Hunt Test Hobo Podcast
Welcome to the Hunt Test Hobo Podcast, your place for truck side chats and deep insights into the retriever game await.
Hosted by Chris Rud, a fellow retriever enthusiast and student of the game, this podcast is your go-to resource whether you're just dipping your toes into the retriever world or you're a seasoned handler looking to sharpen your skills.
Join us each week as we delve into the intricacies of retriever training, offering a blend of tips, tricks, and wisdom from both amateur enthusiasts and seasoned professionals. From tales of triumph to strategies for overcoming challenges, we explore it all, with a shared passion for forging unbreakable bonds with our loyal companions.
So grab your coffee, hop into the truck, and let's embark on this retriever adventure together. This is the Hunt Test Hobo Podcast, and I'm Chris Rud. Let's dive in.
Hunt Test Hobo Podcast
EP 52: When Hunting Season Breaks Your Dog’s Training
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of the Hunt Test Hobo Podcast, Chris Rud and Tyler Brenner sit down for a classic truck-side style conversation about the realities of training dogs as an amateur.
Chris shares the latest adventures of “hobo training”—getting kicked out of training grounds, battling Midwest wind storms, hauling wingers around with an e-bike, and squeezing meaningful work into short solo sessions. If you’ve ever trained alone, improvised setups, or wondered how pros and amateurs approach the game differently, this episode will hit home.
The conversation then shifts into practical training insight as Chris and Tyler break down what they focus on right after hunting season ends. They discuss resetting dogs that have relied too heavily on their nose during hunting season, rebuilding visual marking habits, and why this time of year is perfect for drills, marking concepts, and communication work between handler and dog.
Topics include:
- Resetting dogs after hunting season
- Using white bumpers and visual aids to rebuild marking
- Teaching marking concepts like hip pockets, pinches, and in-line triples
- Why drills are critical during the transition season
- Re-establishing fundamentals with tune-up drills
- Early-season water work and revisiting cheating concepts
- Poison birds and maintaining handling discipline
Whether you're coming out of waterfowl season or gearing up for spring hunt tests, this episode gives you practical ideas for getting your dog back into training mode.