Posts Tagged ‘English Cocker Spaniel’
Dog of the Day: “Smoke”
Thursday, April 25th, 2013
Kevin Gaddie’s English cocker spaniel, “Smoke,” trained over the winter to stay sharp for spring field trials.
Have your own bird dog photo you’d like to share? Email it to Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor, at ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.
The Best Compliment for a Bird Hunter: I Want a Bird Dog like Yours
Friday, January 25th, 2013
Me with my pride and joy, Trammell, a German shorthaired pointer
Last autumn, on a bird hunting trip with Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s online editor, we stopped by my brother’s house in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. Anthony’s little nugget of a bird dog, “Sprig,” was in tow.
Sprig, an English cocker spaniel, made fast friends with my niece, nephew, and brother. So much so that my sister-in-law, Julie, said that Sprig might be just the ticket for helping push my brother over the ledge to adding a bird dog to their busy family. We ventured further on the trip to Escanaba, Michigan where both my parents also offered to “take Sprig off Anthony’s hands.”
While “nice shot,” is always an appreciated sentiment on a pheasant hunt, I don’t think there is any greater compliment for a bird hunter than a fellow hunter remarking “I want a bird dog like yours.” For all the trials of potty training and the tribulations of obedience afield, bird dogs provide the greatest rewards when others appreciate the fruits of your labor.
Although my immediate family seems fixated on Anthony’s Sprig, I’ve been honored to have many hunting partners comment on their desire to have a shorthair like my “Trammell” pup. A few have even gone so far as to connect with Trammell’s breeder and seek out her bloodlines through Top Gun Kennels. That’s a fact I’m flattered by . . . although Top Gun’s breeding has more to do with Trammell’s prowess than any training I accomplished.
At its foundation, following the bloodlines of a bird dog you enjoy hunting behind is a great formula for finding a bird dog pup that you’ll cherish for a decade and more. Have you ever pursued the pup or breeding of a hunting partner’s stellar bird dog?
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre and listen to Bob and Billy Hildebrand every Saturday morning on FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN FM100.3.
Dog of the Day
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
“Indy,” a 2-year-old English cocker spaniel owned by the Reeves family from White Bear Lake, Minnesota worked hard on a public land pheasant hunting trip in South Dakota this past November. “Indy and my husband brought in a nice rooster,” said Carol Reeves, “Along with our 10-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, we had another great South Dakota weekend.”
Have your own bird dog photo you’d like to share? Email it to Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor, at ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.
My First Bird Dog’s First Pheasant Hunt
Wednesday, October 17th, 2012
“Sprig,” and 11-month-old English cocker spaniel, with her first rooster find. Photo courtesy Anthony Hauck / Pheasants Forever
“Find it! Dead bird, find it!” “Sprig” and I came out of a cattail draw after flushing out a few ringnecks, one of which my buddy winged down. She was now tracking her first cripple.
A minute or so went by, but with the warm, dry conditions on this Minnesota pheasant hunting opening weekend, I wondered if the scent trail would vanish as they had all weekend. But Sprig’s tail kept wagging while her other end kept sniffing. She followed the trail off the edge of the cattails, up into the surrounding grass stand and zigzagged up and over a hill. A few seconds after she disappeared, I saw the flutter of the rooster on the ridge…and then Sprig came into view. The bird made it about another 10 yards before she smacked into him headstrong; hunting without pulling the trigger has never been so much fun.
I embarked on the “My First Bird Dog” series with the goal of choosing a dog breed, breeder, a litter, a pup, taking the little he or she home, naming it, training it and heading out pheasant hunting. Twenty one blog posts, 229 online comments and a year and a half later, my baby bird dog grew up right in front of my eyes during two days of pheasant hunting.
My only regret is that I didn’t get a dog much sooner. Most everyone I know either works too much, worries too much or whines too much – including me, at times – and having a devoted dog, I’ve found, is perhaps one of life’s best defense mechanisms against all that. Sprig goes with me practically everywhere I go, including work, sleeps in my bed and, including my significant other, Kailyn, has become the joy of our lives. We’ve become “those crazy dog people” and subsequently are wondering When’s the right time to add bird dog number two?
