Just because you get involved in NAVHDA doesnt mean you have to aim for the Invitational test.  Perhaps a dog that prizes in the Utility Preparatory Test is the right level dog for you and your goals.  Pete Aplikowski joins us again to discuss the elements of a UPT dog and how they may line up with the average person wanting a hunting dog.  Perhaps getting people to test in the UPT will eventually lead to more people wanting to train and test a higher level.

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TWRA habitat biologist Michael McCord joins us to discuss the pros/cons of managing for hunting cover or training cover.  We cover a lot of ground on this & discuss native grasses vs annuals, are pen raised birds a positive or negative on the landscape, and the best practice for your brush hog!  This is a fun one that we hope will help out a lot of land owners & even chapters take into consideration different priorities when managing their land.

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One of the coolest things in the upland world is a reliable pointing dog that backs other dogs!  One of the most asked questions is "How do I train my dog to back?"  Darryl Pernat joins us this week to break it all down for us including the what, when, and how.  Start laying the ground work early and be sure to go slow and make the right connections!  Youll be happy with the results.

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The GDIY training camp finally took place and I took the opportunity to sit down with all of the trainers for the event at one time.  This conversation really covered a little bit of everything when it comes to training your dog.  The importance of knowing your dog.  Picking mentors.  Focusing on the important facts and not drowning in too much information.  This conversation along with everything this weekend was a blast and are hoping to do it again soon!

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Scott joins us again this week to go through some listener questions. We had a nice variety of questions coming from how to build drive in a dog, back to the basics of recall, and even unsteadying your dog. Theres something for everyone in this episode so check it out and dont forget to hit that subscribe button!

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A listener asked us a few weeks ago what the real cost of owning a bird dog was.  I obviously didnt have a number for him but it go me thinking.  Joe and I got together to TRY and put a number down for the average bird dog owner/trainer.  There will obviously be discrepancies between each individual owner but hopefully this helps some people try and gauge what some costs will be throughout the life span of the dog!

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GDIYves is a monthly bonus episode hosted by Kyley Caldwell that brings relatable stories from the women that train and hunt dogs themselves.  These aren't women that just do it because their boyfriends or husbands do it.  They do it because they love it and are married to the lifestyle and their dogs.  In these episodes you'll hear what got them into the sport and relatable stories of what it was like figuring it out and learning!

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This week Steve Short and Arwen Dabb joins us to discuss field trialing!  There are a number of misconceptions in the trial world as it comes to hunting dogs while Steve and Arwen disprove them.  They are competitive in trials while also being successful with wild bird hunting.  They speak on how this is possible and why its probably not fair to suggest you cant be successful at both!

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Bridget Nielson of Wall Canyon Kennels joins us this week to talk about how we can all make the most out of NAVHDA training days.  The chapters can plan everything down to the last detail but if you don't do your homework and have a plan then its not going to be as productive.  Conversely, a handler can show up with the best plan in the world but if the chapter isn't organized then it wont go well either. Its a balancing act!

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How does a dog's nose work?  What impacts the dog's capability to use it's nose?  What does this mean in terms of how we hunt and train with the dog?  Tom Brownlee has been studying and teaching the subject of canine olfactory senses for decades as well as applying this knowledge in actual training and K9 scenarios.  This is an episode you really dont want to miss!

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