Build From Here
Build From Here
How A Busy Dad Built A Calm, Confident Hunting Dog People Ask To Hunt With | Shawn Dyre's Story
What does it take to build a duck dog that other hunters respect?
CGA member Shawn Dry joins Josh to share the real journey of training his own retriever—from first obedience reps to calm, steady work in the blind. They talk about “place,” early hunts done the right way, handling and casting, managing breaking around other dogs, and why consistency outside of training matters just as much as the sessions themselves.
It’s a story about earning trust, building a true partnership, and reaching the moment every handler hopes for—when someone in the blind says, “Bring that dog back.”
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SPEAKER_01:Welcome to the Build From Here podcast. On this episode, I'm so excited to be introducing you to CGA member Sean Dry. Sean is an incredible CGA member. He's done some amazing work with his dog, and this is a story that you're absolutely going to love. So welcome aboard, Sean. How are you? Good, Josh. Thanks for having me. Man, I'm so glad to have you on. And I love those birds in the background. We were just talking about that. You said that your daughter is into taxidermy. Tell me more about that before we get going any further into your story.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so she started in taxidermy back in January, and um she's worked through waterfowl, uh, turkeys, uh working on mammals now. So um she's she'll be 17 this January, and that's something that she's uh looking forward to um doing as a as a um a business, and um she's got started from taking her hunting at two years old. She loves the outdoor industry.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's wonderful. So amazing that she's getting started into that. Does she uh you said that she's starting to do this as a business? Does she have a website or a social media that people can follow?
SPEAKER_03:We're working on uh getting her set up social media. Um, you know, it can be overwhelming for young adults, uh, definitely. So we're gonna help her and guide her through that. And um as soon as we do, I'll let you know and uh you can check us out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, please do. And when uh whenever you let me know, I'll go add that to the notes and the description on the YouTube and stuff so they can find her later. But that is so cool. So started at two years old, so I I'm assuming hunting has been a legacy thing for you guys. Is that the case? Who got you into hunting and where did that all begin?
SPEAKER_03:It has. I've hunted since I was a kid. Um I started duck hunting at waterfowl about 15. I was lucky enough and uh fortunate to get the bug from going to the South Carolina Waterfowl Association used to have hunts that they would sell um to sponsors or gift tickets to sponsors, and uh that was my first waterfowl hunt, and I was good.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. Wow. So was it kind of like a raffle or you were able to buy a specific like you're buying the hunt?
SPEAKER_03:We had some relationships with some sponsors, and uh they were you know, they were allowed to bring so many guests, and we were fortunate to be one of those guests that they wanted to accompany them.
SPEAKER_01:So that's wonderful. I remember I got on I there was the uh the deer expo they do here in Birmingham a long time ago when I was younger, and you know, I had already been into deer hunting, but I had a friend that was not into hunting, um, but he was curious about it, and so we brought him and his dad along and we uh stopped by this booth, and I believe I don't think we had to buy anything. We just entered into a drawing and we actually won. We won a deer hunt. And so my friend got to go along on the deer hunt, and uh I I'm happy to say, and sad to say for his wallet, that he has been hooked on hunting ever since, and his dad is probably feeling the same, but they fell head over hill, uh, you know, fell just straight into it deep, and they've been hunters ever since. And it's uh so I love to see stuff like that. That's so that's so cool.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's uh it's a rewarding thing to be involved in um and seeing the kids get involved in it, they see you buy them happen. Now, was waterfowl hunting was that your first hunt or had you done stuff before from the time my my dad scared me to the woods and sent me in a three stand and drag all the warm clothes because I mean back then they didn't have everything they have now. They definitely didn't have safety gear or any of that kind of stuff. So, you know, you just went out there wrapped up in blankets and froze.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I took uh my daughter on her first hunt the other day, she's four, and uh, you know, I made the mistake. I I I I don't know why I was thinking this way. I was thinking from the hunter hardcore perspective. So I parked the truck a long way away from the stand and I walk her out there and it we walk a long way, and as soon as right when we get to the stand, she I turn around and she's holding her finger up and there's like blood coming off of her finger. She had grabbed some sort of stick or briar right then and was starting to panic, say my finger's bleeding. And I started thinking, like, okay, well, what do I do now? Because I I had a first aid kit back of the truck. I I knew I could do that, but I'm like, I've got all this stuff. And then I realized right then and there my first mistake was trying to be hardcore. I should have parked closer, I shouldn't have worried about if we were gonna see anything. So I put her up on my shoulders, I walked all the way back to the truck, patched her up, and then I ended up driving the truck close to the stand, which is what I should have done to begin with, and then uh then we got up there and we we did a little bit of hunting and ended up eating snacks, and that was our hunt. But it was it was so much fun, and she said she would never she would never forget that. But I I love to hear this legacy concept and this deal about having your daughter in there at two years old out there hunting. That's just that's what it's about. We gotta keep getting people out there and get the next generation going and pass this down. So that's uh anyways, that's what I did this past weekend. It was it was pretty good. It was good it was a good time.
SPEAKER_03:That's good, that's great. Yeah, it's it's important to pass it down to the kids. Um because when we're gone, it's nobody else can carry that legacy.
