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Meet top bird dog trainers and get expert advice on nutrition and conditioning while visiting the Purina and SportDOG Brand booths at this year’s National Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic at Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Center Friday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, Feb. 16.

 

Purina Pro Plan brand dog food and SportDOG Brand are bringing the country’s best bird dog trainers to the Bird Dog Bonanza Stage at Pheasant Fest for hour-long seminars throughout the weekend. These trainers also will be on hand at the Purina and SportDOG Brand booths to answer your questions.

 

Here’s a look at the professional trainers Purina and SportDOG Brand are bringing to Pheasant Fest this year.

 

Delmar Smith, honed his skills at teaching the public how to get the most from their dogs over his 55-year training career operating Delmar Smith Kennels in Edmond, Okla. Smith dogs have performed in all 50 states and some foreign countries.

 

Ronnie Smith, like dog trainers in previous generations of the Smith family, knows that bird dogs are more than just a business, they are a passion and a way of life. He has operated Ronnie Smith Kennels in Big Cabin, Okla., since 1982.

 

Bob West, Director of Sporting Field Operations for the Purina Professional Engagement Team, is passionate about sporting dogs and those who own and train them. He also walks the talk, having put more than 100 titles on sporting dogs over the past 40-plus years as a part-time professional trainer at his Napsinekee Kennel in Le Claire, Iowa. West is a longtime contributor to the Pheasants Forever Journal, Pheasants Forever Television, Cabela’s Television, and Gun Dog Magazine. 

 

Rick Smith of Crozier, Va., continues the Smith family tradition of his father Delmar Smith and cousin Ronnie Smith as he conducts seminars across the country. His titles include three National Open Brittany Championships, seven U.S. Open Brittany Championships, six International Brittany Championships and more than 100 Open Brittany All-Age stakes.

 

Tom Dokken, the inventor of the DeadFowl Trainer, has more than 30 years of training experience. He is the author of Retriever Training: The Complete Guide to developing Your Hunting Dog and is a leading innovator in shed antler hunting with dogs. He owns and operates Dokken’s Oak Ridge Kennels and Dokken Dog Supply based in Northfield, Minn.

 

Josh Miller and his dog “Easton” are one of the leading shed dog hunting teams in the U.S. Miller also is the only two-time North American Shed Hunting Dog Association World Champion. He operates River Stone Kennels in New Richmond, Wis., where he trains gun dogs of all breeds.