Scott Linden Outdoors

What have you got to lose? Enter the trivia contest!

Okay friends, here is the first in our ongoing series of trivia questions from the radio show. Submit your answer in the comments section below, and make sure we have contact information, because we will draw a winner at random from the correct answers here and from those who called the radio show.

Winner receives a $25 Cabela’s gift certificate, so put on your camo thinking caps.

“This animal lives in a town, and there are many wards in the town and many coteries in a ward. What animal is it?”

Good luck!

Scott

I should have known better than to ask people to ‘tell me where to go.’

Gun? Check. Dog? Check. But what else?

Seriously, though, your ideas have been great (see some below). As I prepare for my wing & shot road trip I’d be interested in your suggestions for things I should bring along. Besides dog, gun, shells, and the other usual “stuff,” is there something you’ve found useful that isn’t on everyone else’s packing list?

Personally, I won’t leave home without my Peet’s boot dryer. Nothing feels better on a frosty morning than slipping into pre-warmed boots. I haul the propane-powered version so even in the back-of-beyond, I’ve got toasty tootsies.

Have you got other ideas? It’s a big truck … plenty of room … help me fill it, with your comments below. And don’t forget Buddy! If you have dog-specific travel tips, share them!

Thanks!

- Scott

[This, from one of last year's broadcasts, was driven home again to me in a recent conversation. Not too early to start re-learning these things.]

In someone else’s house, even Buddy’s on his best behavior. But when you hunt with someone else’s dog, everybody’s a critic … or worse. Be a good guest in the field, too.

Let the dog’s owner tell you what to do, whether it’s feeding, doctoring or field etiquette. Ask about shooting wild flushes, or birds over a broken point.

Keep criticism to yourself. If your dog were better, you’d be hunting with him. Same for commands and discipline, which usually fall on deaf furry ears coming from a stranger.

Help a dog retrieve to his owner by turning away if he comes toward you. It eliminates confusion.

You can always offer praise. A scratch behind the ear or a stroke on the back are always welcome after the job is done. Until then, keep your mouth shut and your hands in your pocket.

And finally, don’t forget the other obligation of a good guest. A bottle of something old from Scotland for your human host ensures a return invitation.

- Scott

This is the rig Buddy & I will be taking "on the road"

Not quite as good as going, but helping is better than nothing …

Looks like I’ll soon have a sponsor lined up for the first-annual Field & Stream Radio wingshooting road trip. I’ve got my own ideas on where to go but (get ready) you (here it comes) can help by (ta-da) telling me where to go.

Criteria: Upland bird hunting only; west of the Mississippi; mainly public land but private/lodge recommendations welcome.

That’s it! Maybe we can connect somewhere along the road (watch for the rig pictured). Make your suggestions in the comments section below, then watch for me and Buddy in a field near (but not too near) you!

Thanks,

Scott

So sue me.

We are a year behind in the training schedule (ironically, because I’ve hunted with too many other people’s dogs in too many other states). But Buddy’s nemesis, the retrieve, is starting to shape up. Dare I jinx it by sharing my progress?

Suffice it to say the one universal, all-things-for-all-purposes motivator for Buddy is food. And I’d neglected to use it in training to retrieve. But recent posts have discussed our retrieving training without addressing why I do it the way I do, so here goes …

Sure, the force-breaking thing is all the rage, but not for me - what would it do to the roll-on-the-floor stretching routine, for example? So it’s all carrot and no stick on the backyard training table at my house. (Save your ire for another blog - force fetching is NOT an option.)

So far, so good. And here’s how we do it:

- Every good move (or non-move, when on “whoa,” for example) is rewarded. Note that I give treats and praise for Buddy’s NOT doing something wrong as often as for doing something right!

- Even baby steps in the right direction merit a treat

- Once a part of the retrieve is mastered, fewer treats are offset by more praise

Eventually, my pockets won’t smell like chicken or salmon and Buddy will continue to bring back birds. Until then, I don’t mind the occasional whiff of seafood when I reach for my truck keys.

- Scott 

Hot news: Congratulations to the entire Clay Target Shootout crew, recipients of a “Telly” award for creative excellence! Watch the award-winning show this fall on Pursuit, Fox Sports NW and Dish and DirecTV. More details: click on Clay Target Shootout, on the right.

Watch an excerept here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OatkRK_PLJ4

Buddy: "Hold it!"

Once Buddy is solid on retrieving and holding a bird or bumper, it will be a matter of extending that hold indefinitely. Again, this is critical in almost every hunt test or field trial situation but more importantly in the field. Wing-clipped birds are highly motivated to scoot away given the chance, when a dog puts it down before the handler has his hands on it.

So, how have Buddy and I worked through this? Well, we are making progress. And as I said in an earlier post, it’s often more a test of my will than Buddy’s.

I have to resist giving the release command too soon, trying to pre-empt Buddy from a dropped bird. If he beats me, I give it back without repeating the retrieve command.

He’s to the point where when he drops early, a stink-eye look from me is enough to clue him into picking up again. I move away to encourage the pickup and a completed retrieve.

When Buddy is holding well, it’s my job to help by minimizing distractions or confusion. Confusion comes in many forms: leaning forward, premature praise (even reaching into the pocket I hide treats in), reaching for the bird, extending a hand, even if to praise with a stroke.