SPEAKER_01:100%. So growing up, you so avid outdoorsman, your dad was an outdoorsman, y'all were getting after it, enjoying it. When was uh your first like defining moment on a on a hunt? Was it your first hunt or was it somewhere along the journey?
SPEAKER_03:I think I was pretty hook hooked after the first hunt. Uh of course I come home and tell my friends here, and nobody, you know, in Concord area where I grew up, nobody took hunting much. All the older guys did, but the young guys didn't, and and uh I was probably 15, 16. My best friend had a truck, he could drive. Uh friend down the road had a farm at farm ponds, and we started going down there hunting, and um it's just hooked. Man, my friends are not a good thing. And then then it's you know spending all our money on hunting things, and that's all we can think about during the season, you know. Uh uh-uh uh we made uh made a few trips to Canada right after we got out of high school, and uh that was that was and then there's nothing like going up there and hunting, you just you don't see stuff like that around here.
SPEAKER_01:What was uh tell me about the process for going to Canada? I know we've got you know a diverse audience, so some are probably you know comfortable crossing the border, some may have hesitations or like what's involved. Like, what was your first time going to Canada like?
SPEAKER_03:Well it was nerve-wracking for me. Um, you know, I had a dog then, one of my first dogs. From just a local breeder, nothing like what I have now, uh, bloodline-wise. But um, you know, you gotta make sure all your paperwork's filled out, all your shot records are up to date. Um, you gotta report how much sales you're bringing, um, stuff like that. Uh course tobacco, alcohol, anything. Just fire alms gotta be there. So, you know, we we rolled up to the uh to the border crossing and and I've heard nightmares about guys having everything in their trucks drug out in the parking lot, and they search and go through everything with a fine-tooth comb, and uh luckily enough we just slid right in and spent a week there, and then same process coming by. It was pretty simple. So I imagine it's probably a lot easier than it was 20 years ago.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, who knows? Maybe that whole getting your everything drug out could be an attitude thing too. I don't know. It could be. It could be. Yeah, yeah. Depending on what side of the bed you woke up on in the morning for everybody involved. Oh yeah, oh yeah. So that uh that Canada hunt, was it night and day difference, like the waterfowl that you guys were experiencing, or was it comparable to some, you know, the of the United States that you had hunted?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think it's comparable to, you know, if you're hunting in North and South Dakota, uh, even Arkansas, um, but for hunting in North Carolina, there's no comparison.
SPEAKER_01:It's totally different. Was this trip like a graduation trip, like a present, or this you worked for a little bit and y'all guys decided, hey, let's go, we want to go to Canada. This is what we've been dreaming about.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, we we wanted to experience the real deal. The the the things that you see on TV and uh uh the migration and all of that. So that was that was part of it. It was just a buddy trip and we had a great time. Uh I think the last time I went, I was able to take my dad with me and and she time and um get those memories.
SPEAKER_01:That's what it's about. Yeah, those memories are yeah, I think about that a lot. You know, as as I get older, so young, but as I get older, I really start to value those memories and and and I look back at some of those memories, I'm like, I didn't realize they were memories at the time, it was just happening. But you look back on it now and you're like, wow, that actually what seemed ex insignificant is is fairly significant.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is. You don't realize it when you're making them, but they they're definitely uh weren't in your mind.
SPEAKER_01:So this dog, did you train this dog? Um, this first dog you're talking about, was this a trained dog?
SPEAKER_03:No, I I tried, I'd done the best what I thought I could, and thankfully the dog he had some good, decent genetics, and he could retrieve, and obedience was okay, but um it's nothing in comparison to what I have learned in the past three to four years with cornerstone.
SPEAKER_01:Wow, that's awesome. So let's fast forward uh to this dog. How did you come across your next dog, the one that you you started with Cornerstone?
SPEAKER_03:So um uh my kids actually kind of spurred the whole thing. They uh they love to watch the outdoors on TV and they saw uh Burton on um Man, Woman Dog, I believe it is. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yep. And so then they got me watching it, and then I got real interested because for several years I've been wanting a dog, and you know, you're raising kids, all of that's going on, you don't have time. And I always told my wife, I said, when I get to a place because the kids are old enough and I can devote a solid year or more, whatever it takes, then I want I want a legit lab I'm a a reputable breeder and um I want to train it and go from there and put the time into it and so she actually surprised me with my first one from uh Son and Oaks um on my fortieth birthday.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. So that's an amazing surprise. Like y'all went and picked it up on your birthday, or she just dropped the news like, hey, you're getting a pup.
SPEAKER_03:Well, uh it was um it was it was early to uh to say the least, but um she let me know about it. Um, you know, my birthday's back in January. I picked a dog up in April. Uh but she had put in they have a waiting list, so she put in early, get on the waiting list, and it wasn't but a couple weeks. They had a large litter on the ground. I wanted a female, not everybody wants a female, so they had some open and uh she had to she had to break the news early, but it was it was much appreciated.
SPEAKER_01:What uh went into wanting a female?
