1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Welcome to the Foundation's podcast. I'm your host, 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:08,479 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson, and today is all about when reality crashes 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: into our dreams of perfect dogs and perfect hunts and 4 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: what that means for our off season. You know how 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: everyone is just super pissed off lately and we all 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: want to kill each other and everything sucks. Well, part 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: of that, at least in my extremely unprofessional opinion, stems 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: from us just being exposed to so much BS in 9 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,200 Speaker 1: our lives. We go online and everywhere return. It's propaganda 10 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: mostly meant to either divide us or sell us something, 11 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: and often those two are way closer linked than they 12 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,599 Speaker 1: might seem. We just know what reality is for all 13 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: of us, and it's not as much fun as it 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: was before everyone had access to us all the time 15 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: and the algorithms got so good that they could just 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: ruin our days. Reality can suck, but not all reality 17 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: checks have to. Sometimes they point us in a better direction. 18 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: And when that happens in the world of you know, 19 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: being a bird dog owner, it's actually a pretty good 20 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: thing as long as we don't fight it, which is 21 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: what I'm going to talk about right now. Right before 22 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: January ended, I loaded up the dark Barker and pointed 23 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: my truck down into the left to go to Nebraska. 24 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: On the way, I was supposed to pick up my 25 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: cameraman and Sue fall south Dakota. Now I wasn't fifteen 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 1: minutes down the road when he called me to say 27 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: that it seemed pretty unlikely he'd make his connecting flight, 28 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: which is one of those things that just happens a 29 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: lot in my world. With nothing to do but keep driving, 30 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: I figured I'd be fast asleep at the hotel by 31 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: the time he landed, but it would eventually work out. 32 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: I also didn't realize that the weather that had his 33 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: flight plans all messed up was also waiting for me. 34 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: I wasn't through the cities before I saw a semi 35 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: jackknife across the northbound lanes of Highway one sixty nine, 36 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: and that told me a lot. And then my truck 37 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: decided to do a little freestyle driving on the ice, 38 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: which told me a lot more. It became clear that 39 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: the easy four hour drive I was expecting just wasn't 40 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: going to happen. And by the time it got dark, 41 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: the snow was blowing sideways in the worst white out 42 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,679 Speaker 1: I've ever driven in, which is saying something. As a 43 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: native Minnesotan, it was brutal, and there were several times 44 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: where I just had to keep my tires on the 45 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: rumble strip and keep going because that was the only 46 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: way I knew I was on the road. I wasn't 47 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: even halfway to my destination when I pulled into a 48 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: hotel parking lot and accepted my defeat. The next morning, 49 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: it dawned crazy cold and clear, and I made the 50 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: last half of the drive to pick up my cameraman. 51 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: We eventually pulled into a chunk of public land in 52 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: northern Nebraska to start filming some pheasants flushing and hopefully 53 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 1: also falling to the ground. It took all of about 54 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: two minutes before we actually put up a rooster in range, 55 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: and when Sadie brought him back to me, I figured 56 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 1: we were really onto something. But that was the only 57 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: rooster of the day. Despite flushing a lot of birds, 58 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: almost all of which knew that magic distance where they 59 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: were almost close enough to cause me to light up 60 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: both barrels but just not quite there. I didn't care 61 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: too much because we were headed to hunt private land 62 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: quail the next morning, and then off to find some 63 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: prairie chickens and sharp tails in the sand hills. Now, 64 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: when we showed up to a friend of a friend's 65 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: ranch to hunt some quail, his dad decided to help 66 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: us out and show us where they'd been seeing some covees. 67 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: We tried a few spots, came up blank, and he 68 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: told us to hop in with him and he'd drive 69 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: to a few pivot corners that might hold some bob whites. Now, 70 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: we hunted the first spot, and it seemed pretty clear 71 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: that we were fighting a losing battle. The cover just 72 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: wasn't right and it just didn't have the right feel, 73 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: But we kept going until one point he drove his 74 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: truck across a chopped cornfield, and those popping stocks in 75 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: the general noise of it freaked Sadie out. I didn't 76 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: see it coming, because how do you see something like 77 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: that coming with your dogs? And she took off as 78 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: fast as a prime age four year old lab and 79 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: good hunting condition can run, with about thirty yards in 80 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: her rear view mirror, she hid an old barbed wire fence, 81 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: which was one of the more violent things I've witnessed 82 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: with bird dogs. I knew our hunt was over as 83 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: soon as it happened, and was genuinely surprised that she 84 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: wasn't in worse shape when I called her back to me. 85 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: She had a pretty good cut in her ear, but 86 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: nothing that wouldn't heal on its own, and some superficial 87 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: cuts on her belly. But then I noticed ay not 88 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: so superficial cut in the loose skin between her belly 89 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: and the inside of her thigh. While it looked like 90 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: it was just the skin and not really any muscle 91 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: or anything worse underneath which I could see, it was 92 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: the kind of hole in your dog that you'd rather 93 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 1: not leave to chance. What had been a carefully planned 94 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: out hunt to build a film around became an exercise 95 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: in finding an emergency vet in the middle of very 96 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: rural part of Nebraska. Now we got lucky on that front, 97 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: finally finding a vet clinic in Atkinson, Nebraska that not 98 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: only does amazing work, but is full of the nicest 99 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: people in an area chock full of really nice people. 