Sporting Dog Talk

Morgan Francis is a Wisconsin resident whose passion lies in developing a quality pack of bear hounds. Even at a young age she's developed a reputation as someone who not only knows dogs, but how to handle them in wild situations. She discusses training methods, what she looks for personally in breeding & why her love for the dogs is what drives her to follow her passion.

Outdoor Writer, Tracy Breen, has been hooked on using dogs for fall turkey hunting for a long time. Tying together elements of an upland hunt with a hound hunt, fall turkey hunting with dogs has been around a long time but has never caught on with the general hunting public. We discuss the history of hunting turkeys with dogs, some basic training tips to get started, and how steadiness & breeding play a huge role in how these turkey dogs operate.

North Dakota's, Rhett Hall, owns Iron Point Kennels. He's got young kids, a full-time job, and still trains professionally, which means he can't afford to waste a second of valuable training time. His strategy for keeping dogs happy and working for him is something that just about any dog owner can appreciate and learn from.

Mike Akeroyd is a retired firefighter from Texas who not only competes in AKC Hunt Tests, but also judges them as well. He brings a unique perspective to the table after carefully observing how handlers of various skill levels work their dogs in high-pressure situations. He gives a ton of valuable advice including obedience tips, how body language can be an essential training tool and how training positive behaviors will keep you a step ahead of your dog.

Tina Dokken is a dog lover, hardcore upland and waterfowl hunter, and is married to professional dog trainer, Tom Dokken. She's also a good friend to host, Tony Peterson, and decided that she wanted to take over his role for this episode, which takes the conversation to many, many unexpected places.

Tom Dokken not only owns Dokken's Oak Ridge Kennels, but he's also the creator of the DeadFowl Trainer dummy lineup. He's easily one of the most accomplished dog trainers in the world, and also possesses a gift for explaining dog behavior so that anyone can understand it.

Clay Thompson works for SportDOG and is seriously knowledgeable when it comes to canine training tools. He's also a Lab owner who hunts upland game and waterfowl all season long. Clay fills us in on the latest training tech including e-collars and the new pet safe perfect bark technology as well as some tips to train any type of dog.

Jeremy Evans is not only a veterinarian, but is also involved in The Dog Aging Project. This 10-year research study aims to isolate factors that can contribute to longevity in domestic dogs and contribute to their mental health. Jeremy discusses the research they are doing to extend the longevity of man’s best friend and how he hopes this study will change the future years with our dogs.

Sharon Potter got her animal start in the equine world, but quickly realized that she loved working with dogs as well. She's been training for a long time, and not only specializes in working with challenging dogs, but also has a special place in her heart for the Chesepeake Bay Retriever. We discuss what makes chessies unique and how best to handle them, as well as Sharon’s successful strategy to fix gun-shyness. We dive in deep to a variety of topics in this podcast, it’s a good one!

Cody Will and his wife run Rattlesnake Ready, an Arizona-based business that specializes in snake- and toad-breaking dogs. Will has developed a thorough, step-by-step strategy to ensure that dogs develop the right avoidance behaviors when it comes to dealing with dangerous reptiles. We discuss all 4 steps in Cody’s snake avoidance training and what he has learned along the way to keep dogs safe.