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Welcome back to the Upland Disciple Podcast!! As always a huge thanks to our two title sponsors - American Natural Premium Dog Food & Trinity Gun Dog Company!! This week I want to invite you to listen in to a number of customer testimonials from the The Method Dog Trainings Seminar from August 28-30. I had the privilege of being invited out to do a lil podcasting and hear straight from those Sonny & Jordan work so hard to help in their dog development! I think you will find the episode refreshing and a good insight into not just the what of dog training, but the takeaways and practical applications for every day hunters and handlers like us!!! Buckle up and enjoy the ride. Oh...Happy hunting!!!

Welcome back to THE Upland Disciple Podcast. This weeks episode brings us across the pond and back to chat all things British Labs with Copper Point Kennels founder and owner Tyler Koch. In this episode we discuss all things upland and waterfowl, genetics, training, and nutrition, and how Tyler looks at all three as part of the recipe for a great bird dog and British Lab. Tyler is as enthusiastic about producing high end dogs for the field and family as about anyone I have talked to. We dive into the genetics and dogs he is incorporating into his breeding program, the training in a very positive reinforcement style, and our shared love of our title sponsor, American Natural Premium.  In this episode we cover bird intro, clicker training, gun conditioning, patterning, retrieve training, a couple of really exciting breedings coming up at Copper Point and more!!! Be sure to tune in for a banger of an episode. And thanks as always to our title sponsors: American Natural Premium dog food and Trinity Gun Dog Company for making the show possible! You can find Tyler and Copper Point Kennels on: Website: www.copperpointkennels.com Facebook: @copperpointkennels Instagram: @copperpointkennels Enjoy!!

Welcome back to the final episode of the summer shorts/season longs series with us on the Upland Disciple Podcast. In the final episode we dive deep into dog conditioning and all that goes along with that. We cover roading, free running (how they are best done as complementary parts of one whole program), swimming, nutrition, supplements, heat, and how to work on mental endurance in fatigue through training while conditioning. It is really a great conversation, and one that often gets overlooked or underutilized as we await next years opener, letting Fido chill on the couch and hope he can "work himself into shape" during the season. Give it a listen, take notes, and we hope it gives you a lot to work with this offseason in preparation for 2026 bird season or trial season!  Resources: Perfection Kennels (Jon & Jessica Hann) web - www.perfectionkennel.com Insta - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   Smith Kennels (Ronnie & Susanna Smith) web - www.smithkennels.com Insta - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels   The Method Dog Training (Sonny Piekarz & Jordan Wells) web - www.haycreekkennels.com | www.jwellskennels.com Insta - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - @themethoddogtraining   The Hickox Method (George Hickox) web - www.georgehickox.com Insta - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox

Welcome back to episode 10 of season 3 at the Upland Disciple Podcast. We continue on with our summer shorts series this week, diving in to the topic of handling. An often under discussed and under appreciated part of bird dog development and hunting/trialing is the working together of dog and handler in the field. This doesn't just mean following your dog around the field but being able to cast your dog, bend them in the field from objective to objective or cover to cover. It means not hacking at your dog but communicating with them via cues, body language, and direction...all built in your training time before you get to real life scenarios! Handling is also one of those parts of training that is as much about you the handler as it is the dog. Being able to read a dog, put them in the best place to succeed, and have a partnership that overcomes tough situations, tough conditions, and new environments. With that being said handling is an art NOT a science, and is often caught more than it is taught. So tune in and listen to the experts lend their experience, advice, tips, tricks, and training styles to develop a good handle in the field!

Welcome back to episode 9 of the Summer Shorts series. This week we take a deep dive with our four Pro Trainers into the topic of Honoring or Backing. Whether for safety, etiquette, or more birds in the bag, honoring is one of most important skills we can teach our dogs. Nobody wants to hunt with the guy whose dogs blow up everyone else's points! As we dive into the four different methods, you will find a baseline of similarity in the desired outcome, with unique approaches on how to train honoring. Some use launchers, others throw birds. Some use ecollar, others prefer no pressure in this training skill. Whatever your cup of tea may be, take a listen and I promise you will be able to take something if not many things away from each pro's method of teaching a dog to honor or back!! Sit back and enjoy!! Resources: The Hickox Method web - www.georgehickox.com Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox   The Method Dog Training web - www.haycreekkennels.com | www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebok - @themethoddogtraining   Perfection Kennels web - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   The Smith Method  web - www.smithkenels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels

