We participated in Central Oregon NAVHDA testing rently, running three dogs: two in Natural Ability, Caper and Birdie, and one in the Utility Test, Ila.

The CaperTot had great field and water portions but let her excitement during the track get the better of her, veering downwind off her track and following those of the dogs run before her. She earned maximum scores in everything else to finish with a 108/112 points Prize II! What is noteworthy is only three Drents have passed the NA test at 7-months of age, and Caper’s score happens to be the highest! We are very happy with her enthusiastic performance!!

​Ila and I ran the UT test, my first ever. Long story short, she and Fizzy both sync'd up their heat cycles, and both decided going "all in" on full blown false pregnancies the week rolling into the test was the thing to do. Sadly, this one turned out to be one of the worst she has had. In all honesty, we thought about scratching her several times. But I had paid, no refunds available, and I needed the experience. With Ila's work ethic in the toilet, constant whining and her belly covered and matted in milk crust, we threw caution to the wind and did it.
 
Tightening up her story here, where/when she performed, she did some really nice work! Her Field phase received nearly perfect marks, and the "steady by the blind and retrieve of shot duck" sequence received top marks. Unfortunately, the wheels came off on her duck drag, normally a favorite of hers. While she managed to get out there and followed the track nicely, she then spooked at the judge hiding near the duck for observation and refused to return with it. This is not where I had expected to find trouble, but Ila does become spooky in a false pregnancy…

​Her duck search is one of her most favorite things in the world to do. Her swimming exploits, and love of harassing waterfowl are the kinds of things tall tales are made of. Yet, for Ila, being started with gun fire has resulted in a 50/50 shot of either going out like normal or her more or less not going and looking confused. This is what I was worried about, and this was the side of the coin I got on the day.
 
Naturally, after the test was over, she was allowed to go swim, and she did her normal thing – swimming, crashing through the tule, and getting her mouth on two ducks…how desperately I wanted the judges, who were relaxing at their trucks, to see her then!

​I couldn’t have hoped for a better judging panel. I was treated with respect and was never made to feel worse than I already was. Brandon Smith is a judge for others to aspire to emulate. He gained a tremendous amount of respect from me that day.
 
Ila managed to scratch out a 165, no prize. Which all things considered, speaks volumes to the quality of work she did do for me. Onwards and upwards! Had a few things gone just enough better, she could have really surprised us with a better-than-expected result.

​The real star of the day was Birdie, and her run has a fun story to go along with it. Birdie did not have to do the pheasant track portion of her test because the judges were able to observe her track during the field search part of the day. During her field search, she had pointed a chukar, which then proceeded to visibly run out ahead of us (we could see it, she could not). After a few moments, her point softened and she moved forward with purpose, clearly tracking the scent of the chukar moving through the grass and sage brush. It stopped in a big brush pile, where she attempted to go back on point, before being a typical puppy and pouncing the bush.
 
We were informed after the judges' meeting that she would not need to do the pheasant track because they had seen enough to give her a score in that area. Without outright saying it, that essentially means that she didn't need improvement in any of the her other scores that the track could possibly have provided (use of nose, desire, cooperation, and even pointing, because they can actually get pointing credit for finding and pointing the pheasant at the end of the track!)

So needless to say, we are really proud of the not-so-little dog and very happy to report she earned herself a 112 Prize I! She was happy and confident throughout the day, enthusiastic to do the thing she loves, and cooperative during the exam of her coat, teeth, eyes and general conformation. If her retrieve comes along, I have no doubt she will be killing it in the GDT or UT test in the years to come…we also came home to her AKC Puppy of Achievment Certificate in our mailbox – Giddyap!

