While running the dogs today we were able to get into some mule deer. It worked out perfectly, the deer were crossing the road right in front of us and Abby couldn’t resist the chasing. She began to bark and give pursuit and when I knew she was focused on nothing but the deer – I gave her some stimulation with the e-collar. I didn’t shout any commands or pay any attention to her, I just continued driving down the road. Abby got the message loud and clear – Deer are not fun to chase. I will test her on it in a few days and see if she needs a gentle reminder.

Lately, I have been running the dogs seperately for about a half mile at a time. They always have the e-collar on when we are working, they have come to learn that the collar means fun times ahead. I tried running all three dogs at once for a few weeks but they got distracted too easily and would often range too far. Now that I run them independently I let them roam free but stop every few hundreds yard and call them back to check in. This has been working nicely and they are in the habit of coming back to me when they hear the ranger stop.

Another thing I work on daily is the “Wait!” command. I make the dogs wait when I let them out of the kennel, the door doesn’t open until they are calm and quiet. When we go into or out of the door to my shop, I give the wait command and make sure they are calm – then I go first, they follow. When I have them loaded in the ranger I make them wait even after the tailgate is down, until I give the command “Unload”. Abby is getting better and waiting for longer periods. Today she struggled even more because she could see this herd of elk on the ridge above us.

I must have tried on about 50 hunting vests before I found the Pella Bird ‘N Lite Strap Vest at my local Cabela’s store. I was getting sick of the $10 cheapo vest that I purchased at Wal-Mart. With only a bird or two in the bag the collar would cut into my neck and shoulders like a knife. I knew I wanted a strap-style hunting vest but I couldn’t find one that felt natural on my back. I was surprised at the variety available and the insane pricing of some of the more popluar vests. Many times it seems like your paying an extra hundred bucks for the brand name.

The past few weeks I have been beating up my new Pella hunting vest and filling it to the brim with pheasants. I can comfortably fit about 6 big roosters in the back, a water bottle and 2-3 boxes of shells in the front pockets. The weight was distributed quite well especially with the extra wide waste strap. I’m not sure if this is a product that is easy to find in most sporting goods stores, but at my Cabela’s in Utah this was the only one left in the store. I’m glad I stumbled onto it, and at $80 it was reasonably priced. It even has the capacity for a camel-back style water bladder, which I picked up at Wal-Mart for under $20. I would recommend this product to anyone who hunts for more than a couple hours at a time. You can click on over to Cabela’s to check it out for yourself.

The Polaris Ranger is my official hunting vehicle. Since I live so close to the mountains I can just load up the dogs and head for the hills. Lately I have been letting Annie ride in the bed with a short leash tied so she can’t fall out. The shorthairs still ride in the kennel box bungy corded to one side of the bed of my ranger. Annie loves to poke her head through the back window and see where we’re going. It’s pretty funny and my kids love to be able to reach up and scratch her ears. Annie seems to be more people oriented and wants very much to be involved in whatever I’m doing. The two german shorthairs don’t really care about people they just want to get out and run. It is interesting to raise the two pointing breeds together and to see the differences in their personalities.

Read a cool article today in the pointing dog journal about an even cooler new dog training product. The Higgins Remote Releaser, was developed by Brad Higgins at HigginsGunDogs.com. Now the remote bird launcher is not a new idea in hunting dog training. Remote launchers have been in use for nearly two decades. The typical remote bird launcher has a catapult or spring-like mechanism that forces the bird up and into flight. This works pretty well unless like me you have a hard time holding the gun, the check cord, the ecollar remote and the bird launcher in two hands. The training scenario can go fairly smooth if you have a couple of buddies to help you out. But, if you are training your dog alone like I often do – forget about it. I usually hit the bird launcher button too early or too late, and even if I do get it right I miss an important correction for my dog because I am not paying attenting to his cues.

The Higgins Remote Releaser is a new concept that gently lifts the lid of the releaser letting the bird decide when it is time to flush. The releaser works almost silently using a hydraulic lift arm and gives a more realistic flush because the bird sits tight until it feels pressured by the dog to take flight. This is great for training a dog to be steady to the flush. After a few times of creeping in too close the dog learns to hold points at a safer distance giving you a better chance at a clean shot. I have yet to get my hands on this product, but can’t wait to get one and try it out. It really looks like Brad Higgins has got a great idea and a killer hunting dog training product. Click over to his site and learn more about the new Higgins Remote Releaser.