Dogs Unlimited

Kentuckiana Pointing Breeds Association

Dogs Unlimited — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:24:00 -0600

The Kentuckiana Pointing Breeds Association held a fun match on April 19 & 20 in order to gain AKC licensed status for Field Trials. From the looks of things, they had a great time!

Plantation Quail Hunt

Dogs Unlimited — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:43:00 -0600

Don Brown of the Cedar Grove Plantation in Virginia was kind enough to send along these pictures of a traditional Southern quail hunt with mule drawn wagons. This tradition dates back to the turn of the 20th century and is still alive today on plantations around the South.
He says, "We use vizslas to range out, find and point our coveys of quail and then send in Boykin Spaniels to do the flushing and retrieving."

NEW! Saddle Holster

Dogs Unlimited — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:05:00 -0600

The most convenient way to carry your blank gun at a field trial. Made to hang on the left side of your saddle.

Click HERE for more information

Spring Field Trial Season is Here

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:20:00 -0600

Send pictures from your event to orderdesk@dogsunlimited.com!

Camera Shy

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:47:00 -0600

Jim from Seattle sent us a picture of his setter pup, Duke. Apparently this little guy found something far more interesting than the camera...

Gordon Setters

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:38:00 -0600

Mark from Colorado sent us pictures of his Gordon Setters, Kayleigh and Thor.
Thor placed in an Open Derby stake this past weekend. Congratulations!

Thor Kayleigh

English Manners

Dogs Unlimited — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:00:00 -0700

Biz in Boulder sent us this picture of her English Setter. She writes:
"Scout placed 3rd in a large Open Ltd Stake in CA two weeks ago."

Way to go, Scout!

Thank You WCTV!

Dogs Unlimited — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:58:00 -0700

No, it's not a new television network. It's the Weimaraner Club of Tennessee Valley , and we were fortunate enough to be their guests at their Spring Field Trial. What a great group of people! Friendly competition, inter-club cooperation, and a hard-working group of club members who put on a trial that ran like a well oiled machine, with plenty of great southern cooking thown in!

Back Row Left to Right:
Johnny Johnston Head Cheerleader and Dog Wagon Chief; Melanie Boer Bird Wrangler, Stall Cleaner, Co-Cook & Bottle Washer and Field Trial Chairman; Marcia Davison of DOGS Unlimited; Cindy Solis Photographer, Kitchen Crew, all around Fun Chick; Wanda Gunter Line Marshal, Whip Cracker, Fun Chick; Angela Still Photographer, Kitchen Crew, all around Fun Chick, Trey Johnston Dog Wagon Driver and All Around Good Guy

Front Row Left to Right:
Jim DeMarco Bird Planter & Judge; Bob Henderson: The Big Dog; "Bailey" General Food Cleanup

Here are some of the happy winners:

Amateur Walking Derby
Left to Right: Mike Cavender, Aileen Scharpf, Jacob Cavender, Wanda Gunter

Open Gun Dog:
Tim Smelcer, Nikolaus Scharpf, Dave Walker, Ben Coller

Open Limited Gun Dog
Left to Right: Tim Smelcer, Bob Erbe, Dave Walker (scout, Ben Coller standing), Mike Mullineaux

Open Derby
Left to Right: Dave Walker, Nikolaus Scharpf, Tim Smelcer, Kirsten Hochstein

Open Puppy
Liz Paxson, Bill Barber

Placements

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:14:00 -0700

Jeff, Matt and Gordon of Colorado at the Central New Mexico Brittany trail held January 26 & 27 2008.

John, the photographer, also had a placement with his Weim, but someone had to take the picture!

Enthusiasm to Spare

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:52:00 -0700

Christine from Colorado puts her Weim puppy to the test.

Looks like she's off to a good start!

First Steps Instructional DVD

Dogs Unlimited — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:43:00 -0700

First Steps provides an introduction to the fundamentals of training your gun dog.
* A low-stress training program, First Steps is suitable for new or experienced handlers
* Addresses training gun dogs of the pointing and flushing breeds
* Features real training exercises using gun dogs of all breeds, ages and experience levels
* Not only shows you how, but tells you why
* Includes a list of required equipment and a demonstration on how to properly use them
* Includes pre-exercise checklists and diagrams used in the training exercises

Watch it here!