My desire to upland hunt, wingshoot and conserve wildlife habitat through Pheasants Forever’s conservation mission has only grown since Sprig entered my life. And Kailyn, smitten with her puppy and not wanting to spend her entire autumn as a “hunting widow,” without any prodding from me, completed her firearm safety course and joined hunting’s ranks. She’s become a Pheasants Forever member and is recognizing how conserving wild places is important for our wildlife, our environment, our quality of life and our dog’s quality of life.
As the “My First Bird Dog” series draws to a close, I’d like to thank Pheasants Forever’s community of members and supporters for participating. You’ve helped create an online catalog that future hunters and conservationists will find valuable. As for Sprig and me, this isn’t the last you’ll hear from us, but we’ve got to get to work and flush some more roosters. See you in the field!
“My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
- Meet My First Bird Dog!
- Puppies: What the Training Manuals Don’t Say
- Make Retrieving an Addiction (VIDEO)
- Searching for the Best Bird Dog Registered Names
- Bird Dogs Make the Work Day Better
- What’s Your Dog Training Golden Rule?
- Dog Training – How Hot is Too Hot?
- My First Bird Dog: Time for Help from a Pro
- Lap Dogs for Longtails? Small Dogs Will Work for Big, Bad Roosters
- Meet My First Hunting Dog
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Lap Dogs for Longtails? Small Dogs Will Work for Big, Bad Roosters
Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
“It’s not the size of dog in the fight…” the old saying begins, but the concept doesn’t carry much weight with a certain segment of wingshots, to whom bigger dogs are automatically more capable pheasant hunters. “Are you sure that dog will be big enough to carry a rooster?” If I had a dog biscuit for each time someone’s asked me that about my first bird dog, a not-even 25-pound English cocker spaniel, “Sprig” would be set with treats for life.
Surely some other “small” (a relative term if there ever was one) dog owners feel my pain, like the owner of “Gretchen,” the 21-pound female French Brittany who stopped by the Pheasants Forever booth at the recent Game Fair event. “That dog will carry a pheasant?” a fellow attendee asked the master of the two-year-old pointing dog. I bet they get that a lot…
Tell this rooster the Boykin is small! “Trigger” belongs to PF supporter Bruce Warnimont of Germantown, Wis., and is an extremely avid pheasant hunter.
For all its gaudiness, a big ringneck rooster checks in at all of three pounds, with more than 20 inches of its length contained in its tail. In other words, small working breeds will have no problem showing who the field boss is. The following breeds all check in at 35 pounds or less, perfectly sized and suited for the field, home, truck, lap…and in my case, bed.
American Water Spaniel – The “Townhouse Chessie” is something of a one-man dog, which could work out great if you’re a one-dog man.
Beagle – Not normally thought of as a bird dog, but search “beagle pheasant hunting” online and you’ll find enough evidence to the contrary.
Boykin Spaniel – Notoriously good for working in hot weather, which means no problem when the heat of your gun barrel has it raining southern quail or big ol’ roosters.
Cocker Spaniel – The bluegill of bird dogs, the smallest of the American Kennel Club’s sporting breeds is regarded by some as pound for pound the toughest gun dog.
English Cocker Spaniel – Have deservingly acquired the nickname “Pocket Rocket”: “Pocket” for their size, “Rocket” for their drive.
French Brittany – If you ever want to insult a French Brittany owner, just call their dog a “Brittany.” If you ever want a close-working pointing dog, consider the Epagneul Breton.
Jack Russell Terrier – Longtime Pheasants Forever magazine contributor, photographer Mitch Kezar, hunts a Jack Russell on pheasants, with much success. It’s always a good idea to trust the guy behind the lens.
Read more in the “My First Bird Dog” series here.
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Pheasants Forever Puppy Power
Friday, June 29th, 2012
Pheasants Forever employees, from left, Rehan Nana with “Annie” the red setter, Brian Blair and “Jag” the English cream retriever, Ron Leathers and “Keeva” the golden retriever and Andrew Vavra with “Sprig” the English cocker (owned by PF’s Anthony Hauck). Photo by Mark Herwig / Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever’s national office in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is experiencing a puppy explosion.
The national office staff, as you would rightly expect, is keeping up the pheasant hunting tradition big time. My co-workers are hunters and dog men. They are leading by example at a time when many around the country are not replacing their dogs and giving up on hunting.