​I was extended an invitation to join an Oregon Controlled Sage Grouse hunt a few months ago by an old friend, and naturally I jumped on the chance and submitted my application for the chosen areas. Then the waiting began… and I was lucky to be drawn for the area we were all hoping to get!
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A little bit of background on Oregon’s controlled Sage Grouse hunt: Oregon has the most conservative hunting season on Sage Grouse out of all the states which allow hunting of the species. All areas where the birds may be found have been broken down into units, each with their own limited number of tags to be drawn. A unit may allow as few as 25 tags, or as many as 100, or something in between. The limit for the entire season is only two birds! With that, Oregon is allowing their Sage Grouse to be hunted, but only at a level well below what the area can support. Of interest, it is assumed up to 30% of those drawn don’t even get out to hunt! 

​With that all being said, getting out to hunt Sage Grouse in Oregon is amazing, and the number of other hunters you will encounter is very limited, as you might expect with a Controlled Hunt. These locations, in general, are also well off the beaten path, with very limited service, or none at all. This goes well beyond cell service, to fuel, food, and supplies – so if you don’t have it, don’t plan on getting it.
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Nick, Dominic, and I assembled near Burns, OR and convoyed to our camp location, situated deep within Oregon’s Owyhee country. With a long trundle over some rough BLM roads, we quickly tossed together camp and deployed Nick’s side by side UTV to scout the area we were most interested in. The trail was incredibly rough, the country so big, the vistas stunning, and Dom’s expired Gardetto's snacks tasted better than ever.

​We investigated several likely spots for sign and weren’t disappointed. We even spied a covey of Chukar close to the trail. Shortly after turning back towards camp, feeling satisfied with a half-baked plan for the morning, the check engine light on the UTV began to shine brightly. No additional error codes shown. We checked the fluids and even cleaned a surprising amount of moon dust out of the air filter. The warning light cleared for a moment, then returned for good… We parked the rig just off the trail and began the long walk back to camp with the sun in a hurry to retire for the day. For the moment the storms, off in the distance held their stance, but the air temps dropped as the wind picked up. Nick was the most prepared, but in the big scheme of things, it wasn’t much. Thankfully he shared his jacket with me, since I run cold! Dom had brought a puppy along, and that was it. A long walk, what we estimated to be a solid six miles, perhaps as the crow could fly to camp, but not as the trail ran. 

​Spirits remained high as we walked as rapidly as the trail would allow, marveling over Dom’s little pup zipping to and fro non-stop. After about an hour, Nick pulled up his OnX and declared we still had five miles to go. I have to admit, I felt a little bit defeated, I want to think Dom did as well. We had the glow of the sun reflecting off the clouds, and each other…we walked. After what felt like a long time, in the last remaining glow of the sun, Nick pulled up his OnX and updated us. Only five more miles to go! Now wait just a minute! We checked our own OnXs and we were on the correct track and had been making progress. I didn’t have the heart to measure – just walk. It was dark, the winds blustering, and on occasion we were given a few light drizzles of rain. This was getting interesting.

​We made it to the one area on the trail that had cell service, and Dom texted the last remaining member of the party our situation, and Aaron knew to head our way versus get comfortable at camp. In the end, he found us about half a mile from camp.  Still, it never felt so good to catch that ride! The wind continued to pick up, it was late, and that was a wrap. Over 700 words in, and we haven’t even hunted…
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Hunting the next morning we were gifted with dramatic skies, which only served to take what was already beautiful to a whole new level. I love days like this. We picked a totally different area to hunt from what we had scouted, several miles away no less. A super interesting area that looked like Sage Grouse. Aaron and Dom took one loop, Nick and I the other most likely loop. Nick and I found sign here and there, but nothing as fresh as what we were hoping for. Nick and I spread out a bit more to cover more area. As it goes, within a short while, he was able to get a nice point, lots of photos, and a shot! At about this time, I’m watching grouse fly from the hilltop in front of me in fits and spurts. Aaron, had taken his two grouse via .410 in short order – giddyap!

​We explored more and made more contact. I’m now of the impression hunting Sage Grouse on the high desert is much like hunting Pheasent in thin cover. They either flush well outside of range, hunker down and let you pass, or run like hell then pop smoke and disappear like some kind of mad David Copperfield trick even with multiple dogs in pursuit.
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Nearly 1,000words in, and I have yet to even shoot, and the Can-Am rescue operation has yet to take place… oh, my. Getting to the point isn’t always my strongest suit, but hey if you have made it this far, I’ll try to be a little more succinct.