SPEAKER_03:I I don't know, I had male dogs whenever I was uh in high school and since since I've been married for twenty years, we've always had female dogs. Wow, they seem to get along quite better with a female, and uh that's that's what I decided I wanted to start with. Since then I've got a uh I've got a male dog for my twentieth anniversary. Really?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, wow from Southern Oaks again. That's amazing. So you've got two SOK dogs. How did uh well let's I guess Cornerstone story, how did uh where did you find out about Cornerstone?
SPEAKER_03:Was it SOK or kind of Southern Oaks Kennels? Um I think Barton and Parrish had recommended uh Cornerstone for me because I wanted to train my own dog, and then I reached out to you and we had some phone conversations about which program to pick and which one to go with, and I got signed up and from about 10 weeks on it was cornerston every day I could.
SPEAKER_01:Man, that's incredible. This was probably a different experience, I guess. Had you had only trained one dog previous to this, or do you had trained other dogs?
SPEAKER_03:That we've had.
SPEAKER_01:How did it feel coming into this? Like knowing you're getting this high quality dog. Did that put a weight on your shoulders?
SPEAKER_03:It did. The first thing I I think the first question you asked me was, What do you want out of the program? What do you want out of your dog? And my response was, uh I remember it like it was yesterday. My response was, I want a hunting dog. And when you go to the blind, your friends or people you don't even know are there and they're hunting with you. When you leave, I want them talking about how great a dog the dog was, how great they were, how obedient they were, how calm they were, all of those things. And um, I can honestly say after my uh stint and Arkansas for the past couple weeks, that's you know, it's been successful.
SPEAKER_01:100%. Wow. Wow. So that's I mean, that's a big ask, right? You know, we've all heard the stories. There's a lot of dogs out there, there's a lot of people that have worked dogs, and and sometimes just time just creeps up on us, so and we we don't even realize it. And they're like, oh, we're going hunting in like three weeks. So you scramble and try to get the dog ready. But kind of rewinding to that, there it seems like you had determination that you had a timeline, you were gonna really make sure you did it right. So how did how did the journey begin for you, especially coming as someone that you know you had done it a little bit in the past, but you know, this this goal was another another level that you were trying to achieve. I would love to hear just about your experience with training your dog and maybe some of the even the challenges that you faced and or the concerns that you had as you were going into it.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think I had the main concern that everybody else has, they don't want to mess up their dog. Um But I can tell you if you follow the program and it don't take it only it takes I think when I started it might have been 10 minutes a day, 15 minutes a session. It's whatever the dogs um can stay focused on. However long their capacity is for that. And you just gotta know when to turn it off and quit. But you'll see that dog start that all they want to do is please you. And since I've got the second one and started it in the program, I can tell a hundred percent that it's not just that I had the first dog was just a great dog. It's every dog, they want to please you, they want to do what you're asking them to do. You just gotta ask the right way. And it doesn't work perfect for every dog every time. You want to work into it and patience.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I I like what you said there. I want to just pull that out because that's a big component that you just have to ask the right way. And that's a big part of the philosophy here at Cornerstone is you know, there's gets to and then there's has to. And we train our dogs to get to do this. And part of that comes from knowing the secret to how to ask the right way. And you know, we kind of unravel that secret throughout the training process and throughout the course, and we develop that in you little by little, step by step, and in the dog. But when you do that, like you said, you've got that dog that wants to please you. And if if someone misses that component, then where they they start to see a per a clash, the dog doesn't really want to please, and it becomes more of a I just need you to do this. And we never want it to be like that. We want it to be fun for you, and we want it to be fun for the dog as well, to have that great experience. So I love how you said that. You just gotta ask them the right way. Yeah, and that's a big thing.
SPEAKER_03:And sometimes, sometimes you have to modify the way you asked, and you know, it it every dog should have a different personality.
SPEAKER_01:100%. What was your first big success that you had with your first dog to the the course?
SPEAKER_03:Um it was three years, I've done a lot in three years.
SPEAKER_01:Time yeah, uh yeah, three years can a lot can happen in three years. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:You know, uh I'll tell you this. When I started training her in just basic obedience, that was probably the biggest um where I started to fill in the accomplishments was um I place trained her. Got a stand uh and trained her to that place. I didn't I used the caterboard some whenever we started, uh, but I noticed she really didn't like it. I don't know if it was a texture thing or a surface thing, but I got a stand and man the stand worked for me. So I went with it. Wow. And um I had friends and people say, dude, crazy, why don't you train your dog to get on the stand? This this is this is you don't need to do this. Just put them beside of you on the ground. And I just stuck with the program and was like, I'm gonna do this. This is this is gonna work. And since then I've had those folks come back and say, if I was training a dog today, that's exactly how I trained it. I could go anywhere in the field when I was trained, anywhere in the yard if I was working at home and tell that dog place and she would go. And she knew exactly where it was every time. So it didn't matter what I was doing in the yard. If I needed her to get in her place, I knew she'd be safe and she wouldn't move, she wouldn't break off of it. That was it.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. That's really hard to state how important that skill is. And sometimes you don't know it until you've experienced the opposite of that, which is a dog that will not sit still and will not stay on their place. When you experience that and then you have the opposite and you have a dog that'll do that, it's like this big breath of fresh air. And there's just so much relief in that. And it's cool to have this dog do a big stuff. But the truth is they're not gonna do anything really big until they can do that.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, right. Going through the process, I think it's always fun to talk about this. Um well, it's not really fun, but it is something that we should talk about. And just like we showed Violet having challenges in the videos, people want to know their truth. They they don't want to hear that, oh, this is just always perfect. Because it's not always perfect. There are challenges. And we're not afraid to embrace those challenges. That's in fact one of the core values we have at Cornerstone is to embrace growth. And we always view challenges as growth. Now, sometimes it's painful, but we we want to embrace that head on. So, what was one of your your first First challenges that you you that you encountered that kind of threw you for a loop? And let's talk about overcoming that challenge. What were some of the steps that you took that helped you navigate the challenge?
