If you own a bird dog, you’ve heard the adage that “it takes birds to make a bird dog.” Regardless of advances in technology and training devices, you can’t avoid the fact that it takes real birds to teach a dog about the expected behaviors while on a bird hunt. Finding suitable birds can be a challenge, which often leads to side projects such as housing your own pigeon flock or building quail recall houses.

Versatile hunting dogs that will be used to hunt small game or track big game come with additional training needs beyond just the birds. Finding suitable furred animals or blood for tracking brings a whole set of unique challenges and considerations.