Gun Dog Forum

I ran into baseball hall of fame pitcher Jack Morris while in SD for the pheasant opener a couple years back.

The hunters who care about their dogs keep them inside. Some old school guys who view their dog as only a tool for hunting leave their dogs outside believing the only time to give the dogs attention is when they are hunting. They figure this will raise the drive of the dogs. What a load of BS. I agr...

Anyne who is a hunter would prefer to hunt wild birds because they are more of a challenge. However, from my house in suburban Minneapolis to an area where there is decent public land to hunt that might have a bird or two in it is a three hour drive. From my house to the game preserve I belong to is...

Yesterday, Mark Werner of West Bend, WI became the first handler to run his Airedales in an AKC Spaniel Hunt Test. He ran his girl Tessa in Junior and his girl Hannah in Senior. Both did their work well and passed their tests! Congratulations Mark! We in the Airedale community are greatful to have t...

Hi Folks, I just read an article about poodles hunting upland birds. It seems they get as many looks and "Is that a hunting dog?" comments as we Airedalers do. In the article they talk about the problem they have with burrs in the dogs fur after time in the field. They said they use a "silicone" spr...

We have an "Airedale Terrier Hunting Style" document being revised now for AKC spaniel test judges. It will take some time to judges to get used to judging Airedales just as it will take time for Airedalers to get used to spaniel tests. The flushing tests put on by the Airedale Terrier Club of Ameri...

Wow! Thanks for all of the comments. That's why I made the post. The Airedale was originally bred as an all-around hunting dog that would help farmers in England poach whatever game they could from the local landlords. They were bred to hunt upland birds, water fowl or fur. Yes, they are a flushing ...

Folks: I just heard the news that the AKC has voted to allow Airedales to participate and title in AKC Spaniel hunt tests beginning in July 2009. This is great news for us who hunt with this terrific breed. In June, we recieved word from the HRC that Airedales would be allowed to participate and tit...

I had been into Airedale Terriers for many years before I knew they could be trained for upland and ducks. I like their smarts, their fun personality and the fact they don't shed. Since I am alergic to dogs, I also like that Airedales are considered a "hypo-alergenic" breed. Then, after I trained a ...

Thanks for the info! My question has been answered. The reason I asked was that Airedales have been known as the "original and only three-in-one gun dog" because they can retrieve fowl like a retriever, flush and retrieve upland birds like a spaniel and hunt fur including coons, wild boar, bear, etc...

Thanks for the replies. The web site for the Airedale guy in New York as far as I know is the one given by the link to "The Traditional Working Airedale." Not much for bird guys on that site they are mostly fur guys. The High Country Airedales site (California guy) is mostly fur folks as well, but t...

I am relatively new to the whole scene of hunt tests. I noticed in the AKC there are retriever tests, spaniel (flushing) tests, pointing dog tests and others. For any given breed, is there only one type of hunt test they can enter? Any there any exceptions to this that you have seen? What about HRC ...

Thanks for the input. I really like the fact that my Airedale Bob points. For him it was a natural thing that I have encouraged. Since my buddies and I really like the way he hunts, I don't want to screw that up just to do a few hunt tests. However, I reall would like to show him off at tests becaus...

I see that there are some hunt tests designed for flushing dog breeds and some for for pointing dog breeds through the AKC, HRC, NAVDA and others. What do you do when you have a dog that is known to be a flushing breed like a Lab, for example, or in my case an Airedale, that has been trained to poin...

I have been reading the AKC rule book for Spaniel Hunt Tests but I have never been to one. They say the tests are for "flushing spaniels" does this leave the Brittney out? Where they go to run a hunt test NAVDA?

Yes, I was thinking about the retriever test. But, I would also like to be admitted to the flushing test. By the way, some Airedales naturally point.

I read a glowing article in the October Gun Dog magazine about Airedales and how they have been accepted to run in Canadian Kennel Club hunt tests and for HRC titles at Hunt Tests in this country. I contacted the HRC this week to ask how to go about registering for a test and they said their hunt te...

There are four of us in our normal hunting party, can we do a guided hunt in South Dakota without being joined by a bunch of strangers? Any sugestions for spots in central SD?

M wife, an obedience dog trainer, suggested I try it on myself before trying it on the dog. We use dogtra and I tried it on level 40 or so, first on nick (not bad) and then on continuous (eeeouch!). I rarely use the collar on the dog though, just a little nick from time to time.

Yes, both our dogs are chipped. I think it is a good last defense if the collar or the tags come off.

I'm suprised by all the inside comments. I thought all hard core hunters kept their dogs outside. I am delighted to learn that most are inside for most of the day. I keep mine inside as they are a part of the family and I agree that it helps to strengthen the bond. We do not let them up on furniture...

Thanks! There are actually a few of us around who hunt with Airedales for birds. I will post a few pictures soon. In the meantime check out the brags section for the story I posted about two birds in one retrieve. It was really fun!

I had some trouble getting my Airedale Terrier to retrieve at first as well. Then I switched the routine. I got him really excited by voice and by swinging the bumper around before I threw it. Then when he brought it back I took it immediately out of his mouth and threw it, again making excited voic...

Welcome, I will watch for your ad.

Scott

Thanks for the nice welcome. My wife and I have been into Airedales since 1995 and became involved with the local breed club shortly thereafter. In 2000 the Airedale Terrier Club of America had their national specialty here in Minnesota which included a hunt test. I had no idea before then that Aire...

Hi Folks. I just found this forum this week and it seems to be very helpful with advice. It is fun to read so many prospectives and I look forward to reading and learning more. I hunt with an Airedale Terrier named Bob who is a pointer and a bird finding machine. He is also an excellent retriever on...

What a cutie! (I mean the dog)

It was opening weekend for pheasant hunting in South Dakota 2006. We were in South Dakota hunting for the first time and it was my dog Bob's first season in the field. I had spent a lot of time training him prior to the trip because he is an Airedale Terrier and I wanted to make sure anyone who saw ...