SPEAKER_03:I want to say probably my first challenge was the first heat cycle for it. And I know that you know I'm gonna apply it to everybody, um, especially the ones that got male dogs, but whenever she hit her first heat cycle, it was almost like I felt like I was backing up weeks in training. Um I would I would start a session, and if the dog, if she just didn't want to work out and work right, I wouldn't get frustrated, just take her and put her in a lot, cool down, wait 20 to 30 minutes, come back and pick it up again. And I actually backed up in training. I would step back on me and work on stuff that I know she was 100% fluent in just to keep working the dog. And we didn't make a lot of great strides during that first heat cycle. And and I see people commenting on that on uh Cornerstone about that, and you know, every dog's different. You just you gotta learn how to raise your dog, and that's what that's what I really like about the program. You get to learn your dog, and your dog gets to learn you because you're putting time with it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Let's talk, well, let's speak of spending time with the dogs, because you hit a a good point there. I think we should talk about your dog learning you and and you learning the dog. What did and this is something that I think a lot of people don't talk about. What is what does your downtime look like? And it's let's kind of chat through that because this is a big challenge I think people face. You're you know, in in Cornerstone or any program for that matter that you're following, you have your specifics that you're covering. But that's only a short window of time. We all know that's 10, 15 minutes, four days a week, maybe 30 minutes tops, four days a week. So when you start looking at all this other time, that leaves a question, well, what do I do with all of this time? What did you do and how did you navigate? Because it's kind of a sticky point. Your dog has some training, but some things it doesn't know, and it kind of puts you in a this place of you gotta learn. So, what did you learn during those times and how did you find balance in that?
SPEAKER_03:Oh my goodness. So once we got the obedient as far down pat, um I took my dog everywhere. Uh I'm a contractor by trade, so it's not like I work in uh, you know, that worked for me. Some people that work in office space, I may not be able to do that, I may not add a benefit, but I took her everywhere. And like my second one I haven't been able to take everywhere, because if I took him to places that I've taken her and left her in the truck, I'd have to come back with my seats eaten off. And I know other people have the same experiences, so you just know what you can do and what you can't do. You know your dog. And I mean, we we went all over the place. Uh if I was there, she was here. And it was the right time of year. Uh wasn't too hot. I could I could take her and leave her in a in a kennel in the back of the truck, and uh know she wasn't in any danger, and socialization, huge thing. And just the big thing was to keep remembering that even though she's cute and this a pup and you want to let it on your lap, you need to stick to your obedience part. And that doesn't get the dog confused. The dog knows where it's where it's where it belongs in the order.
SPEAKER_01:That's really good. Yeah, consistency is is the big thing, and it's easy to be and consistent at times. I think that's one of the greatest challenges, not just with actually being dedicated to go out the door and train, but I think consistency matters even more when you're not training, when you're just living everyday life, like you just said, that consistency is a big big thing.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, absolutely. Um we noticed that uh we had in the house some when we first got in. And then I'd say probably about five months old, she got bored with the house, and then the small kennel to crate training and stuff, and uh uh we put her a lot outside, and I could tell a huge difference then in her personality and the way she reacted to training sessions and just general everyday life. But she's got a place in the house, and she comes in, she's on her place. In my office, she's got a place. She's got a place in the truck. It's just that that um basis just works.
SPEAKER_01:I like that too. And I I feel a lot of people kind of, you know, that's a challenge that a lot of people face is navigating those waters as well, right? Structure is a very good thing for a dog. So as you said, my dog's got a place here, here, and here. So defining out what that looks like, and it's different for everybody. Everybody has different house rules. Right? I think defining the house rules goes a long way to having a dog that's stable and confident. Well, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:If if they know what you expect of them, it it it turns out with a better product. It's more successful for you and your dog.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. So going through the process, this is the first dog you're fully training on this level. Let's talk about maybe another highlight moment and then we'll get into some hunting because that's what I want to hear about. Um where were you at when you started realizing, oh wow, this dog, I'm getting to a level I haven't before. Maybe some of the gun dog skills, was there any defining moment that stood out there to you? Oh yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03:When we started um when we started with bumpers, um, you know, I started some pets preliminary early on, and I really got disappointed. It was wow. She she wasn't interested. And uh so I would I wouldn't do it all the time at every session, but I would try to incorporate something with a fetching machine.
