# What brought you and dogs together?



## Fosse (Jan 5, 2007)

How did you get into the sport? Who got you into dog training? Who do you look up to?

I started throwing birds for my dad when I was 9. I was too young to use a popper gun so dad had me use two bricks at first then throw the bird in the back yard. I would have a chair out with me in the yard and yell "hey, hey" then slam two bricks together, drop them pick up the dummy and toss it. I think the training was more for me then the dogs.  After I completed gun safety I was allowed to graduate to a blank .22 pistol. I learned allot form my Dad , but I tell ya, you will never learn as much as you do with your first pup!

How did you get started?


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Ive always been a huge dog lover as pets but never really had a family hunting dog. I got into hunting pretty heavily once I moved to fargo and decided it was time for me to have my own pup once I lived in a house. I picked him up from a kennel that was recomended on this site.

I didn't have a clue at first, a few people from this site pointed me in the right direction (retriever clubs and training material) and it took off from there. If it weren't for club members at NFHRA and NDRC i never would have been as interested in retrievers.

I'm only 2.5 years into my first dog so we'll see where it goes from here.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

I'm on my 4th. lab now

#1. "King" was a choco male that I got when I was 17 he was bought as a hunting dog " my first" he was a nice hunting dog and a great family pet, he died at the young age of 7

#2 "Bria" Who is 8 now, a choco female who is a very nice hunting dog a wonderful house dog/pet, she's not much for the hunt test/ FT set up but still my favorite dog, she has picked up a ton of birds for me but can't handle alot of pressure.

# 3 Cooper was a dark yellow male who would have made a great gun dog but had alot of aggesion isssues and is now gone.

#4 " Bodey " He's my BLM, I went to a trial 3 years ago and knew when I left I wanted a trial dog, I got lucky on my first try and ended up with a great dog. He's a very talented dog with a ton of go and he got his first "Q" placment this past weekend, a 4th. in Bemidj MN. I enjoy this part of it as much if not more than hunting . Bodey turned 2 last monthe. At this point I'm not sure what I'de be doing without my dog's..


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Congrats Todd!! exciting stuff!


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

Dog's sense something in people and migrate to them. That's the way it was with me. From the time I was a kid, dog's wanted to be around me and I them. The first major purchase in my life was fishing tackle. When I was old enough, (12) my parents allowed me a coonhound. Imediately, I was hooked by the training aspect. I got into labs in my early 20's and loved them, duck and pheasant hunting, everything concerning the breed. The die was cast. I read Free, Morgan, and D.L. and started field trialing. Everyone brough their dog's to me for help.

A trainer told me "If you continue only training two or three dog's, you'll ruin them. You work them too much." As with all of the advice Roy gave me, I heeded it and took a job in a kennel as a trainer. That was it.

I've noticed a lot of the really great trainers seem to have that gift; even a strange dog comes up to them go be petted. It's strange and I can't explain it, but I'm glad it happened to me.


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## whitehorse (Jan 28, 2008)

where the red fern grows..

read it in 7th grade, but since then it has always made me want me own hunting dog. I then got to work some drills with some tuned dogs, one lab, one chessie, and I was hooked. finally just dropped a portion of my financial aid on a lab, and although I wished I waited another 2 years, I couldn't immagine being where I am without him


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## gonedoggin (Mar 20, 2008)

I was 19 and working construction. One of my co-workers had a black Lab female who would do anything for him. I was so impressed w/ her desire to please that when he told me she was having pups I immediately told him I'd take one. That pup from a completely undistinguished pedigree was exceptionally trainable. I named him "Sombra" (shadow in Spanish). I picked up a brochure from the vet's office about how to house break and teach simple obedience and was shocked at how easily he learned. I bought a book called "Paul Loeb's Complete book of Dog Training" and taught him every trick in it. We spent every spare moment together swimming at the river, the beach, I even took him to work w/ me when I could. He became a minor celebrity w/ all my friends because we always had a new trick to show off.

At that point, I'd never hunted w/ anything but beagles but one day I was invited to a dove hunt in a tall sunflower field. I got so frustrated at losing birds that it occurred to me that I should bring along Sombra the next time. (nobody I knew used a dog for doves back then) I knew he would fetch a ball, stick or anything I told him to. Well I did, and I still remember being fascinated watching him retrieve from that mess.

I was hooked, from that day on we were bird hunters. When I got married we moved to East Texas and taught ourselves to duck hunt. When he was 6 we moved to Kansas. I took him pheasant hunting almost every day of the season and by the time he was 8, he would sometimes "point" especially hens. This was in the late 80's and I'd never heard of a pointing lab but I wasn't surprised at anything he did, I'd always known he was special.

When he was 12, I took him on his last dove hunt. It was the winter season in Texas. The sky was gray and there was a little rain. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get him a bird. Finally, a lone dove floated past and I dropped it. Sombra lumbered out slowly and hunted for awhile, his eyesight was pretty much gone as well as his hearing but he found it and brought it back to me. I told him how much I loved him and that I'd never forget him. Then we went to the vets office. I cried like a baby.


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