Welcome back to the 8th installment of the summer shorts series!! In this episode we dive deep into the trained retrieve. We discuss shaping a natural retrieve, when to train the retrieve in the dogs development, and a number of "fixes" for a poor or lacking retrieve. The 4 pros give us 4 different takes on the retrieve training process, all with their own unique twists, YET with many similar philosopical and foundational elements brought back from puppy development! Buckle up and enjoy another episode with us!!

Welcome back to the 7th installment of the "Summer Shorts" series, which Jake correctly renamed the "Season Long" series in jest. In this episode we dive back in with our four pro trainers/methods to discuss Recall & Heel. This is an incredibly fun dive with some similarities (such as going back to foundational training to teach a new command) as well some uniqueness from each method. From method to timing and philosophical approach these 4 trainers/methods have much to offer and consider as you look at your process of development your bird dog. When should I teach recall? When should I teach here? How should I teach it? More control early on or let the pupper build an intense fire of prey drive before moving on to recall and/or heel? All of these and more questions are asked and answered as we work through and discuss the merits of each individual method! Hope you enjoy the episode and come back for more next week! Resources: Perfection Kennels web - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   George Hickox web - www.georgehickox.com Instagram - @gerogehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox   The Method Dog Training web - www.haycreekkennels.com | www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - themethoddogtraining   The Smith Method web - www.smithkennels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels

Welcome back to the 6th episode of the summer shorts series with us. This week we dive into the topic of steadiness or staunchness training for your dog. This is getting into more advanced training and often shows our limitations as amateur or "non-pro" trainers and handlers. While we are often in a hurry to reach benchmarks in limited time before the season arrives, as you will hear in this episode from each of the 4 pros, faster isn't better, better is better. So take your time, listen to this episode a couple of times and jot down some notes! It is an extremely fun and detailed dive from each of the four pros we are studying in this series, and each one of them has a unique style in developing steadiness in a dog, yet all have the same destination in mind, a fully broke dog!! So listen to pod, drop us a like or a follow, and pick up the tips, tricks, and styles that work for you as you work to steady up your pup!! Resources: The Smith Method web - www.smithkennels.com  Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels   Perfection Kennels Method web - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   The Method Dog Training web - www.haycreekkennels.com | www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - @themethoddogtraining   The Hickox Method web - www.georgehickox.com Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox

Welcome back to the summer shorts series. I apologize for the slight delay. Between a wedding I had to do in Tahoe, a bout with covid leading to a weeks long cough that made recording impossible, and then field trials and the opener in Montana, we have been full up on life for a hot second. But we are back!!! In this episode we dive into whoa training. Each method or style has its unique tools for your toolbox and drills for developing a trustworthy whoa in your dog, but all four also share many philosopical things in common: using a known place to start the whoa training process; the use of a belly collar (at least to start); reading the dog and making sure the dog is in a headspace that is composed and eager to learn; etc. We hope you find lots of useful tips, tricks, tools, and drills as you work to whoa train your dog, and for those of you with a young dog or a dog that doesn't have whoa trained completely yet, remember NOT to use the command in the hunting fields this fall until the dog knows what it means and how to win the game of whoa! Happy listening, and blessings and safety as you get hunting or trialing! Resources: The Hickox Method web - www.georgehickox.com Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox The Smith Method web - www.smithkennels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels Perfection Kennels web - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel The Method Dog Training web - www.haycreekkennels.com | www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - @themethoddogtraining

Welcome back to the summer shorts series, brought to you by Redemption Bird Dogs and True Loyalty Dog Training, and sponsored by American Natural Premium dog food and Trinity Gun Dog Company. We hope you enjoy this episode on gun introduction from our four pros!! Resources: The Hickox Method website - www.georgehickox.com Intsagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox   The Smith Method website - www.smithkennels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels   Perfection Kennels website - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   The Method Dog Training website - www.haycreekkennels.com & www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook @themethoddogtraining