SPEAKER_01:And um so was that a big concern point you're thinking, hey, I got this high-class dog, but it doesn't not interested in retrieving. It started that way, but it didn't last very long. Didn't last long at all.
SPEAKER_03:I let her come into her own and um she Good move. Good move. That was the right thing. Yep. Yeah, you gotta work at the dog space for sure.
SPEAKER_01:So retrieving, what stood out to you on on that? Like was it when you started getting distance? Was it when you started getting into hand signals? What was kind of like, whoa, I've got a I've got a dog here. Probably a hand signal.
SPEAKER_03:And and you know, we still sometimes struggle with hand signals depending on how amped up the dog gets. But um whenever you can gun your dog out, stop him on a whistle set, cast them, whether it's back end, right, left, whatever, it's it's a it's a feeling of accomplishment for me.
SPEAKER_02:And sometimes it works, sometimes it don't.
SPEAKER_03:I've seen dogs older than her with more training than her, and it and it not work every time.
SPEAKER_01:You know. That's a big part of that comes down to you know, once once you've trained, handling becomes a an important part to you. It's like knowing how to read the room. You know, should you interject in the conversation at this point, should you not? Yeah. Is it gonna make sense, you know, if you want to communicate? And it really comes down because and this all ties together because this is a communication game. Making sure that you communicate clearly to that dog. But that moment right there that you're talking about, that's my favorite moment. When every it's like when you hit that whistle, everything starts to go still. And especially if other people are watching, and that dog flips around and stops, it's looking at you, everybody's like, what's up with this? And then you give it that cast, and the dog takes that cast, and it's like, that's what we trained for. That's that's what we're after.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's the home run from me. Definitely.
SPEAKER_01:What point did you go on your first hunt with your pop?
SPEAKER_03:Um, so I would say we buddy hunted. Uh, dove season comes in the first of September, and I was always on the fence of okay, everybody's eager to get their first dog out there hunting, and I was the same way. Uh and I looked and I listened to podcasts, um, read articles. When do you hunt your dog? And I think honestly, it's a maturity thing. It's uh the level of training that you put into them, it's what the dog can handle. You definitely don't want to set it up to be unsuccessful because you'll have to back up and repair everything broken. Um but if you read them and and they're ready, you just you know, you know. I think we we hunted for seven months. And when I say dove hunting, I don't mean like 20 guys in the dove field. I'm talking about like there was two or three of us. And um I handled the dog. That was it. There was no way you can take a gun, there was no shooting, and I let everybody else shoot, and I just handled the dog, and that was that was a big sport. And I got a lot of excitement out of that. If you see that dog and it all clicks and you can see it in their eyes, it's awesome feeling.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that you hit on something good there. That feeling is amazing, but also like you kind of had that gut feeling, like, I think this will work. I think there's times where too people have that gut feeling like there's a difference between like, oh yeah, this dog can do this, and like being hopeful that they can do this. And you just want to make sure you're on the side of this dog can do this. Yeah, and then you set everything up properly, right? If you're going to do a dog's first time, especially young, like you said, you weren't shooting, you handled the dog. That allows you to focus, and that that goes a long way.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. And you know, um, don't go good. So you gotta be able to read the dog, and it goes back to you if you're training one-on-one with the dog, you know your dog, you know what it can do and what it can't do. We all expect them to do probably way more than what they can. So they just we just gotta be observed in our expectations and just be the dog.
SPEAKER_01:100%. What kind of went into, and and this is a a different gear that I want to shift into because you've hit on a couple of themes I I've got a I'm curious about. What went into wanting to train this dog yourself? Was this a lifelong desire? Oh yeah, someone talked to you into it, or it's just like I guess as a waterfowler, you you probably had a lot of waterfowling under your belt at this point, and you're like, now you want to in elevate your waterfowl hunting. Is that it? Or what's the story there?
SPEAKER_03:The the big thing for me was the accomplishment of doing it and having building the bond with the dog. I watched, I hunted with a lot of guys out at Matamasqui, um, which is on the east coast of North Carolina. A lot of most duck hunters know where that is. No matter what part of the U.S. you're in, most of them know where that is. So we hunted a lot out there, and I seen the other guys working with their dogs and the relationships they had with them, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And it it was just a goal of mine. If I'm gonna have a dog, I w I wanted to be the one to be the training. So it's how good the dog trained out with the reflection of me as well. We're we're a pair.
SPEAKER_05:Hmm.
SPEAKER_03:That's good.
SPEAKER_01:That's that's wonderful. So that dove hunt was so that was a defining moment for you guys. Let's let's let's do it play by play.
SPEAKER_05:What happened on that dove hunt?
SPEAKER_03:So I I think maybe we may have killed eight or ten birds the whole time. And wow. It was it was a goal. Goal wasn't uh to stack a pile of birds up. We just went to work to dog. Um great retreat, uh, a lot of a lot of sailors, so in tall grass, dew, moisture, you're gonna lose scent.
SPEAKER_01:Um, that's so awesome. So eight to ten, that's pretty good. That's a really good first hunt for a dog.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah. Absolutely, for for a first time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So that would have been in September. I imagine you already had plans for some duck hunting that first year. Let's talk through your the your dog's first duck hunt.
