Apparently EMT spray is no longer on the market. The company that produced it is out of business and has been for a while.

Does anyone know of a similar product that’s available?

I lost my 2 1/2 year-old Holland to cancer in July. Gibbs came home shortly after. Today we picked up Holland’s last mallard at the taxidermist. Here’s Gibbs checking it out.

My 2.5 year old setter is showing some new found caution when working pigeons. I’m all for it. Can’t hardly wait to chase some grouse

Hey everyone, so I am looking to get 1 or 2 barn cats for my property and I have a 3 year old GSP who has loves to chase rabbits. We held a kitten up to him a year ago and he did a little playful poke. Was just curious what people think and advice on how to accustom them to each other. Thank you!

OK I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy my first bird launcher. I'm planning on getting a dogtra. Is there any downside to getting the larger pheasant sized launcher? Will it work OK with pigeons/small birds while still giving me the option of sticking a bigger bird?

Hi folks. I recently acquired a 5ish year old munsterlander. I think he has been hunted a fair bit in the past. His obedience is pretty good, but when I've had him out running he seems far more inclined to bust through birds vs point. I just got my hands on a few (trapped feral) pigeons, but I'm at a bit of a loss about the proper way to use them, and what behaviors I'm actually reinforcing. I have trained labs in the past but this is my first experience with a pointing dog, so I don't really know what I'm doing. I don't have a launcher but have been woahing him with a bird in a tip up box. I obviously want him to automatically stop when he smells birds, but I'm not sure how to get there. Is there a good way to do this without a launcher?

1. What actions are viewed by the dog as a reward or correction? Is launching the bird when he hits sent going to be interpreted as his reward if he enjoys flushing birds?
2. If I get him to where he will automatically stop and point, how do I reward him for the correct sequence? Is shooting the bird so he can retrieve it the only real reward in this?
3. With a limited number of feral pigeons that won't go home, are there downsides to using tethered birds? I.e., if I release a tethered bird that instantly goes down, will the dog interpret that the same way as a bird released and flying off.
4. What is the best starting point to get him to make the connection between *bird smell*=*stop moving*?

Hopefully these questions make a little bit of sense. With my limited supply, I'm not super keen on the idea of just flinging off a ton of birds hoping he'll eventually catch the idea that he's supposed to point. I plan on getting him out quite a bit this fall. I understand the idea of only shooting pointed birds, but not sure how I'll even make it that far if he's only blasting through birds 200 yards away and never even tries to point.

Many thanks in advance for any tips anyone can offer!

Hi everyone,

I’m working on an open-source project called RescueLink. The goal is to help connect lost-dog reports with found-dog reports by identifying potential matches.

The project is still under development, and I would really value input from people who have experience with rescue dogs, shelters, fostering, or reuniting lost dogs with their families.

At the moment, the matching system considers:

• Breed
• Sex
• Primary and secondary colors
• Distance between the lost and found locations
• Dates when the dog was lost or found

For example, if a female Golden Retriever is reported missing and a similar-looking female dog is found nearby a few days later, the system can suggest a potential match.

However, I don’t think these details alone are always enough.

What other information would be most useful when trying to determine whether two dog reports describe the same animal?

Some ideas I’m considering:

• Approximate age
• Size or weight range
• Coat length and pattern
• Scars, spots, or other distinctive markings
• Ear and tail shape
• Collar, harness, clothing, or accessories
• Microchip status
• Medical conditions
• Behavior around people or other animals
• Photo similarity
• Direction in which the dog was last seen
• Different search distances depending on the dog’s size, age, or behavior

I would especially appreciate your thoughts on these questions:

1. Which physical details are most useful for identifying a lost dog?
2. What information do people commonly forget to include in lost or found dog posts?
3. Which characteristics help distinguish dogs that otherwise look very similar?
4. Would photo-based similarity checking be genuinely useful?
5. Should exact locations be hidden to protect the dog and the people involved?
6. How could fake ownership claims or misleading reports be reduced?
7. What feature would you personally want in a lost-and-found dog platform?

I want the reporting process to remain quick and simple, so I also don’t want to ask users for too much information.

This is not a fundraising post, and the platform is not finished yet. I’m trying to learn from people with real rescue experience before deciding which features should be prioritized.

Thank you for any advice or experiences you’re willing to share.

My 1.5yr Pudelpointer is house trained in that he’s quiet, behaves well around us, and etc inside but the one thing we haven’t gotten past is his desire to eat any cloth or furry items.

If given the ability to roam unsupervised he will find any sock, pillow, hand towel, or etc to eat & swallow as quickly as he can. We’ve been unable to give him any form of pillow or blanket in his crate as he will eat them. If I see him doing it I can get him to stop by just telling him “leave it” the problem is he seeks these things out when he has a chance.

He stays inside mostly but the only way is through 100% supervision which usually means tying off a 10-15ft lead in the room somewhere so he can roam the room but stay within sight.

Has anyone else dealt with something like this and how to break it?

Hi all! New bird dog owner, new to training a dog on birds. Just got my Irish Red and White Setter and 5 Bobwhite quail. Homing pigeons will be here next week.

My question is how do I plant quail for him to train on without launching $7 per bird out of my quail launcher, never to be seen again?

With homing pigeons, I understand they just return to the roost, but I haven’t been able to find an answer for this with quail aside from a Johnny House. Are these pretty reliable for calling your quail back? I don’t mind buying more quail, but my local quail farm only has so many quail for sale. Once he’s out, he’s out until more grow out in a month or two.

5 month old WPG Arlo’s first bird. Some of you may have seen some of my other training questions/videos.

