Dogs

First Season of Making Memories Together

March 11, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Article and photos by Steve and Jodie Ries, Top Gun Kennel As we reflect back on the initial meeting with the breeder, making our selection and training our spring puppy, the time has come to start making memories together. There’s nothing better than taking a young dog to wild bird cover and watching how our combined training, genetic traits and proper scouting have prepared them to overcome the survival instincts of upland birds. We’ve done our part with teaching them all the basic commands, exposing them to birds, gun fire and the type of cover they’ll be hunting in. Now it’ll be...

Keep Your Bird Dog Safe from Avian Influenza

March 3, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Bird flu isn’t just a concern for waterfowl – your four-legged hunting partner could be at risk too. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), specifically the H5N1 strain, has been detected in wild birds across the U.S., and recent cases have shown it can impact dogs, cats and other animals. If your dog loves retrieving or you feed a raw diet, it’s time to take extra precautions to keep them safe. Understanding Avian Influenza in Dogs Avian influenza spreads primarily through contact with infected birds, their droppings or contaminated environments. While transmission to dogs is less common, the virus has been detected in...

The Scoop on Poop

January 29, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Keith Schopp When it comes to hardworking sporting dogs, happiness is a small, firm stool. Poop matters, especially for dogs that travel, hunt, compete and work hard. And, according to Nestlé Purina experts, it pays to keep an eye on your dogs’ stool. “Poop is often an afterthought,” said Jason Gagné, DVM, DACVIM, and director of project management at Purina. “It seems unremarkable. Pick it up and move on. Truth is, you can learn a lot from poop – it’s a good indicator of a dog’s overall health. And being aware of a change in stool quality can help a pet owner...

Preparing for Your First Hunting Season Success

January 28, 2025 by Ruffed Grouse Society

Article and photos by Steve and Jodie Ries, Top Gun Kennel Is it possible that our spring puppy will be ready for the upcoming hunting season? Yes, your new hunting partner is about to start paying you back for the time and efforts you’ve committed to at this point. We’ve completed introductions to basic commands, rides in a vehicle, habitat cover, water, birds and gunfire. So, are you ready? Let’s compare our current situation to athletes who practice all the fundamentals of the sport they participate in to contribute to the success or outcome of the game. It doesn’t matter which sport. “Game...

Bird Dog Botany

November 20, 2024 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by John Stewart Wright w/ image Cheatgrass kills bird dogs. Not often, but too often, for any bird hunter who loves his or her canine companions. And sub-mortal cases are common and expensive. Cheatgrass seeds pierce dogs, introduce bacteria and cause abscesses that often require trips to the vet and weeks of down time. Popular areas for cheatgrass abscesses are between toes and behind the angle of the jaw. As a kid, I had a Lab mix that got a related foxtail in her hamstring area. The seed migrated up and down her upper leg, causing a long series of large abscesses. Muscle...

New Dogs and New Friends

November 18, 2024 by Ruffed Grouse Society

by Jessica Cobb w/ image Her expressive, mahogany-colored eyes, usually so playful, were all business and laser focused on the thick alder patch in front of her. As we approached from the side, I fumbled with the GPS handheld, the training collar handheld and a whistle, inexperienced and unsure of what to do with the equipment now that Onyx Bijou du Copper Spur (Nikki) had found a bird and was on point. I didn’t have to consider next steps for long as a twig snapped and the French Brittany’s body quivered in anticipation. One ebony ear flicked momentarily in our direction;...

Dogs

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