SPEAKER_03:I did. Uh so we done we'd have some private impoundments here. We hunted. Again, one or two gunks, main focus on the dog. Um, I did end up going on a snake geese conservation hunt, and she'd have been right at 11 months old. Wow. I had a I had a lot of concerns about that. I took the dog and I said, look, I'm gonna take it. We'll see how this goes. I didn't hunter the first two hunts at all. Um so we got a small group of us, we all agree we'll take her. Put her in the blind. She's been phenomenal, like she'd been doing it her whole life. But you always do, I was I my concern was how many guns. Anybody just snow does conservation hunt on his hands it's extended to no plugs, no limits. A lot of shooting. A lot of shooting.
SPEAKER_01:That's incredible, especially for a young dog. Clearly, clearly, you dedicated yourself to the foundation. Put a lot of time in it. Yes, sir. Also having that dog with you all the time, too. Your dog had a lot of life experience, probably a lot more life experience than the average dog. I would say that probably went a long way in building building your confidence to be able to take her on that.
SPEAKER_03:I would say so, yeah. Um, you know, you socialization is always always go back to it. That's that's how you make it. Oh, yeah, that's how you make a good dog, a well-rounded dog. Wow.
SPEAKER_01:So it sounds like he had a pretty successful first season. Let's talk about what's happened since then. So you said this was three years ago, so you've had a couple of seasons under your belt with your dog. And I would love to get into um this the past few weeks here, because you you were actually out doing a lot of work with your dog. Let's hear the story there.
SPEAKER_03:So uh from that from that conservation hunt we went on um with the outfitter, we ended up becoming friends. I've hunted with them for the past three, four years. Um and um they've always been complimentary of my dog, the training, or play skills, or mannerisms.
SPEAKER_01:Um did you have to I'm assuming you had to ask before you you brought your pup out the first time.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. So we we went the first time, and yeah, I asked permission to to bring the dog. And if if we couldn't have it, it would have been fine too, but they've always been open to it. Um as long as your dog's well mannered, you got control of it. That's the main thing. Control the safety of the dog whenever you're out there hunting, the breaking. Um, that's that's uh something you don't want to happen for the safety of the dog and the other hunting. But um, you know, we developed a friendship and um back this spring, uh well last year whenever I was out there hunting, then we kind of joked around about me coming to work for them. And um in the spring the guy called me and said, Hey, you serious about coming out here and working for some uh for a time period during the the the season and uh I committed to uh the first split and we've got a lot of things going on personal at home and business um during the second split. So hopefully in January I'll get back out there. But yeah, over Thanksgiving, we we went out and hunted and a lot of reps in for the first two weeks of the season.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's amazing. Clearly, your dog got an invite back, so that's a good thing. And that was what you set out to do, like you said. Hey, you wanted it to go and you wanted people to hunt and see that dog and and want a dog like that, and and you'll be happy to have that dog back. So you accomplished that goal. How did it how did it feel accomplishing that goal? I mean, because it's a journey, right? It's a it's a it's a road to get there.
SPEAKER_03:It is, it is. You you put in so much, and uh it's it's rewarding whenever you're you're sitting in the blind and ever you got eight or ten guys maybe in there just passing it down. Hey, where'd you get this dog? Hey, who trained your dog? Hey, how did you do this? Um it's it's an accomplishment.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. That's amazing. What's um some of the challenges you face hunting this dog? Have you uh you know hunted with other dogs? Has that ever been a challenge? Um that's that's big big groups or something else? What's kind of the some of the challenges you faced?
SPEAKER_03:Hunting with other dogs is probably created our biggest challenge. Um we had some challenges and still have some challenges with casting, um, but breaking. I see dogs all the time breaking. Um mine's guilty, it can build be guilty of it too.
SPEAKER_01:So where we that's a contagious skill, th it is.
SPEAKER_03:And it tends to happen whenever you have another dog. They get that competitive spirit and they want to get there before the other dog. So well they do, they break. Um I have steadily been working at it and building that back up. We had a six this past two weeks was pretty successful. I had a few times we'd had a break, but it was when there was another dog on the other end of the blind. And um I've been actually utilizing my second dog that I have to we train together. He doesn't break, but she'll want to break. She might break one set once in a session. Um we had a session Sunday afternoon, neither one of them broke, and I was probably 20 feet from them. So I just use it as a leverage. But training your dog with other dogs is an important part of it.
SPEAKER_01:100%.
SPEAKER_03:Right.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. You know, adding the other dogs and other people for that matter, and that's something that we've been grateful to do with Cornerstone, is the chapters have just absolutely exploded, and people are having opportunities left and right to get together and train not only just one other person, but multiple other people, you know, here in the Birmingham chapter, getting the dogs in that environment and seeing people, you know, month after month as we revisit, and we do it about once a month, as we get back together, seeing all the dogs like start to do better. It's that's pretty cool how all that works. I mean, it's amazing to see the progress. Like, especially the first time you go out, the dogs are just jacked. The next month you go out, it's like, wow, we're starting to see some improvement. By the third, like, whoa, totally different dogs.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, absolutely. I I've I've noticed that in uh working with other dogs. Um just, you know, all the dogs will be on edge, they'd be running around, not acting like they would act and when it was just be a one-on-one session. And uh the more you do that and the more you put them in that environment, the calmer they get and know what the routine is. And um you you just it gets easier.
