues was true, except for the part about ruining a bird dog.  If anything, they force your dog to work at a much higher level.

Since then I spend as much time as I can hunting Blues.  Everything else is just something to do while I wait for Quail Season to open and the weather to get cool enough to hunt out west.

Here are some pictures I took one afternoon of a covey loafing in the shade around an oil well.

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Blue Quail Loafing in the Afternoon

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

More on Gun Shy Dogs…..

“Mac” and “Apple” are English Pointers and are the half brother and half sister to Click, Stud, and Merle. All 5 dogs share the same sire – Phantom’s Wizard.

I have really enjoyed having them around the kennel. This is the first time since the last litter we raised that I have had multiple young dogs at the same time. I think it’s a better way for me to train.

Both dogs have very different personalities. Apple is going to be a big running independent dog. Mac looks like he will be a little more focused on me and will not run as big. I expect he will still cover some ground but not like Apple.

The important thing to do with pups is exposure to the world that you expect them to live and work in.

So far Mac and Apple have been exposed to other dogs, goats, horses, riding in the dog truck, going to the vet, going to the office, my kids, living in the kennel, crossing water, ponds, heavy cover, 4 wheelers, lawnmowers, pigeons, quail and we have started on gunfire.

After we get the basic bird introduction done we start to add basic gunfire. I do this with a little Daisy Pop gun. It makes a sound when you cock it and a “pop” when you fire it.

Using this gun gets them used to the site of a gun in my hands as we walk out in the field. Some dogs never see a shotgun in the hands of their owner until they go to the field on opening day. This can lead to a big problem.

We go out in my bird field every day to see the world. We work on coming when called, turning on command, and going in the direction that I am going.

We also play the dog version of “hide and seek”. Every time they get stretched out from me, I hide behind a tree. After a few minutes, they start to wonder where I went. As they double back to find me, I get down on their level and give them lots of praise.

I love big running dogs, but I want them to hunt for me and check in from time to time.

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New Pups

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How I Put Lewis Dog Boots on my Bird Dogs

I waited a little later than I would prefer but I am real pleased with the results so far.

The biggest concern is if we will have the right weather to get it to seed out before duck season. It takes around 90 days.

If we have our typical fall weather it should work out.

I am still having trouble getting all the water drained. We may have to add another pipe to the other end of this duck hole.

That’s a project for next spring. – Steve

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Millet in the swamp

Started again right before sunrise. We moved to some large alfalfa fields that had some grass and hills around them.

The first brace of dogs ran up a giant flock of sharptails and sent them out of the county.

The next group of dogs had no bird work.

We next ran Click with a grandson of Phantom’s Razor. He’s a real nice dog called Jack.

Jack pointed a chicken and did a wonderful job. Click came in and backed. Both dogs are steady to wing and Shot.

A bit later, Jack locked up again. Click came in and backed. Dan got off his horse to flush the birds. A group of about 10 young pheasants flushed out of the corner of an alfalfa field. Both dogs were steady again.

Jack did a fine job. He’s one nice bird dog.

We ran several other braces of dogs but had little bird work. It heated up pretty quick and got bad hot around 11:00.

We had no clouds and very little wind.

My horse skills are improving and Blaze is doing better at putting up with my lack of riding experience.

Horseback is a fine way to watch bird dogs cover the country.

I went into town today to check my email and gas up the truck. I have no AT & T phone service here but my Verizon burner phone works fine.

If the IPhone gets picked up by Verizon, I may have to change my phone over.

I’ll run the pups and road Em after it cools down.

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Day 2 – South Dakota

This morning we kicked off the 2009 hunting season with a bit of a thud.

Vernon was going to pick me up at 5 am to head over to a field that our head buyer, Jonathan, had prepared. The only problem is that while my alarm went off at 4:30, I didn’t wake up until 5:30…..

Not a good way to get things going.

I rushed to get it all together and we made it to the hunt on time but it’s really not how I like to get started.

Things went downhill from there.