100 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: That was the plus side, but the downsides were many. 101 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: Thought them a lot as I drove through another ice 102 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: storm home and realized how lucky I've been with my 103 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: dogs on trips over the years. We've never had a 104 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,159 Speaker 1: serious injury, and the two times my dogs have spent 105 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: the night at emergency vet clinics, we're both for eating 106 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: something bad, and both with my dog Luna. Not that 107 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: that really matters, but the porcupines and the random country 108 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: traffic and fences and sketchy ice and all of the 109 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: things that can turn a good day into a bad 110 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: one in an instant had mostly left us alone. It 111 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: actually made me feel lucky and also reminded me that 112 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: it's not a matter of if something goes wrong if 113 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: you do this enough, but when and how bad. Reality 114 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: often comes screeching into our lives, and it's usually not 115 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: very much fun. But there's a different way we can 116 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: mess up with our dogs, and it's not quite the 117 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 1: same thing as watching them slam headfirst into an old 118 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: barber ware fence, but the damage happens anyway, and it sucks. 119 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: This comes in the form of unrealistic expectations on our 120 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: end about our dogs. Couple this with a false reed 121 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,600 Speaker 1: on ourselves as dog owners, and we can do our 122 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: four legged hunting buddies dirty real fast. Now, with the 123 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: first point, consider how often someone you know has said, 124 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: or maybe you've said, something like this that goes. I 125 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: want a dog that will hunt pheasants and waterfall all 126 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: day long, but does embark our wine and also has 127 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,600 Speaker 1: an amazing off switch at home. The dog should also 128 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:27,239 Speaker 1: be highly trainable, good with kids, able to handle twelve 129 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: hours a day in a crate, and can only be 130 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: some obscure breed. I'm being a little facetious here, a little, 131 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: but the truth is that a lot of people approach 132 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: getting a new dog like they would if they were 133 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: ordering a cheeseburger in a restaurant. You know, I want 134 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: it medium well with pepper jack, cheese, no tomatoes, extra lettuce, 135 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:48,039 Speaker 1: no pickles, onions, blah blah blah. That's great, but doesn't 136 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 1: work with dogs because while you can order up the 137 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 1: raw ingredients kind of, you still have to be the cook. Now, 138 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: if you're realistic, you'll understand that a dog is a 139 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:58,840 Speaker 1: living creature that is going to have a personality and 140 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 1: certain tendencies, and is largely going to be shaped by you, 141 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: whether you do anything positive to shape it or not. 142 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: The job only gets less likely to work out if 143 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: you start to narrow down that dog to a specific 144 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: breed or color of breed that might not be conducive 145 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: to the kind of genetics you need and the kind 146 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,119 Speaker 1: of temperament you want. This isn't like buying a new truck. 147 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: You're hedging your bets on a living creature and a 148 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: long relationship with them. I'm not saying it's not a 149 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: good idea to be selective or have discriminating taste when 150 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: it comes to dogs, because that's actually a really good 151 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: thing if you're realistic about it. If you decide you 152 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: want some rare breed for whatever reason, but your list 153 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: of wants with that breed is long, you're saying you 154 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: don't really understand what limiting your choice of bloodlines does. 155 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: You can wish all you want, but that doesn't change anything. 156 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: I'm sure a lot of dog owners might take offense 157 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: to what I'm saying or disagree with me because they're 158 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: dogs are the best ever. But I bet a lot 159 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: of trainers are nodding their heads in agreement, and they'll 160 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: keep nodding as I get into the next point, which 161 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: is that we are very realistic about ourselves when it 162 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: comes to how we choose our dogs and what we 163 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: choose to do with them when we finally have them. 164 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: Let's take one of my favorite breeds here as a 165 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: good example, the Labrador retriever. I know a lot of 166 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,000 Speaker 1: people look down on labs, but one of the reasons 167 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: I love them is because if I get a good 168 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: one with the right blood, it'll turn out pretty well 169 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: in spite of the training mistakes I'm bound to make, 170 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: and I will make mistakes. But a breed like that 171 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: has been bred to work with idiots like me, and 172 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: despite the ways in which I might misread a situation 173 