SPEAKER_01:100%. And you know, a lot of that comes to the way you train together with other people too. You know, there's a lot of clubs out there across the country, uh, the HRC and AKC, they've been doing stuff for years, and that's fantastic, especially if you're running tests. But when you start talking about the situations that we're in here, we're talking about having teams work together. Because in the blind, when there's chaos, there's five, six, eight guns in there, and you got a dog on each end, first of all, communication can be a challenge if you're on two separate ends of the blind. You gotta really make sure you talk to each other first, like, okay, how we you gotta be a good communicator. But second of all, you've got to get your, like you said, your dog working with other dogs in the field. And not a lot of people are trained that way. So that's one of the things that we've integrated into Cornerstone and and the way that we kind of have made it a pillar. We want all the dogs out together, working together, learning to handle the chaos. Because if they can handle that, they can handle just about they can handle just about anything. So it's interesting you say that because you're right, when you do get in that environment and that competitive nature kicks up, that's something you gotta watch out for. Let me ask you this: other than just training your dog with other people, what's some like little tidbits you've learned to do in the blind now that you are aware, like, okay, I need to anticipate if there's another dog in the blind, what's just a couple of little small items or small things that you do that helps, you know, with a dog that is prone to breaking?
SPEAKER_03:Um I'm not c I'm not uh not proud of it, but um there's been times I've had to leash my dog just just for the safety of the dog. But I don't do it just for that. It's if you get that dog to stay once you f beat that hurdle, it's it's done. You won't have to go back to it if you stay consistent with it. But you let them flip one time, and and it's it's just like a kid slipping their hand in the cookie jar, they're gonna go back.
SPEAKER_01:Every time they're gonna go back. So it's good. I mean the cookies taste good. Those dogs taste pretty good to those dogs, they got fired up about it.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. You know, the market has the market has uh breakaway devices now that you can buy and and put in the blind with you, and if I had a dog that was breaking constantly, that's exactly what I would do. Um I I put one in on a heartbeat just for the dog safety. Nobody wants to see their dog shot. Nobody 100%. Nobody I know that handles dogs wants to see their dog shot. And and I wouldn't want to put that on another hunter. You know, to know that that happened and get their experience out there in the field. So it's a big thing. It's a big thing for me. And and then, you know, as embarrassing and it might be to some folks to have to leash their dog or tie their dog with a tie out device. A breaking breaking device. It's just what you gotta do. It's not a it's not an everyday thing. You won't have to forever if you just stay consistent.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's the key, and like a lot of people miss that. And I'm glad to hear and there is no shame in putting that steady tab on the dog or leashing the dog. I do think if it's coming down to the point that you're using a a a breaking device, then we got other problems that we probably need to work through. But slapping that lead on there real quick is important because you understand this one component. As you said, it's like going to the cookie jar. So if the dog breaks, the reason it's such a problem is number one, it's amplified because of the gunfire. So their senses are already heightened, which means you're essentially more rapidly teaching this dog this skill. But number two, it's a reinforcement. The dog picks up the bird. And you gotta think, if you've been training your dog its whole life and it learns that reinforcement is go pick something up, then it's just been hyper-reinforced to go pick up a dog because it breaks. So it is imperative, and that's why those first series of hunts are so important and probably worth having a lead on the dog for the first lots of hunts until they they learn that the reinforcement is sit steady when the owner says go, then go pick up the bird. That's the plan. Absolutely. But that reinforcement is is so crucial. So I'm I'm glad you're saying that, and I hope that encourages anybody, like, hey, if you if you're even remotely concerned that your dog would break, put the lead on temporarily. Start paying attention to your dog, set the gun down, give your dog opportunities to sit steady, and if it doesn't tug on that lead, it's in the dog. If your dog tugs on the lead, don't even let it pick up the bird that time, because then what you're actually reinforcing is that behavior of tugging or breaking forward equals no bird. Then the next volley of birds, the dog sits there, doesn't tug, then you release it. Then the dog starts to make a connection. Oh, if I sit steady or still, I get to go pick up the bird. And that's as simple as it is, but in real-world scenarios, the excitement can get to you if you're not careful. And that's why they make gun cases for you to put that gun right in that case, set it back behind you, and watch it, watch your dog.
SPEAKER_03:But once you uh I'm I'm I'm 100% uh confident, once you get it, once that dog sees that there's no reward in tugging, there's no reward in breaking, and you continue to reinforce that, carry, carry a leash with you when you go hunt. Carry a tab with you whenever you go hunt. It's not hard. Those tabs are great because you can just reach right over, hold the tab. If the dog doesn't break, doesn't move, doesn't lunge forward, release the dog, leave the tab on them. You don't have to worry about a leash dragging, catching, or whatever. Uh those tabs are probably one of the best things to throw in your blind bag if you if you're taking your dog.