When these guys hear pheasant populations are down, they don’t throw in the towel, no, they just get more field power, more four-legged oomph to roust out those roosters that have survived man’s insatiable appetite for grain and protein, nature’s cold winter, wet springs and other habitat calamities.
Pheasants Forever national office employees who have thrown down the gauntlet against those rowdy roosters with new dog power this year include Ben Streitz, Pheasants Forever Director of Special Markets, and his athletic black Lab, “Pepper”; Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever Vice President of Marketing and his good looking German shorthaired pointer, “Izzy”; Rehan Nana, Pheasants Forever Public Relations Specialist, and his rambunctious red setter pup, “Annie”; Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever Online Editor, and his little English cocker spaniel, “Sprig”; Ron Leathers, Pheasants Forever Director of Public Finance, and his golden retriever, “Keeva”; and Brain Blair with his English cream retriever, “Jag.”
You’ll see this new crop of retrievers, flushers and pointers will be in the fields this autumn. Did you get a new puppy this year? If so, send your photo(s) to press@pheasantsforever.org – we may run it online or in the Pheasants Forever Journal.
The Nomad is written by Mark Herwig, Editor of the Pheasants Forever Journal and Quail Forever Journal. Email Mark at mherwig@pheasantsforever.org.
What’s Your Dog Training Golden Rule?
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
“Sprig,” my now 7-month-old English cocker spaniel, is showing promise as a hunter. She’s happily retrieving on both land and water, gets crazy about birds and has been introduced to gunfire. She’s also, unfortunately, been working on the art of selective hearing (which she learned with help from her master), which has left said master exasperated.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about dog training in this brief time period, it’s that you need an overwhelming amount of patience. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself in the last half year, it’s that patience is a virtue of which I’ve not acquired the requisite amount.
"Sprig" doing some wing-on-a-string work earlier this year. Photo by Anthony Hauck / Pheasants Forever
I imagine this is a crossroads many first-time dog owners reach. With the puppy varnish wearing off, the enormity of the commitment settling in and having hit the first few “bumps in the road,” that feeling that “I can’t do this” can creep in – I know it did for me. So what to do?
Don’t give up. That’s one of The Golden Rules of Dog Training. In fact, this simple little list from SportDOG is one I’ve visited countless times over the last two weeks. That was also the message I received from “Sprig’s” breeder, a high-level trainer himself. “Don’t give up, and go back to the basic building blocks. You can always go back to the basics.”
Since my pup ownership’s midlife crisis, and following The Golden Rules, “Sprig” has shown remarkable improvement. It’s going to be a fun summer…and a better fall…
What’s your “Golden Rule” of dog training?
Read more in the “My First Bird Dog” series here.
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Bird Dogs Make the Work Day Better
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
"Sprig" typing up some Pheasants Forever reports.
It’s been “Take Your Dog to Work Day” every day since I picked up “Sprig,” my now 5-month old English cocker spaniel and my first bird dog. That’s because Pheasants Forever’s national office is dog friendly.
If you’re a Pheasants Forever Life Member and you’ve talked to Carol Durtschi, her English springer spaniel, “Scout” was assisting on the call from beneath her desk; Brad Heidel’s Lab, “Otis,” is his right hand man as he puts together our National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic event; and two other Pheasants Forever employees are expecting new pups later this spring. Pretty soon the dogs will need their own break room.
There are some noted business benefits to having dogs in the office. For one, they’re therapeutic, and non-stressed employees are more productive employees. One survey found that 46 million Americans would work longer hours if they were allowed to bring their pups to work. It’s no wonder that more than 20 percent of companies in this country now allow dogs in their offices and cubicles.
And the dogs benefit too. Pheasants Forever office life, with people and dogs alike, has been great for getting “Sprig” well-socialized. Spending all our time together has made housebreaking and early obedience training much smoother. She did chew through my internet cable a few weeks back, but I think that was her way of telling me to take a break.
In the larger scope of things, companies or corporations that are dog friendly are vitally important to the future of sustainable upland hunting and conservation. Sounds crazy? Consider that more of us than ever are living in suburban or urban settings, and are working more than ever. If bird dogs can’t fit into our modern lifestyle, we’re asking for a future of fewer bird dog owners and, consequently, fewer of us interested in upland hunting and preserving wild places and spaces.