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: with them, they'll generally figure out how to make everyone 174 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: involved happy, and they'll forgive me my mistakes. There are 175 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,199 Speaker 1: other breeds that won't, or at least won't forgive them 176 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: as readily. There are other breeds, quite a few of 177 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: them that don't really have a strong general desire to 178 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,560 Speaker 1: work for anyone either. Look, they can be rained in 179 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:01,640 Speaker 1: and turn into something to love at home and in 180 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: the field, but the process will look a lot different 181 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: and could be a major contributor to you going gray 182 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: long before you need to now. The right person match 183 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:14,079 Speaker 1: with the right dog is a thing of beauty, regardless 184 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: of the person or the breed, But the baseline we 185 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: should all consider is something I harp on a lot 186 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: in this podcast, which is what breed what specific bloodline, 187 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 1: and then what am I going to do to be 188 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 1: the best I can with what I'm getting. There is 189 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: also another reality check that no one likes to think about, 190 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: and that's when what we think about our dog runs 191 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: headlong into what our dog actually is. Over on the 192 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,079 Speaker 1: bow hunting side of my life, I have faced this 193 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: a couple of times, and it always really sucked. For 194 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: a long time. When I started bowhunting deer, I missed 195 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: them a lot, like a lot. My buck fever was 196 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: rough shit and it almost caused me to quit forever 197 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: and take up golf. Now, I finally had a disastrous, 198 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: absolutely no oh good season when I was old enough 199 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: to know better, and I finally sat down and I 200 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: deconstructed my problem. To rebuild myself from scratch. It took 201 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,719 Speaker 1: new archery tackle, a new mindset to practice, a willingness 202 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: to really try to learn how to set up for 203 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: chip shots, and a couple of years of bowhunting in 204 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: several states, and you know what, I kind of beat 205 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: it and it felt great. But then I started having 206 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:24,839 Speaker 1: to film hunts and it came roaring back. But that's 207 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: another story. The reality of what I thought of myself 208 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: as a bow hunter and what I was as a 209 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 1: bowhunter were different things. And it wasn't that rare case 210 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: where I was way more awesome than I actually thought 211 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: I was. It was the opposite. With dogs. Most of 212 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: us are in the same boat, but we are also 213 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,079 Speaker 1: very willing to accept our dogs as they are because 214 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: we love them so much. So when something happens like 215 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,320 Speaker 1: your dog loses four easy birds in a row or 216 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,000 Speaker 1: runs off for half an hour while you're screaming in 217 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: the field, you're facing reality with a perfect dog, which 218 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,080 Speaker 1: is what we think we have, but a dog that 219 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: needs some more training and guidance and structure is what 220 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: we actually all really have. So think about last season, 221 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 1: think about the times your hunting buddies made a not 222 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: so funny to you joke about your dog behavior. Think 223 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: about what you avoid doing with your dog because you 224 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: know that it'll be a thing that last one might 225 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: be the most important, and it can be anything from 226 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: not wanting your dog to be out of his crate 227 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: when someone shows up at your house because you'll go 228 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: nuts and won't leave them alone, to not wanting to 229 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: go sit in the dock or goose blind with your 230 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: buddies because your dog is going to bark NonStop and 231 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 1: flare the birds. Maybe your pointer works like a dream 232 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: when you're out solo, but the minute you invite a 233 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,319 Speaker 1: buddy and his dog along, the wheels fall right off. 234 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 1: So you just decide it's best that you always hunt alone. 235 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 1: And that's one solution. But you can also train your 236 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: dog to behave the way you want him to in 237 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: pretty much any situation if you're willing to work on 238 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: the problem and start addressing the parts of that problem 239 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: through training. This is a lot of work, but it's 240 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: the foundational element of changing the reality of your situation. 241 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: It's kind of like how every middle aged dude out 242 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:14,640 Speaker 1: there still thinks he can bench two twenty five, you know, 243 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: run a seven minute mile and would probably fare pretty 244 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 1: well in the middleweight UFC fight. Sure, sure, on that front, 245 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: it's pretty easy to figure out what reality really is 246 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: by throwing a couple of plates on the bench and 247 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,200 Speaker 1: seeing if your shoulders don't pop out of their sockets 248 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: when you try to do a rep, or you know, 249 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 1: lacing up your new pair of running shoes and seeing 250 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 1: how fast you can go and for how long, or 251 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: in the case of the cage fights. Just trust me 252 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: on that one. With our dogs, we believe a lot 253 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: of things that aren't really true because it protects our egos, 254 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: but also probably because we just don't really know how 255 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 1: to fix certain issues. The first step here is to 256 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 1: understand that the issues exist, and then not only to 257 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: start to figure them out, but start to work with 258 