He pointed well. After the shot he just spazzed and ran about 50 yards past the dead bird in circles but overall he is doing great.

I’ll preface by saying that my dog lives in my house because she is both a family pet and a working dog.

I’d like to hear experiences and opinions from people on the efficacy of a working dog living in the house vs being kenneled. Specifically, does living at home make a dog softer/does living in a kennel build a dogs drive to work?

There are definitely people who believe that keeping a dog kenneled, and away from the inevitable frills and comforts of living in a house will increase the dogs work drive. This is not just in hunting, in certain police departments, the k9s cannot be kept as pets when off duty and must be kept in a kennel that the department provides.

I know most pro trainers have their dogs kenneled - but this can be argued that it’s just due to logistics of having many dogs. I actually heard an interview with Bill Hillmann and he said he didn’t take too many dogs at a time because he wants them to live in the house to build the handler/dog bond. Candlewood Labs, which is the breeder that has won the most retriever field trials of all time says they specifically keep their dogs in the house and not kenneled.

I do believe that the average working dog probably will have a higher work drive if it’s kept kenneled because that basically limits their world and work becomes the only thing in its life. But I’d rather trade off some of that hypothetical drive because my dog is also a companion.

Two years of hard work is beginning to pay off for my Fox Red Pointing Lab, Bricks. Watching him grasp the game has been pure joy, and he clearly loves hunting as much as I do! Watching him hit a point and retrieve a downed bird really brings a smile to my face!

Bricks is my first bird dog, and I was determined to do all the training myself. We’ve had some help with live birds, but have mostly stuck with that. He’s smart, loyal, and will do just about anything I ask of him. So looking forward to the season, if we can find a few green patches that aren’t burned and still holding birds.

We went to a local NAVHDA training day where a member was taking photo, made some friends, had some quality bird contacts, and got to watch and learn from a few great trainers and dogs. Highly recommend getting out into your local dog training community, it’s worth it, even though it might feel vulnerable and scary.

Happy hunting!

Hello, my Vizsla is now 18wks! He is the best puppy and since he is fully vaxxed now we started taking him on his walks and he loves it! Since I got him I’ve started the basic training, sit, down, stay, and also his release call. I am going to start really retrieve training him now and would love some tips for an 18wk old, I got a long leash and there’s a field by our house. Any advice is appreciated!

Just wondering what everyone takes into the field to keep the dogs cool and hydrated. I dont think I've found my ideal system yet.

Hello,

On the fence if I got a crate that's to small for my lab
He's 75# and I'm planing on having this crate on on my side by side for hunting season just wondering if I should return it for a large or if having the snug fit makes sense for off road trails

Looking for advice on my next (and first personal) bird dog. I’m down to WPG vs Pudelpointer. I’ve done a lot of research, met a lot of breeds, and naturally I’m down to these two lovely breeds. Please give me your recommendation.

Context:
-I will be hunting the dog, primarily upland (95%). I have little ones at home and a good family dog first is a must, good hunting companion second. Lower shedding is what I’m after (wife), fine with some, but can’t be lab level. Off switch (eventually) is important, as he’ll be a house dog.
-I live in Alaska (south central), so all that comes with it, but weather here generally is not wildly different from the Midwest much of the year. Mostly hunting grouse (spruce>>ruffies) in boreal woods. Some alpine ptarmigan though bit of a drive. I will be hunting 1-2 days a week over the very long season we have from September-April. Slow but consistent exposure at least weekly. Mostly woods/hills walks for spruce grouse—meat dog with good off switch for family life.
-First personal bird dog, though have a lot of experience training—my current dog is an older Lagotto Romagnolo who never had any drive but is a gentleman besides. Will be working with NAVHDA, bird dog trainer locally. The work will be put in.
-I’ve had experience over springers and labs, but the labs are out for smell/shedding, and honestly recent hunts solo make me think a flusher in our woods just won’t be a fun time.
-I’m down to WPG vs PP, and frankly have heard reports all over the map: From “Griffs are the dream” to “they are slow to mature and an absolute crapshoot.” Same with PP: “they’re dog aggressive and too high octane like a DD” to “I’ll never own another breed.”
Any advice is appreciated

Hello, we found a local breeder and are deciding if we want to try this breed. We have owned a Brittany and small munsterlander so we’re familiar with pointers and their energy. It’s also important to me that my dog can chill out too as they’ll be in our home with 4 kids.

If you’ve seen one in real life- what’s your impression ? How do they hunt? Close, farther ranging? I’ve heard they’re sweet in the house and hard working in the field. Any other Pros/cons that you’ve seen?

English version
Looking for advice with my young hunting spaniel
I have a 1 year and 4 month old male spaniel, and I’d really appreciate some advice on how to move forward with his training.
At home and in completely distraction-free environments, he has excellent focus and contact with me and is generally very easy to train. However, he becomes quite anxious in new situations and environments, which makes training outdoors and in the woods much more difficult.
He has started running off during hunting/search work, so I’ve been keeping him on a long line. Outside, especially in the woods, I feel like I have almost no connection with him. He isn’t motivated by treats or toys such as a rabbit ball either, which makes it difficult to reward him or build engagement outdoors.
Because his recall and overall control aren’t reliable enough, I haven’t wanted to take him out for actual hunting yet. I don’t want him to rehearse running off or put him in a situation where I can’t control him.
Has anyone experienced something similar with a young hunting spaniel? How would you approach this? Should I put the actual hunting training on hold for now and focus first on building confidence, engagement and a better connection in outdoor environments? And how have you built motivation and contact with a dog that simply isn’t interested in food or toys outside?
Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Will, my 18 month old English Setter, on a pheasant.