In this episode of the summer shorts we turn to collar conditioning. Collar conditioning is one of those training skills that needs to go right or it could go horribly wrong. In this episode Jake and I take a deep dive into all four methods we have been following in the summer shorts series, and look at how they do and recommend collar introduction and conditioning. Everything from collar type, to using a learned behavior to introduce the collar, to philosophical similarities and differences, we hope you give it a listen and are able to take away some crucial and beneficial training tips and tools from this episode!! Resources: Perfection Kennels website - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfetionkennel   The Smith Method website - www.smithkennels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels   The Method Dog Training Website(s) - www.haycreekkennels.com OR www.jwellskennels.com Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - @themethoddogtraining   The Hickox Method website - www.georgehickox.com Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @georgehickox

In this episode, we again turn to George Hickox, Perfection Kennels, The Smith Method, and the The Method Dog Training pros for their insights and methods of doing bird introduction. Much like last week, there are many similarities, including developing drive and chase, to controlling outcomes whether it be guaranteeing a bird or helping a dog to work the scent well. For more on each of the pros you can check out the resources: Resources: The Hickox Method Website - www.georghickox.com Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs Facebook - @GeorgeHickox   Perfection Kennels Website - www.perfectionkennel.com Instagram - @perfection_kennels Facebook - @perfectionkennel   The Smith Method Website - www.smithkennels.com Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs Facebook - @smithkennels   The Method Dog Training Websites - www.haycreekkennels.com (Sonny) | www.jwellskennels.com (Jordan) Instagram - @the_method_dog_training Facebook - @themethoddogtraining

In this first episode of the "summer shorts" series, we look at puppy development from four professional trainers and their method. We kick it off with Ronnie and Suzanna Smith, of the Smith Method, looking at the importance of all things pup, with a special focus on keeping the end in mind and using "eustress" or good stress (stressors that have a positive solution) in the mental development of a young dog. We continue on with George Hickox, of the Hickox Method, and focus on how using clicker training lays a foundation for mental and behavioral development in the life of a dog, by keeping it positive, marking behaviors, and more. We then turn to The Method Dog Training, with Sonny Piekarz and Jordan Wells, looking at the importance of puppy development for the life development of the dog. Again we revisit the "problem-solving mindset" through their use of an obstacle course. As with all four methods, they talk about the value of puppy walks in the field. We close it out with Perfection Kennels, with Jon & Jessica Hann, looking at the impact of exposure to new things in this time frame - puppy walks, early retrieve intro through games, playing in the water to build a pups confidence there, and more.  You will find some differences between the methods, and many similarities as the big themes hold true throughout. Building boldness, confidence, cooperation, problem-solving, and keeping it fun! Resources: For the Smith Method: 1) www.smithkennels.com 2) Instagram - @smithkennelsbirddogs 3) Facebook - @smithkennels For the Hickox Method 1) www.georgehickox.com 2) Instagram - @georgehickoxbirddogs 3) Facebook - @GeorgeHickox The Method Dog Training 1) www.haycreekkennels.com (Sonny) & www.jwellskennels.com (Jordan) 2) Instagram - @the_method_dog_training 3) Facebook - @themethoddogtraining Perfection Kennels 1) www.perfectionkennel.com 2) Instagram - @perfection_kennels 3) Facebook - @perfectionkennel

This is an introductory episode letting you, the listener, know what we have coming this summer. We will be doing roughly 10 "shorts" on a variety of different skills or developmental areas for dogs, bringing you directly from the top professionals, their tools, drills, application, and resources. The goal isn't to tell you our opinion, but to give you four different ways of training each specific skill, so that you can decide for your own situation which method works best for you. We will at the end of each episode spend a little time highlighting some similarities, differences, and advantages to each method to help you lean into the method that works for you!

Welcome back for another episode of The Upland Disciple Podcast. On this episode we welcome in Sonny & Jordan from "The Method" dog training based out of both Connecticut and Wisconsin. Sonny and Jordan have found a unique niche in bird dog training, combing strong elements of obedience through the use of an obstacle course to develop cooperation, understanding and the ability to problem solve for the dog. It is a fun listen to hear how they envision bird dog development from this perpsective and how it translates to the field time and time again. Hope you enjoy another episode of The Upland Disciple Podcast!