It took me about 20 shots to get my first bird. I guess all that practice at the Starkville Gun Club this spring really paid off……

Roxy was also a little off her game. She broke on some close birds that I should have hit but did not.

We really didn’t prepare for opening day the way I normally would.

At this point I decided to calm down and make sure the shots I was taking were reasonable. I also made sure my dog stayed under control.

Things improved quickly.

It just shows that getting the fundamentals correct fixes most errors.

I’m a decent wingshooter but my skills have limitations and I am well aware of what they are.

Roxy is a special dog but I will not put up with a dog that breaks. It’s too easy to fix and there is no reason it should happen.

I just have to practice, train and prepare correctly.

We ended up with 10 birds and Roxy made some really nice retrieves and got a couple of winged birds for the other guys.

How can you bird hunt without a dog?
—-
The rain stopped and it’s time to go see if MSU has a football team.

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Opening Day Of Dove Season

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What are your thoughts on giving dogs vitamins, and or supplements?

Hi. I stumbled onto your web site & thought WOW here are all the things I’m looking for. But I have a question of two. First of all I got a 14 month old blk lab that I would like to train for hunting waterfowl as well as pheasants (& other land birds). I really don’t know where to begin? I see that you have lots of videos about training but I don’t need the puppy set but not sure about the others. This dog is learning the basics, Now! ie sit, come, stay(kind of) & drop. A little late, but he is learning slowly. Is there anything that you could suggest?

Thanks in advance. A. K.

——————————————————————————-

Thanks for contacting Gun Dog Supply.  Even though you are past the
“puppy” part of the training, I would not skip over these parts of any
book or DVD.  You need to make sure that the basic foundation is put
in correctly no matter the age before you try any of the advanced
work.  With out the proper foundation you will not be able to do the hard stuff.

Here are a few that I recommend
http://www.gundogsupply.com/refefrdure.html
http://www.gundogsupply.com/abcs-pind.html
http://www.gundogsupply.com/gehitruprevi.html

Here are our best books
http://www.gundogsupply.com/b10mirehowto.html
http://www.gundogsupply.com/butch-goodwin-book.html
http://www.gundogsupply.com/labshootdogb.html
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-628-.html

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

This dog is learning the basics, a little late, but he is learning slowly

I also have 7 dogs with me. It’s time to start getting geared up for hunting season.

Garmin GPS

Brandy is already bored of my stories......

Steve's Hunting Rig

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Headed North….

Most bird dogs need either Mediums or Large boots.  I prefer them to be a little bigger than too tight.

I use duct tape on mine. First I wrap one piece around the dogs leg sticky side out and make a loose ring around the dogs ankle.
I place it so 75% of the tape will be  inside the boot and 25% is above the boot.  I want this ring to be loose enough that it can spin.

I then put the boot on the dog.  I make sure the inside of the boot sticks to the tape.

Next  wrap one piece around the outside of the boot so that 75% is on the boot and 25% is above the boot stuck to the sticky side of the first piece of tape.  I make sure this piece is on as tight as possible.

This method works pretty well for me.  I do find that if I get in a hurry taping boots, I tend to throw one from time to time.
http://www.gundogsupply.com/-950-.html

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

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

What size dog boots do most Texas bird dogs need?

From our website: “At Gun Dog Supply we feel the use of the DUMMY
collar to condition the dog to the weight and feel of the active
collar PRIOR to the use of electrical stimulation is still an
essential component of the training process.”

I still agree with this but I am not sure it is as valid as it once was.

Ecollars are so common now that many dogs (mine also) wear them any
time they are off leash.  Even my older dogs always have one on when
they are out in the field.  While they seldom get corrections, I want
them on so I can make the correction if needed, but it’s more of a
safety issue.  You never know when that “dog running full speed toward
a road” is going to happen.

I prefer to start a young dog (12 to 16 weeks) with either a real
collar that is turned off or a dummy collar to get him used to the
feel.  Every time we go to romp or chase birds or pick up fun bumpers,
we put the collar on.  My dogs see the collar as a regular step in
fun so that don’t dread the idea behind it.