​We had all agreed that once it became too hot to run the dogs to hunt, we would mount the recovery operation for the UTV, and so we did. As we trundled and bounced along, Aaron indicated he had seen grouse from the trail. They flew, some left and some right. I dropped Ila without a collar, wearing my sneakers, we took off on a trajectory that if I guessed right, would put her under the grouse. It worked! She became birdy and began stalking. Before she established a point, the grouse flew. It was in range of my 28, and I shot. It rocked and dropped a leg but continued – shit! The double tap, it rocked again. Its friend came along side, and it redoubled its effort instead of crashing to Mother Earth. I was panicked. The two  flew a good 100 yards or so when the hit bird suddenly quit, and his buddy landed nearby. Moving towards the birds had Ila and I moving with the wind, so I had to be mindful of where I thought they went down to be able to move her back into favorable winds. Without Ila, the downed bird would never have been found, let alone recovered. They look like any one of a million rocks strewn about the landscape. Now for the long walk back to the trucks in the broiling heat.

​Rather inadvertently, I watch a fair amount of Matt’s Offroad Recovery on YouTube, which comes up frequently between my investment and cooking shows. We got the Can-Am rigged up and safely towed back to camp and would have made Matt proud! We settled in for dinner and talked about what we had seen thus far. In short, lots of Sage Grouse and not a single walk ended with a zero for contact. From one to a few dozen, pretty incredible. They were beginning to make me think more and more of hunting pheasants but out in the open desert; you might be gifted with an opportunity, but more than likely, you are going to have to work for your opportunity. They run, they hide, they get up out of range to either fly only a short way, or head off to a new zip code and they fly way faster than you think. It was dark, and I thought it was bedtime, and that is when Dom announced it was time to visit the geezers he had met earlier in the morning at their camp – sure why not?

​We packed our chairs, a few snacks, and a couple of beers and headed out. We shared hunting stories and bad jokes with Griff, Jim, and John. They were a hoot to spend time with. Poor John took a ribbing for his 12-gauge Ruger Red Label. I mean everyone loves a Red Label, but many need a pack mule to schlep one around due to the weight. Not John. Despite his age and smallish stature, he’s tougher than woodpecker lips! Hats off to you sir It was a late night, and I think we all slept well. The night was calm, and the morning came far too quickly.

​I took a few days off from writing as I wasn’t exactly sure how to wrap this story up. I think hunters might get it… We had a great crew of guys, we hunted a spectacular area – really a tiny subsection of the unit we had drawn, yet there were plenty of places to hunt, and plenty of Sage Grouse to hunt. Every hunt produced at least one bird, and in most cases many more regardless of time of day or heat. I learned a lot about Sage Grouse and their habitat. The difference between what is right, and what is a long walk, is subtle. But, once you know the difference, it does tend to stand out. We saw huge Boomers, mature males, and young of the season. It would be worth going out in the spring when they are on the Lek to watch their ceremonial dancing.

​I think I became a Sage Grouse hunter on this past trip and taking one bird is plenty enough. They are mediocre table fair, and heaven forbid you take a fully mature adult! The few I have taken over the years didn’t match the toxic sage storm produced by a mature hen Nick described in his kitchen! A Sage Grouse hunt is as much about the land and the company as it is about these amazing prehistoric native birds.
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For more information feel free to reach out, to book a hunt look no further that Bachman Bay Outdoors for your very own Oregon Sage Grouse adventure.

​These days there really are some amazing resources available to prospective and active breeders to enrich their breeding programs and puppies. However, we haven’t seen much coverage of: Early Potty Training. So, this is where we would like to start. Hopefully, future columns will be produced based on your request(s).

​​Over the years Jenna and I have used a range of systems; some have worked better than others… over the past several litters, we have homed in on one system, and made refinements in both the equipment, method, and management which have delivered better, and better results for our puppy clients. To spare you the history of this evolution, we’ll delve right into where we are, and how we do it.

