There are a lot of little things I do when training hunting dogs that probably wouldn’t sound like “secrets” to everybody—but they’re techniques I’ve picked up over the years that have helped me get more out of my dogs.

In this episode of Thoughts of a Dog Man, I break down five of those little training techniques and explain how I actually use them.

We talk about teaching a hunting dog to hit the ground running so that when you cut that dog loose, it already understands that it’s time to GO HUNT. I explain how I work toward that with beagles and how I use a similar idea with tree dogs.

We also get into using tracking bells, knowing when to stop a training session while the dog is still at its most excited, and why I believe young dogs need opportunities around enough game to learn that putting in the effort can actually lead to success.

None of this is magic, and none of it guarantees that every dog will turn out the same way.

These are simply small things I’ve used over the years to increase the chances of developing the habits, confidence, excitement, and hunting desire I want to see.

Sometimes getting more out of a hunting dog isn’t about finding some complicated training system.

Sometimes it’s about paying attention to the little things.

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What’s one little training technique you use that has made a difference with your dogs?

What does a Nite Champion title really prove?

In this episode of Thoughts of a Dog Man, I take a deeper look at competition titles and ask a question I think is worth discussing: does the title tell us enough about the dog, or do we need to know more about the road it took to get there?

We talk about the difference between a dog that earns its wins quickly versus one that needs considerably more opportunities, how much the handler behind the leash can influence competition success, and whether home-field advantage matters when a dog is competing on familiar ground.

I also get into the idea of different “conferences” or regions of the country and how terrain, game population, weather, and hunting conditions can create very different challenges for dogs depending on where they compete.

Then we take it a step further and ask whether a dog’s competition record should follow the title.

Would seeing something like:

NITECH — 5 wins / 7 starts

tell you something different than:

NITECH — 5 wins / 22 starts?

Would that information matter to you as a hunter? A breeder? Somebody looking at a potential stud?

I’m not taking anything away from anybody’s title, and I’m not saying I have the answer.

Maybe the title system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Maybe the bigger question is whether we’re asking the letters in front of a dog’s name to tell us more than they were ever intended to tell us.

A title may tell us WHAT the dog accomplished.

The record, the handler, the country, and the story behind it may tell us HOW.

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What do you think? When you see NITECH in front of a dog’s name, what does that title mean to YOU?

Rabbit season is open here in Iowa, and before we get too caught up in the dogs, the races, and putting rabbits in the bag, I wanted to spend some time talking about safety.

In this episode of Thoughts of a Dog Man, I go through several things I think every rabbit hunter—especially somebody new to hunting with dogs—should think about before heading to the field.

We start with muzzle control and the habits that matter while carrying a gun around other hunters and dogs. Then we get into knowing where your dogs are before taking a shot, being selective about who you hunt with, and why I think a quick safety conversation before turning dogs loose can save a lot of problems later.

I also talk about choosing which dogs to put on the ground when hunting with somebody new, paying attention to roads, property lines, weather and dog condition, and remembering that you never HAVE to take the shot.

There will always be another rabbit and another race.

A successful hunt is everybody—and every dog—making it home safely.

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🎙️ Thoughts of a Dog Man Podcast

Sometimes the safest and smartest shot is the one you never take!