The collar is just part of life ( just like a tracking collar, Astro,
or beeper collar)

Once we start using the collar (30 to 60 weeks – depending on the dog)
he has less issues.

If you strap one on an older dog that has never had a collar on and
zap him the first opportunity – you’ll get a collar wise dog.

Of course these folks tend not to be trainers.  They are just looking
for a quick fix.

Folks that plan to start out right can get a dummy collar for a puppy
and get the real collar later.  If they already have a real collar with a young dog, I
don’t really see the value in getting a dummy collar.  The other
situation is when you want the dog to wear the collar when he is
around other dogs and not under supervision ( one of my dad’s first
collars got chewed up by a kennel mate – a really expensive mistake in
the early 1970’s)

I prefer not to leave a collar on a pup in this situation, since he
really only needs it when he is “working or playing” and I will be
there when that is going on.

The folks that have the real issue is the competition guys.  They will
always put dogs in situations that require them not to have a collar
on (tests and trials) so they need to do everything in their power to
avoid collar wise.  Starting the dogs young and proper introduction to
the collar tends to help this.

The other situation is duck hunters in flooded timber.  They don’t
want a collar on the dog that might get hung up.  Same thing goes
here.  If  they do the young dog, proper introduction and they use the
collar as a tool not a crutch, they can avoid the collar wise dog.

To me,  this is an issue of not putting the proper foundation ( I see
starting with an ecollar as part of the regular gear as part of  the
drill) having issues down the road. – Steve

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

The Use of the Dummy Collar and Keeping your Dog from becoming Collar Wise

The Mississippi opening day is September 5th.

Click here for info from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife

Be sure to keep a close eye on your dogs while you hunt. The weather is sure to be hot; Don’t over do it. Keep plenty of water on hand and let your dog swim or lie in the shade between retrieves.

Also be real careful with the young dogs around gunfire. If you have not done your gunfire conditioning, get it done now or leave your dog at the house. Click here to read more about proper gunfire conditioning for your dog

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Dove season is right around the corner

Two Wood Ducks in the Sky

I spent a good bit of the day digging out the water control structure pipe in my duck pond. Normally this pipe isn’t an issue but I messed around and let the beavers get the  upper hand

It will take another 24 hours or so to get it down to the level I want for this time of year.

Beaver swimming in the water

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Fighting Beavers in my Duck Hole

Yep – Sure can……

Post from: Steve Snell's Gundog Blog

Iphone blog

After 10 years of pushing, you can now buy a replacement transmitter for your Tri-Tronics system.  This allows folks to upgrade an older G2 or G2 EXP system to a G3 unit or you can even go from a 1/2 mile G3 Sport Basic to a G3 Pro 500 and use the same collar.  This will save you a few bucks. – Steve

via Tri-Tronics G3 Replacement Transmitters..

Tri-Tronics Replacement Transmitters allow you to replace your broken or lost Tri-Tronics transmitter, upgrade your system, or mix and match to build your own Custom Tri-Tronics System! You can combine any of the G3 Tri-Tronics Field, Pro, Sport, or Junior transmitters with any combination of G3 “Standard” Receiver Collars or G3 Sport Junior Collars.

PLEASE NOTE: These transmitters can be used to replace an existing or lost transmitter. They will NOT function as a second transmitter with your system. If you need two matching transmitters please give us a call at 1-800-624-6378 to arrange to have two matching transmitters custom built. You must purchase both transmitters at the same ti

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Upgrade Your Old G2 sytem with Tri-Tronics G3 Replacement Transmitters

I really don’t care what the pup does the first time he sees or smells his first bird.  It’s nice if they are interested and do some flash pointing, but it isn’t really an indicator of the dogs potential.

What’s really fun is seeing your pup the second or third time he sees a pigeon and his fire is lit.

Brandy pointing a pigeon at 4 months

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Introducing Your Pointing Dog Puppy to Birds