By David DiBenedetto

I talk to a lot of gun dog trainers in the process of writing this blog, and one training message gets delivered over and over: You need to think like a dog. Recently I received a new book that helped illuminate how a dog thinks. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowtz is not aimed at gun dog owners nor is it a training guide. But it did provide some insight into the world of the dog. Here are a few things I found interesting and helpful:

By David DiBenedetto

On Saturday Pritch and I attended our first hunt test in Fort Lawn, S.C. The event was hosted by the Carolina Boykin Spaniel Retriever Club, and I entered Pritch in the puppy division (6 to 12 months).

By David DiBenedetto

The other day I was talking with a couple of friends about the dog training command we couldn’t live without. All three of my buddies argued you could do nothing if your dog didn’t know SIT. And I agree. You need the dog to SIT for a variety of reasons, including sending it on a blind retrieve. If you can’t get it to SIT then you don’t have much. In fact, you may want to take up competitive bumper pool.

By David DiBenedetto

I’m often told by those who don’t live in the South that golf courses are prime places to train a gun dog. I laugh and tell them golf courses are a good place to watch your dog get eaten by a 'gator. For the most part, they don’t get it. Our ponds in South Carolina are loaded with large alligators—and even some of our tidal creeks.