Having grown up in farm country, I always think about that iconic image of a farmer driving down a gravel road in his pickup with his trusty gun dog riding shotgun. Had I been born with a shed of handiness or mechanical inclination, that would have been me. As it was, I had to go to the big city to find work. Instead my pup rides in a crate in the back, but she goes everywhere I go, including 8 to 5, and for that I’m very grateful.
Do you take your bird dog to work?
Read more in the “My First Bird Dog” series here.
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Searching for the Best Bird Dog Registered Names
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
Image courtesy of the American Kennel Club
For about a week, I’ve been staring, blankly mostly, at a form from the American Kennel Club trying to think of a registered name for “Sprig” (call name), my new English cocker spaniel. And I can’t decide whether to be straightforward, creative or funny with it.
Registering your bird dog with the American Kennel Club, or other registry like the Field Dog Stud Book, helps maintain breed integrity and allows dog enthusiasts to track popularity trends. But honestly, the best part is coming up with a unique name to give to your new hunting buddy.
Or so I thought. The process to come up with a single call name was vexing enough, so this is giving me fits.
In the comments area below, tell me your dog’s registered name and the story behind it. I promise I won’t steal it, but I can’t promise I won’t use you as inspiration!
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
- Meet My First Bird Dog!
- Puppies: What the Training Manuals Don’t Say
- Make Retrieving an Addiction (VIDEO)
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
Meet My First Bird Dog!
Saturday, December 31st, 2011
The quest for "Sprig," the author's first pup, was chronicled in Pheasants Forever's "My First Bird Dogs" series.
The serious search for “My First Bird Dog” began at Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest* earlier this year. Initially, I’d zeroed in on an English springer spaniel, but after seeing my first-ever English cocker spaniel up close and personal at National Pheasant Fest, I knew. And just before the holiday break, I picked up “Sprig,” a lemon and white female field-bred English cocker, from Thunderstruck Gundogs in Balaton, Minnesota – my first bird dog!
*Speaking now from personal experience, Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic is the must-see event for bird dog owners or soon-to-be owners. While I didn’t purchase a pup on the spot, I gained first-hand info from an exhibiting professional dog trainer and his valuable reference on a quality breeder closer to my home. This year’s show is in Kansas City on February 17, 18 & 19.
An English cocker is the perfect fit for me: A close-working dog – check; adept in the grasslands and wetlands – check; a small breed that’s sized for my small apartment – check; and good looking to boot – check. The breeder, Mark Mercie, said, in his experience, he found females a bit easier to work with, so I heeded his advice. In fact, in the six-month lead up to getting Sprig, Mercie took many questions from Kaily, my significant other, and I on an all-too-regular basis – I can’t overstate how important this was to us. We picked her up at her seven-week mark, and didn’t have to dangle a pheasant wing or practice puppy psychology as she was the only female in the litter.
As I type this, Sprig is sound asleep on my lap. An hour before, she was treating the flesh of my hands as a chew toy. These are the highs and lows of puppy ownership, but she’ll age so quick – my day is her week, seven times faster than me – that doing anything other than simply enjoying this time is silly.
The “My First Bird Dog” series will now shift gears to the training process, with sights set on the pheasant hunting opener in 2012. The thought of this teething, 6-lb. peanut ever flushing and retrieving a pheasant is a near-foreign concept right now, with dog training like a foreign language. My puppy passport has been punched – know any good translators?
Previous “My First Bird Dog” posts:
- Introducing “My First Bird Dog”
- What I’m Looking For
- Gun Dog Experts’ #1 Piece of Advice
- Just Show Me the DOGFAX
- Why Attend a Hunt Test or Field Trial?
- What Was Your First Bird Dog?
- Stuck Between Two Litters
- Rationalizing the Sticker Shock
- Best Bird Dogs for an Apartment
- When everyone’s a Dog Expert
Anthony’s Antics Afield is written by Anthony Hauck, Pheasants Forever’s Online Editor. Email Anthony at AHauck@pheasantsforever.org and follow him on Twitter @AnthonyHauckPF.
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