The Upland Disciple Podcast

Join us for part 1 of a 2 part interview with Grayson Guyer of Lost Highway Gundogs. Grayson has been in dog training and development for many years, doing everything from military and police k9 training, to the bite dog world, to retrievers and pointing dogs in the upland. In part one we focus heavily on early dog development including the fundamental and crucial stages that include bird introduction, developing prey drive, collar and gun conditioning and more. Grayson pairs the benchmarks of his program with stories of his years of training both at home and abroad for clients that range from private clients to the military overseas. Thank you to our sponsors American Natural Premium dog foods, Trinity Gun Dog Company, and Paradigm Sporting Dog for your ongoing support and incredible investment in the bird dog world!

In this episode we take a look at most things outdoors, but focus heavily on Kami's experience in the uplands with her two dogs Sig and Benelli, as well her time in the field hunting with her dogs and learning to train w/ her mentor George Hickox. Fun fact about Kami, she was on Naked and Afraid, proof that she is one of the coolest, most fearless, and adventerous uplanders I know. She is an adult onset Uplander who has jumped in with both feet, learning and leading where she can in the outdoor space, upland world, and as an advocate for the underrepresented in the hunting and upland space! Also a big thank you to our sponsors American Natural Premium Dog Food, Paradigm Sporting Dog, and Trinity Gun Dog Company! To find Kami on social media look her up @kamkam520 on Instagram or @KamiliaElsisie on Facebook! Hope you enjoy this fun podcast exploring the uplands and outdoors with Kami!

We conclude the three part interview with Mr. George Hickox with hitting on some key issues, questions that pop up, opportunities to learn and train with him, as well as just revisiting some of the big ticket items he mentioned throughout the previous two episodes for clarity and help!

We continue an in-depth conversation with Mr. George Hickox looking at the middle benchmarks and stages of pointing dog development from steadiness to prairies work, all the way to having a gun dog any of us could be proud of taking out with our buddies are playing the field trial game with!

In part one of this three part interview we dive deep with Mr. George Hickox on his philosophy of dog training, the psychology of dogs, and the starting process of young dog development in his proven, effective, and championship winning method of dog training.

Buckle up for a great episode with Lane Hodges of One Day Farms down in Georgia. Lane is an amateur trainer and handler in the American Field big dog game. He runs his dogs in both open and amateur shooting dog at the highest levels and one of his pointers took runner up for amateur shooting dog of the year last year. Lane starts up the conversation in part one by talking about his introduction to bird dogs, his "One Day" farm, and his methodology of training a bird dog. Lane is as knowledgable as an amateur gets and even shares the different pro trainers he has gleaned tools, tips, and tricks from. If you want to hear what it's like to hang with the big boys as a regular dude, and still have success, you will want to give this a listen!!

In this episode of The Upland Disciple Podcast, we take a short detour from training to have an in depth discussion with Dr. Clair Maples of Paradigm Sporting Dog. We talk through numerous scenarios and case studies looking at barbed-wire fences, lacerations, traps, animal encounters, overheating, when to staple and when NOT to staple, and more. If you have ever wondered what you should do in a first aid scenario for your dog in the field, tune in and learn from Dr. Clair!

We continue the conversation with Jon and Jessica Hann from Perfection Kennels with the continued develop of a bird dog following the puppy stages. Discussing things like retrieve, steadiness, and other key components to a fully finished bird dog, we look at the tools, the drills, and the tips they share as to how best get a dog to where you want it to be as a finished bird dog for you! They also invite you to join them at an upcoming seminar or to reach out with any questions or thoughts on any of the conversation had on these two episodes!

In part one Jon and Jessica Hann from Perfection Kennels introduce us to their training philosophy and overall methods, as they overlay for a dog time and time again. We also dive into a deeper discussion of young dog development and puppy work, from socialization to birds and gun introduction and conditioning. It is a really fun discussion from some of the best trainers in the country at Team Perfection Kennels!

Clint comes back to continue the story of the building of the breton in the US in his kennel, his training, and his group. He is the most well known breton training in the US and has led many newcomers into the game and into the breedQ

We dive deep with Clint LaFary, long team leader in the training and handling world of French Brittanies in the US! This interview is so rich we had to take two episodes to unwrap it for you!

Jeremy joins us from upstate Connecticut where he owns and operates V3 Gun Dogs. Jeremy spent his early career in law enforcement, working heavily in the k9 units before retiring and launching his own full time training kennel. Jeremy has immense experience in the bird dog world as well, and has run dogs in hunt tests and field trials across the northeast. Join us for this fun conversation and deep dive on what gun dog development looks like with Jeremy and V3 Gun Dogs!

In this episode we talk with Jake Faas from the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Jake has had a lot of experience with dogs in his life, but is relatively new to bird dogs. Jake currently owns and operates a pet dog training company in the Twin Cities and utilizies many of the same obedience drills and philosophical methods across the board. Jake has had a frisbee or agility dog, he has spent lots of time in the bite dog world working with others as a training helper or the man in the suit, but also has trained and competed his own beligan malinois. Recently Jake has gotten into bird dogs, and much of this podcast is really about how dogs learn, and how important it is to read a dog, and do what is right for them, not being to strict in our regiment but adapting to each dog we have. He shares about his use of the clicker in shaping behaviors, and his mentor George Hickox as he trains his first bird dog in the land of 10,000 lakes! Check out more of Jake's work at https://www.trueloyaltymn.com/

In this part two of the interview with Ronnie and Susanna Smith we will dive deeper into finishing a dog, things that come up and how to avoid them or work on them, tools, tips, tricks to have in your tool bag, as well as a bit more conversation on the larger work of bird dog development, clinics and seminars that they offer, and other final things like retrieve work and more.

On this episode of the Upland Disciple Podcast, we are joined by Ronnie and Susanna Smith of Ronnie Smith Kennels. Coming from the Smith family tree, Ronnie and Susanna are generational experts in the Smith Method, also known as the HuntSmith Silent Command System, and were kind enough to share their wealth of knowledge on bird dogs, bird dog training, bird dog psychology, and the tools and styles that they have adopted, adapted, and used throughout their careers as top end dog trainers. If you have used a Wonder Lead or a Whoa Post, you can largely thank the Smith's and the Smith Method for these tools and concepts in developing your bird dog! If you are looking for a training method that suits you and your dog, or you are looking for a clinic or seminar that you can attend with your bird dog to learn and grow together, then give this episode (and part 2, coming soon) a listen and see if the Smith Method just might be the one for you!! This is part 1 of a two part episode, just so we can soak in all the knowledge, experience and wisdom that Ronnie and Susanna have to offer! #americannaturalpremium #bprokennels #redemptionbirddogs #ronniesmithkennels

This is just a short intro to the podcast, what is it come, a bit about me, Josh Ruiter, and why I am aspiring to bring this content to each and every one of you, as we together seek to grow as dog trainers, handlers, hunters, and uplanders. Every episode will be full of either professional dog trainers sharing with us their methods, tools, tips, and tricks OR amateur or those who have come after the "big dogs" and have put their methods to use sharing with us their stories and their call to the uplands. I hope you enjoy the Upland Disciple Podcast, and feel free to drop us a message, and hit like if this podcast is beneficial to you! Happy hunting and trialing friends!