Making a champion dog that hunts: NAVHDA trainer/hunter shows us how

Curtis Fry has handled his own and other dogs to NAVHDA Invitational and AKC hunt test titles, is an avid hunter, seminar leader, and hunt test judge who translates esoteric, theoretical concepts into actionable training tasks. 

We'll cover everything from breeding for performance, to creating a love for water, to better ways to train retrieving (particularly in water). Do they work? Curtis runs English Setters who will swim with the best of Labs. Some hunting stories come up, of course, some early-season observations about grouse numbers in a couple states, and the differences between NAVHDA and AKC hunt tests. 

Like a good coach, Curtis shares his and his dog's pre-test mental preparation, how to keep your dog engaged during high-level training, and why teaching steadiness goes hand-in-hand with teaching retrieving. He explains the right way to use e-collar stimulation, and his take on the two biggest mistakes we make when training our hunting dog.

Subscribe today to make sure you get every episode, plus the new audio exclusive hunt debriefs! And remember, most podcasts are now available in video on Outdoor Action TV and Field & Stream TV on your smart TV, and on Spotify.

And it's all brought to you by: Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, CableGangz, TrulockChokes, Pointer shotguns, ClayCopter, USA Clay Target League, Purina Pro Plan Sport and FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.