You, not the dog, should be in control of when he retrieves.
Photo by Tim Bronson

Illustrations by James Daley

This week, I want to talk about achieving steadiness. I’ve already talked about this a lot, but that’s because it’s the foundation of a well-trained dog. A dog that does what it wants on its own is not going to be a satisfying hunting companion. It may do the right thing by instinct, but if it does the right thing at the wrong time, that’s not going to work out too well in the field, particularly if you happen to be. . .

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Kowalski (second from right) with guests and colleagues at PRO Outfitters. photo by Simon Perkins

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Scented tennis balls can help a pup learn to use his or her nose. photo courtesy Paul Fersen

This is the fourth in a series of blogs looking at Sporting Dog and Retriever Training—The Wildrose Way, a book I worked on with Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels. It’s a remarkable book, and each week I’m going to touch on one aspect of the training. Last week, we talked about the problems created by waiting too long before starting to train your pup.

A few months before I picked up Murphy at Wildrose, I met one of Mike Stewart’s associate trainers, Craig Korff, at the Game Fair at Orvis Sandanona in Millbrook, New York. We began a casual conversation about training methods and philosophies, as one would expect, but then he took me to his truck and pulled out something that has proven to be not only the most valuable, but the most fun training tool I’ve ever. . .

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For more than twenty years, the Orvis Company has been recognizing excellence in sporting experiences through its Endorsed Lodges Outfitters and Guides (ELOG) program. The winners of this year’s awards were announced at a ceremony during the 2013 Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Missoula, Montana on April 20. We posted the full list of nominees last week, and now we are proud to recognize the winners!

Orvis Vice Chairman Dave Perkins and VP, Rod & Tackle, Sporting Adventures Jim Lepage go over each deserving winner in the video above…

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Twelve-year-old Pickett (left) didn’t benefit from Wildrose training methods, which is why the much younger Murphy is a more disciplined dog when it comes to breaking on live birds. photo by Tim Bronson

This is the third in a series of blogs looking at Sporting Dog and Retriever Training—The Wildrose Way, a book I worked on with Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels. It’s a remarkable book, and each week I’m going to touch on one aspect of the training. Last week, we talked about why you should start training from the. . .