Order First Steps here.

It's a Family Thing

Dogs Unlimited — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:22:00 -0700

Joe from Colorado writes:

"Here is a picture of my two older children 12 and 11 and our 16 month GSP. Yvroi Con Carne is a NAVHDA NA Prize III dog that we had tested this past summer and she was so impressive over wild birds this fall. We had such a blast and the kids are hooked.

"Colorado pheasant hunting is slowly coming back and this makes two years in a row the kids have been able to take a bird. I enjoy working the dog and teaching the kids family values while outdoors. We all love a good video game now and then but given a chance to go hunting, fishing or camping and the kids and our Yrovi are all up before me!"

Have any stories about hunting with your kids? Have any stories about hunting when you were a kid?
Click on "Leave a Comment" below!

Getting Ready for the WCA Nationals

Dogs Unlimited — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:13:00 -0700

Pro Trainers Gordon & Shirley Hansen tuning up for the Weimaraner Club of America's National Field Championship & Field Futurity.

Bernie in Georgia

Dogs Unlimited — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:39:00 -0700

This great looking field-bred Irish Setter was sent to us by Georgia Brown. Bernie is owned by Georgia along with Sherry Ebert.

Little Rascals

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:37:00 -0700

Pat in Pennsylvania sent us this picture of her Gordon Setter pups looking just like the cover of a greeting card.

Isn't She Lovely

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:05:00 -0700

This is Gracie, and she belongs to Paul in Iowa

Man's Best Friend

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:00:00 -0700

Here's our customer, Paul, with his good dog, Molly.

Brand New! The DOGS Unlimited Bird Dog Vest

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:42:00 -0700

It's everything you wish for in a training vest, and everything you need in a hunting vest - all rolled into one!

Click here for more details!

Coming Soon!

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 17:37:00 -0700

The new 2008 Big Book will be on its way to your mailbox in mid-January. Click here if you don't receive one!

UFTA National Field Trial

Dogs Unlimited — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:13:00 -0700

The 2008 UFTA Nationals will be held February 10th thru 16th at Doublehead Resort situated on 1100 acres along the banks of Wilson Lake in North Alabama. This event is open to the public, so come out and watch the competition between some of the best bird dogs and handlers in the country, not to mention an exhibition by one of the world’s most renowned exhibition shooters, Tom Knapp. For more information, contact Laylon Cox at 205-590-0273 or via e-mail at layloncox@bellsouth.net or Tracy Jackson at 800-685-9267 or via e-mail at tracy@doublehead.com.

Tentative Events Schedule:
Amateur Division Qualifying - February 10th & 11th
Amateur Division Finals - February 12th
Doubles Division Finals - February 13th
Senior’s Division Finals - February 13th
Open Division Qualifying - February 14th & 15th
Open Division Finals – February 16th
Flushing Division Qualifying - February 14th & 15th
Flushing Division Finals - February 16^th
Tom Knapp Exhibition Show – Saturday, February 16^th, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.

UFTA 2008 Nationals Tune-Up Trial winner, Laylon, and his Good Dog, Major, at the Doublehead Resort.

Interested in learning more? Try these links:
www.ufta-online.com or www.doublehead.com

The FOA Goes Hunting ;)

Dogs Unlimited — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:34:00 -0700

A few members of the Colorado Chapter of the FOA:

Senior Hunter Holly

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:36:00 -0600

Check out Holly, a Vizsla owned by our customer, Christie.

Long Legged Style

Dogs Unlimited — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:22:00 -0600

Our customer, Andrew, from South Africa sent us these pictures of his GSP, Jesse. He writes, "...have attached a couple of pics of my GSP. The water work was at a hunt test using launcher and dummys supplied by Dogs Unlimited!!

We think that's pretty cool.

A Weekend's Time Well Spent

Dogs Unlimited — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:15:00 -0600

We've finally been able to catch our breath in time to post some pictures of this year's Rick Smith Seminar. We had a great group, saw some wonderful dogs, and of course, learned an amazing amount about our dogs from Rick.

There's no finer pleasure in the world than hunting with a well trained dog--be it in competition or a day afield with friends. And here's where it starts.