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: your dog on how to play the long game to 259 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 1: steer them in a better direction. In a way, you 260 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: can look at this stuff not like, well, that's what 261 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:10,199 Speaker 1: he always does, and instead say that's what I let 262 00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:15,160 Speaker 1: him do. Just reframing it changes the whole thing. A 263 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 1: real simple one here, real simple example would be a 264 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: dog that spits out a bumper or a ball or 265 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: a bird before it gets to you. That's a common 266 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: issue with a lot of bird dogs, and some folks 267 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: just accept it and they're okay with it. But that's 268 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: not an unfixable issue. It's a huge pain in the 269 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: ass if you have a dog that has grown very 270 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: comfortable spitting out a bumper six feet in front of you. 271 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: But it's not like figuring out how the hell they 272 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,199 Speaker 1: built the pyramids four thousand years ago. This one's doable. 273 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,960 Speaker 1: Take another one, someone said to me very recently that 274 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,679 Speaker 1: was driving them nuts. Their dog doesn't handle a crate well, 275 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: it throws a doggy fit every time they create it, 276 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: and so they let it out. Now, any of you 277 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: find folks who have ever slipped one past the goalie 278 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:02,120 Speaker 1: or just pulled the goalie entirely specific to score a goal. 279 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: Know that babies would rather sleep in your bed, snuggled 280 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,200 Speaker 1: up next to you than swaddled all alone in a crib. 281 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: So they let you know in the most annoying crying 282 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: style they can summon, and if you give in enough, 283 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: you'll have issues putting that child to bed for a long, long, 284 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: long time. It'll only get worse as that child grows 285 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:24,640 Speaker 1: and becomes I don't know, you know, the kind of 286 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: human that needs to play and learn and wear themselves out. 287 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: But you don't foster that opportunity and then decide you 288 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: want to put them to bed at six every night 289 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: so you can have your evenings free. It's not going 290 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: to work out very well. With dogs. Pretty much the 291 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: same rules apply, and just like with dogs, the earlier 292 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: you start to get them to understand that the structure 293 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: of their lives is pretty dang rigid, the easier they'll 294 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: take to it, and then less they'll fight you on it. 295 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 1: Although they're going to fight you on it some the 296 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: reality is that the solution is there, and even though 297 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: it'll be hard to get to, it'll be better for 298 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:00,040 Speaker 1: you and your dog. That's maybe the last point I 299 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: want to make with this one, which is that every 300 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: reality check we face as dog owners might not make 301 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 1: us feel super awesome, but if we take it seriously, 302 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: it'll make our lives and the lives of our dogs better. Now, 303 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: before I sign off on this one, I'll just say this, 304 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: I look at this kind of like look at I 305 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: don't know anything that's worthwhile in our lives. It might 306 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: feel like a big task, too big to be appealing 307 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: in fact, like getting in shape or maybe trying to 308 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: drop some weight, But if you look at it big 309 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 1: picture wise, that stuff seems kind of impossible. But walking 310 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: ten thousand steps a day instead of five it's a 311 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: huge start. Just like ditching soda for something a little 312 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: healthier is with dogs. You won't change your whole dog 313 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: in a couple of weeks, and you wouldn't want to 314 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: if you could. It's the small, consistent stuff that shapes 315 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: them into better versions of themselves. And they won't do 316 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: that without our help, and we won't do that without 317 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: accepting reality and what that entails. This is the perfect 318 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: time of year to not only consider this, but to 319 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: go out and get after it. That's it for this 320 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: episode of Houndations. I'm your host, Tony Peterson. Thank you 321 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: so much for listening, for all your support. I know 322 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 1: you're bored out of your mind right now, or at 323 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: least a lot of you probably are. Head on over 324 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: to the medeater dot com. Check out all the great 325 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,840 Speaker 1: stuff that's going on there. We drop new hunting films, 326 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: we drop new podcasts, new articles, new recipes. All the time. 327 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: There's new content going up literally almost every day if 328 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: you want to keep you up to date on you know, 329 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: conservation issues that are going on and public land issues 330 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 1: and a lot of these things that really affect us, 331 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: you know, in the outdoors. They're doing a great job 332 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 1: there at the mediator dot com of dropping like up 333 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: to the minute stories on all of these issues that 334 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: affect us. Or if you want something a little lighter, 335 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: not so heavy, crazy amount of good podcast to listen 336 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,680 Speaker 1: to there. One of them is Jordan Siller's Blood Trails 337 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: which is a new show that we started dropping pretty 338 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: recently and he is doing an incredible job on that. 339 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: You will love it if you go check it out, 340 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: especially if you're into murder mysteries and that kind of stuff. 341 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,879 Speaker 1: Go check out Blood Trails, but check out the mediator 342 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,159 Speaker 1: dot com and thank you once again for all your support.