Instead, I’m using gestures to encourage holding, and distract Buddy from releasing until he hears that command. I will back up slowly, so he never knows when the retrieve is actually completed. I stand up straight, show empty hands (no treats, keep your mouth closed on the bird). I’ll wave one hand high to keep his head up (encourages holding). The other hand is ready below Buddy’s mouth for a surprise “thanks” when he least expects it.

I know professional dog trainers have other techniques, from toe pinch to e-collar “stimulation,” but I’m inclined to distance a bird in the mouth from any pain, emotional or physical

To this point, the jury’s still out. We’re getting closer by the day and that’s pretty good for us.

How about you? Especially when it’s time to “just add water,” and get a dog to hold once he’s emerged from a pond. Any suggestions?

Hey, some great shorthair-Lab tag team work at this excerpt from my show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQ5OyCCjW4

Even this little guy could use a "cushion" in his retrieves

One of the many challenges in teaching Buddy to retrieve is holding the bird until told to release. I use “thanks” for the release command, just a quirk, but it works. I also use “get it” rather than “fetch” just because. So sue me.

Anyway, getting back to the task at hand (or paw): Buddy is reliably steady to wing-flush-shot-fall. He’ll even bring virtually everything almost all the way back to me most of the time. Birds are a bit of a challenge because they’re odd-shaped and still alive and kicking, literally. But he’s just … about … there. Mostly. I hope.

To get us across the finish line, I’m adding a buffer, or cushion, literally, at the end of each retrieve.

Many trainers suggest running away from the dog as he returns with the bird, sparking the “chase” instinct. I see it as extending the “buffer” between handler and dog indefinitely. It works but eventually you’ll have to quit as field trial and hunt test judges will mark you down once they stop laughing.

I’ve added my own twist on this strategy and it’s a helpful transitory step: I’ll run away, but let Buddy gradually catch up. As he gains ground, I reverse field, quickly close on him and grab the bird while giving the release command. The cushion has disappeared immediately, surprised Buddy, and he doesn’t have time to drop the bird prematurely.

Or, I’ll face him, slowly backing up (stretching the cushion) so he is encouraged to continue his approach (much like running away), but with a “soft” stop. I watch him carefully and if I see any hint of premature release, I’ll back up faster.

The real epiphany for me, though was using the whoa table in a new way. Most of our introductory lessons take place here. Buddy knows when he’s on the table, we’re all business. Sending him on a retrieve from the table, he knows to return to the table.

When he comes back, I’ve moved a couple feet away from the table and he’s forced to stop short of me. And, he can’t put the bird down because he’s at the edge of the table and it would fall further than he’s willing to reach to pick up again. Yet another “cushion.”

Once he’s stopped and holding, we’re on to a longer hold. This is more a test of my will than Buddy’s, and I’ll talk about that soon.

Hey, here’s an excerpt from one of my shows - watch these shorthairs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ha0C-Z-okU

Meanwhile, has anybody else had similar “unorthodox” revelations? I’m especially interested in water retrieves as we’re training for a NAVNDA Utility test and it’s a big and complex part of that challenge.

A crusty old trainer told me a crustier, older trainer once told him: Never give away a bowl of food.

And as I approach crustiness, I follow that advice religiously, because it helps Buddy be a better hunter.

Short of birds, food is the strongest motivator … for an un-neutered dog. So I’ve learned to use food strategically.

It starts with dinnertime. Lucky for the neighbors, Buddy doesn’t have to sing for his supper. But he does whoa for it. Talk about temptation!

I also dole out food treats for coming when called or other jobs well done, and early in the training, they are awarded even when Buddy only got an “A” for effort. As he masters a command, the treats are reserved for excellent work.

I never give away treats for free. Like all praise, food is earned - phony “good dogs” only mislead a dog from the real work at hand.

If you have two dogs, it doesn’t take long for one to want what the other gets when he does a good job. So go ahead and use food envy when you have to.

If you remember that food is a training tool, like me with Buddy, you’ll get more than just a dog with a full belly. Urp!

- Scott

PS: Watch some great springers in action in this excerpt from my show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zrsQWPHhsA

Okay attentive readers of Media Inc., here is the quiz. Find the five mistakes any good technical advisor would have found in this hypothetical script before it was shot:

He gripped the trigger tightly as he leapt over the log, keen on pursuing the whitetail as it bounded through the Coast Range thicket. Crouching behind the huge Ponderosa log, he sighted through the shotgun’s scope, breathing deeply; confident the .22 caliber round would do the job.

Stumped?  That’s why you need a technical advisor before that next shoot! Here are the outdoors faux pas:

1. A good way to get yourself or someone else shot is to keep your finger on the trigger while running through the woods. Definitely unsafe, as every hunter’s ed graduate knows.

2. Whitetail deer have been spotted in parts of NE Oregon, and a small, unhuntable population resides in pockets of the Columbia delta and near Roseburg. But whitetails in the Coast Range would be as unusual as sunshine in Portland … in February.

3. Ponderosa pines are found east of Interstate 5, on the “dry” side of Oregon and Washington, not in the Coast Range.

4. Scoped shotgun? Maybe for turkey hunting, or deer hunting in the east but not here.

5. Shotguns come in several gauges and one caliber, .410, but not in .22 cal. which is a rifle round. (Okay, it’s a trick question. As you seasoned outdoors enthusiasts know, only a poacher would use a .22 cal. on deer. Better choice? Any .30 caliber round.)

Thanks for taking the quiz! For more on ensuring an authentic outdoors scenario at your next shoot, click here: http://scottlindenoutdoors.com/about-us/technical-advisory-services/