SPEAKER_01:100%. And like you said, it gets better too. Once you've done it enough and they're reinforced, you're good. And then maybe just be aware if you hunt by yourself normally, but maybe you're going on a guided hunt. Maybe you've got a buddy tagging along with a dog. If that's going to be the case, you know, maybe maybe tag the dog there, make sure it's nice and secure just in case when you introduce that new variable so that it never learns it. And that that's the big thing. So I hope we're helping. And this is the we'll air this in the middle of the hunting season. So there's a lot of dog hunters out there right now that are hunting after birds or their dogs that probably have some not steady dogs. If you're listening to this, it's as simple as what he's saying there. Let's make our dogs be steady so we can have better dogs and keep it safe too. I mean, that's a that's a big thing. Safety is if you know, if I can't convince you any other way, just let safety be the convincer.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, absolutely, because we all want to go home at the end of the day. Dog included.
SPEAKER_01:100%. What's been your favorite, most memorable memorable retrieve to date with your pup so far?
SPEAKER_03:Uh it was I'm gonna say it was probably last year. Um and I had a friend in the blind get a portion of it on video. Uh of course, a cripple sailor out in the middle of the field, probably I don't know, 200, 250 yards away. Ooh. It's a big one. The dog gets a line, goes out to it, and uh she's not much of a jumper. Jumping in the bed of the pickup truck is about as about as high off the ground as you're gonna get her. She jumped clear five foot after this, uh after this goose. And I don't remember if it was uh I think it was a snow goose. Uh clear five foot after this goose, grabs it in midair and then brings it back and just of course I was facing the other way, so I was I only got to view it on the video. But it was it was like it was epic.
SPEAKER_01:That's absolutely insane. That's what it's about. I it's hard to beat. Like that's when the moments all culminate together into this like glorious experience, and it's like, wow. So who did it the other people on the blind see it? I mean, obviously your buddy did if he was beating it. The whole blind was cheering it on, and I was watching the cripple over the back side of the blind at the time.
SPEAKER_03:Because I I knew I'd give her a line. I knew she saw the bird and she was gone. And I just at that point I happened to turn around and and look for the other cripple, and I'm I missed the glorious shot of the snatch.
SPEAKER_01:So Wow, that says something though. You you trusted your dog enough on that big of a retrieve that once you give it the line that it was going to take it, that you're willing to turn around and and make sure that you're doing the right thing and get as many birds as possible. That's that means you had a lot of trust in your dog. And that honestly, even though you didn't get to see that, I think that describes the partnership. This like one retriever here describes the partnership better than anything. Like we're a team out here. We're trying to do this together. And y'all that's a true team effort right there.
SPEAKER_03:Yep, 100%. That's the bond you get.
unknown:Man.
SPEAKER_01:Well, man, there we've covered so much. What what do you have to say to people out there right now? Any any like things on the tip of your tongue, just thoughts like you feel like, hey, you know, you knew you're gonna be on here. Like, I I feel like I need to tell somebody this in regards to their dog. Is there any advice you would give to anybody that that could use some help?
SPEAKER_03:So I've I've had a lot of people get uh get new dogs in the past year, uh, people that have been to my house, um, seen my dogs, seen their demeanor, their their obedience. Um, and a lot of them, of course, have seen my videos, my stories that I posted on social media over the past week, and I've been getting calls, I've been getting calls about where'd you get your dog. I just had to put my dog down last week. What breeder do you use? What program who trained your dog? Um, one of the guys I hunted with over the past few weeks, he he he was the one that uh I found out this morning, had to put his dog down the other week, and and he was asking me these questions. He's like, Man, your your dog is just it's phenomenal. Uh the way your training has worked. And uh he's like, I I want to repeat that. Whether I repeat it or I find somebody that's in that program to repeat it. He's a business owner, so you know, not everybody has the time, but I'm telling you, if you just if you're on the fence about whether this program works, it works. You just have to put in the time. And it'll have to be hours a day, 10 or 15 minutes.
SPEAKER_01:I think all of us have 10 or 15 minutes that we can carve out. Well, Sean, that's amazing advice. And we're just so happy to celebrate your story here because this has been incredible. And I think you're right. Yeah, 10 minutes a day, that's pretty much all you got to put in. If you can put in that amount of time, you can have the time with your dog. And yeah, I would I would have another question for people. Hey, if you can't put the 10 minutes a day, is it worth having a dog right now in the season? That's just my thoughts on it. You know, because if you can't do 10 minutes a day, that's we're not a long time. That's not a long time, just 10 minutes. Wow.
SPEAKER_03:Yep. Gotta get you started for sure.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. Well, man, this has been amazing. I'm excited for you. Can't wait to hear more and uh excited for your daughter's taxidermy d journey there. I mean, those are some incredible mounts. So uh maybe we'll be sending some y'all's way. We've got I think we've got a couple of birds we need to get mounted. So, man, thank you so much for taking the time to share. And I know this has been inspiring for me. I've got some notes here that I'm gonna that I was thinking about as you were talking. I need to remember that myself. Um, so just thank you for taking the time to share with us.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely, absolutely. I appreciate you having me.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks for listening to the Build From Here podcast. To learn more about retriever training or our podcast, visit Cornerstone GundogAcademy.com slash podcast.