Whelping Box: Part 1
Initially, one might think there isn’t much to do with days-old pups, as their mother does most, if not all, of the heavy lifting. We still have an important role to play! As a point of reference, the whelping box we use for our Drents is approximately 4’x4’. We have found the use of thick synthetic fleece (also known as VetFleece), with super absorbent Lennypads underneath to be highly effective. The fleece sets the stage from day one by wicking liquids down and away from the puppies, keeping them clean, dry and warm. While the bedding area the puppies contact will almost always feel dry to touch, their bedding will still need to be changed every 24 hours or so. Don’t let the fleece fool you, the pad underneath will be soaked! Our mantra for the whole time we have the pups, “When in doubt, change it out”.

​Whelping Box: Part 2
The exact timing varies from litter to litter, however, once the pups are getting mobile and doing their business more and more on their own, this is your sign it’s time to change things up. This is when we introduce disposable potty pads and cover at least a third of the whelping box with them. You can usually get about this much covered while still leaving mom space to maneuver around. Initially, we simply cover their normal bedding and tuck the edges of the pads under the frame of the whelping box to help deter the pups from pulling at the pads. The expectations here are pretty low, but when you approach the box and the pups get woke up and excited, prompting the need to potty. Simply lift them onto the pads and praise them when they go. For the record, they will be pretty indiscriminate where they go, and that’s okay. It is important to note that the disposable pads are slick to the pups, and this lack of traction can be a hinderance. Also, these young pups have no control over their bladder. They go when they need to go. But in time they will start choosing to not do their business in the non-potty pad area more and more. Some pups will adapt quicker, some slower. We still strip out and clean their normal bedding every 24 hours, and we change out the potty pads as needed, ideally leaving a lightly soiled pad in play as that tends to attract them to potty in the “dirty” area.

​Whelping Box: Part 3
At a certain point, your puppies will be getting bigger and need more space to play and sleep, and the potty area will begin to seem too big for them for the size of their area. If they are using it pretty well, you may begin experimenting with making the potty area slightly smaller by a few inches. Our pups tend to stay in this configuration until they are about 4-weeks of age. While you want to guard against having your puppies confined in an area too small, giving them an area too big runs contrary to their potty training. This “in-between” time is short, generally less than a week and is more or less dependent on the size of the litter. When in doubt an extra day in the tight quarters is probably right.

​1st expansion: Phase 1
This is when our pups get their first big change in physical living quarters and their area is doubled. From 4’x4’ to 4’x8’. The new added area is 100% potty zone and this is when our potty trays with artificial turf are introduced. The trays are available via Amazon and are amazing! The trays consist of a simple ‘rabbit tray’ you put potty pads in, with made to size grates that fit over the pads, then covered by thick artificial turf with drainage holes.

The added area not covered by the tray/turf systems needs to be covered with disposable potty pads, all the way up to (and under) their normal bedding, which would now be in the original whelping box space. You will find that the puppies readily take to the grass mats – it’s pretty amazing. Still it will take time for full adoption, and many will get a paw on the pad, and the rear end will not be on… it still counts, as we have been informed by their Union Representative, Ila.

Initially, do not create a gap between potty pads and living area. This gap is made of lava and will not likely be crossed and cause the pups to begin soiling their living area. Make no mistake, there will still be liquid mistakes made in the living area, in particular along the edge of the potty area. As you might have expected, the 24 hour strip out/clean out rule still applies to their bedding and potty trays.
Grass mat & potty tray maintenance: poops can be picked up as needed using toilet paper and flushed away. After 24 hours, the grass mats will need to be hauled out, potty pads inspected and replaced as needed. We use Rescue Veterinary Disinfectant to clean the trays, grates, and flooring areas as needed. Fresh grass mats are installed, and you’re off to the races. The soiled grass mats are cleaned using a little bit of dish soap, and high-pressure water, top and bottom. Then doused with a generous application of Nature’s Miricle Urine Destroyer, given a light scrub in, then hung in a sunny area to drain and dry. Our current mats have seen four litters and they do not stink, still!