For more information, visit our website at www.DOGSUnlimited.com and check under "What's New"
or http://www.huntsmith.com/seminars.php

Impressive Credentials

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:23:00 -0600

From Carolyn, a long time DOGS Unlimited customer:

The most recent Gordon history was made by my 5-year-old male, "E.T." No Gordon has ever won a Best In Show as a Dual Champion. E.T. has now won two Best In Shows in less than a year! Very few Sporting breeds can boast this achievement.

E.T.'s grandmother, my first Gordon and foundation of [my line], set the record for the combination of DC/AFC/CD/MH. No other Gordon to date has achieved this combination of championships and titles. [And] ET.'s first litter has produced two Dual Champions!

ET on point.

ET's son, Flyer.

Here is another of my dogs - Amelia - who needs one point to finish her field championship. Then on to the show ring to finish her Dual Championship!

Keep Your Good Dog Cool When It's Hot

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 06:19:00 -0600

The heat of the summer is hard on all of us, but it's especially hard on our dogs. If shade and ventilation just aren't enough to keep up with the extreme temperatures many of us have been experiencing, a cool dip or soaking from the garden hose will cool your dog down fast.

How to use a Game Bird Harness

Dogs Unlimited — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:04:00 -0600

The harness is designed to:

1. Give you control over the bird as well as your dog and

2. Protect the bird from damage due to an overexcited or hard-mouthed dog.

It can be used in a number of training situations.

It’s a good idea to place the harness on the bird in a closed area—at least until you get used to the procedure. This way if it slips from your grasp, you haven’t lost the bird altogether.

The Quail Harness

•The hole in the harness goes over the quail’s head.

•With the "D" ring at its back, the two straps fit behind the bird’s wings and snap together at its
breast.

•There are two studs, two holes and two caps at this point, so that the harness can be attached
snugly.

The Pigeon Harness

•The pigeon harness fastens behind the bird’s legs.

•In many cases we find that a pigeon harness can be used on chukkar partridge, and that the
pheasant harness can be used with small ducks.

Uses for your harness

There are three common techniques employed with the harness.

1. Using the "D" ring, the bird is attached to a fishing pole. The bird then simply becomes a live replacement for training with a bird wing. This kind of yard training is usually done with a young pup. It’s important not to let the youngster catch the bird. This is a fun thing for the dog at this stage and punishment is to be avoided. A word of caution: It is possible to over-do this kind of training.

2. You can slow the bird by either attaching a "tail" to the "D" ring or fishing sinker at the point where the harness snaps together. Here the bird is planted and is free to fly. However, the weight of the sinker or drag from the cloth tail will keep the bird from flying far. Work your dog on this bird only once or twice for the bird will tire and may then be caught by the dog—and this will set your training program backward. Someone to help is recommended as you will be busy with your dog. He or she can mark the last flush on the bird, and since it is tired they will have little trouble catching it. This technique is more difficult with the larger, stronger pheasant, so you might consider hobbling the bird since it’s prone to escape by running as well as flying.

3. Teaching a hard-mouthed dog to handle his retrieved game properly can also be accomplished with the harness with studs. Here the harness is placed on a dead bird. It is then planted or thrown for the dog. If the dog is used to grabbing the bird hard, he will be surprised when he tries it on this one. The studs will cause discomfort, and force him to use a softer mouth for his retrieve. If you have a really hard case dog, the studs can be sharpened, however, we recommend this only if you really know what you’re doing. It’s very possible to put a dog off from ever retrieving again using sharpened studs.

CAUTION!

When working with a check cord, do not jerk a dog up when he is carrying a bird wearing a harness with studs, especially if they have been sharpened. This jerk can cause an involuntary biting down and the dog can hurt his mouth. The aim is to make a better dog, not ruin one.

Still Time for Rick Smith

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:43:00 -0600

DOGS Unlimited is pleased to bring you another edition of the Rick Smith Foundation Seminar August 24-26, 2007. Get personal attention from the leader in bird dog training. Class size is limited and filling up fast. Make your reservation now by clicking here.

Hear No Evil See No Evil Speak No Evil

Dogs Unlimited — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 13:39:00 -0600

Three long hair Weimaraner pups fom Dawna in Montana

Hear No Evil See No Evil Speak No Evil

Hunting Buddies

Dogs Unlimited — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:25:00 -0600

Here's Barry from Colorado and his Good Dog Beanie posing in his new boots.