​1st expansion: Phase 2
By now you have a well-established routine for your pups, and their natural cycles. If you are really clever, you can add in shuttling them outside prior to their morning or afternoon potty time: this is pro-level stuff here and can be a lot to juggle.
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What is easy, is to create the potty zone gap. At first, try only an inch and see how it goes. If suddenly the puppies bulk at crossing the lava zone, shrink it up to just a sliver. Regardless of where your litter starts, every other day, you will make the gap slightly larger. If the pups begin using the “lava zone”, but not the grass mats, the gap became too big too fast for them. Remember the pups are the ones who decide the pace of this action. Simply reverse course and hold the old gap for another day or two before resuming enlarging it again.
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During this time, you will need a second temporary area to hold your pups during tear out and clean up. We either build a side pen or close them off in our kitchen. Ideally, you can put them on an extra-large whelping mat with a waterproof backing, with an extra, clean, ready-to-use potty tray.
The pups will have days that are better than others, but generally speaking they will be drawn to use the grass mats because of the traction they offer. Very quickly all of their poops will be on the grass mats, and their pees will soon follow.

​2nd expansion and beyond:
Whelping box expansions are always needed. Giving the growing pups adequate space helps to reduce stress within the litter. Additionally, there are a myriad of things to offer and do within the whelping box to help in the development of the puppies. However those are outside the scope of this article, and great fodder for another! Since we are focused on early potty training here, rapid expansion tends to run contrary to developing the habit of moving away from their living space to an area that is not just accessible but inviting to go potty.
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Much like before, the space will become more and more cramped with the growth of the pups and you will be tempted to expand again. Again, we will delay the expansion based on the puppies use of the potty trays. Their living area will become slightly congested, but not so much that one or more pups start lounging on the grass mats. Remember, at this point they really just need room to sleep and maybe do a bit of play. That being said, you may find that your litter will use one tray almost exclusively and leave the other alone. If a pup is lounging on the “clean” tray, don’t fret.

Once they are ready for more space, we have a wide range of solutions available to us. But typically, we add two half-panels enlarging their space to approximately 6’x8’. This is when their living and play area really gets a boost, and there is room to add a small kennel, etc. Still, it is very important to delineate the living area from the potty area. Do NOT put a kennel box, bedding, or play area immediately adjacent to the potty area. If they can step out of a kennel or get out of a bed onto the potty area within a step or two, it's too close. The association we want to continue to build on is for the puppy to move away from living areas, to appropriate potty areas.
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During this phase we tend to see, if we have forgotten to put the extra tray in the temporary pen, it isn’t uncommon to have a puppy get fussy. We can open the pen, and allow the puppy to either go outside, or have access to their main pen and they go to the newly installed potty tray and immediately go or go outside and use the potty tray we forgot to bring in that is stored adjacent to our back door.

​With weather permitting, you can even design a chute of sorts from pen to your yard and call them through to the great outdoors to further build the association of going out to potty.
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Most litters will need a third and possibly a fourth expansion. Again, we follow the same parameters on expanding their living space. Once it becomes a little bit congested and starts getting tight, but tension within the litter hasn’t escalated, it is time to add space. It's important to note here that by the end of their time with you, the overall space needed for a litter is not small. With our most recent litter, the puppies took up the entirety of our office, which is easily a 12'x14' room. You must provide a large enough potty area that the entire litter is able to use it without it becoming "full" instantly. For us this means using 2-3 grass trays at a time, lined up along the far side of the pen.
Ideally the potty area is against a back wall, away from where you would approach their area. Even the cleanest of pups will gleefully trample a well-used potty tray. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination of the mess this would create…

Final thoughts:
Yes, this is labor intensive, and your laundry will be busy. However your puppies will be clean, and they will want to be clean. Your whelping box will also be clean, and not smell bad (except for certain special times)