Bird Dogs & Training  |  01/16/2020

Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic Bird Dog Stage Lineup Announced


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Once again, there is a dizzying variety of things to do or see at this year’s National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic to be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center February 14-16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

But as always, THE place to be for the die-hard dog owners is the wildly popular Bird Dog Stage, where some of the nation’s top trainers and experts will be dispensing wisdom, advice, and stories. Last year's show saw a change-up to the Bird Dog Stage format from the traditional one-hour seminar time to shorter, half-hour seminars in order to give attendees time to see the rest of the show floor as well the opportunity to see more targeted, focused seminar topics. It was a popular move, and will be back for this year's show, according to Karl Gunzer, professional dog trainer, director of the Nestle Purina Sporting Dog group and chief architect and coordinator of the stage’s seminar series.

"Everyone seemed to really like the shorter seminar format, so we decided to stick with that going forward," says Gunzer. "Another advantage is that it gives folks more opportunity to connect with experts in the Purina and SportDOG booths for one-on-one time for specific questions."  


Nestle Purina PetCare is a national sponsor of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, and an annual presenter of the Bird Dog Bonanza Stage, while Purina Pro Plan is official dog food brand of “The Habitat Organization.” SportDOG brand, also a national sponsor of the organization, is teaming up with Purina again this year to present the stage.


SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS

"Shed hunting is really becoming a popular activity," says Gunzer, "and so this year we added Mike Wieben, who is one of the best in the business, to cover that topic. We also added Seth Bynum, who contributes the popular "Ask a Vet" column for MeatEater. One of his specialties is canine reproduction and we think his seminar on savvy bird dog breeding will be a really popular addition."

Other highlights of the Bird Dog Stage include the perennially popular Tom Dokken, who will cover advanced control for hunting dogs and starting and developing a top-notch pheasant dog, and both Ronnie and Rick Smith, who will give advice on everything from advanced bird dog development to the basics of developing a bird dog puppy. And every day of the show will end with the ever-popular "Ask the Experts" panel discussion, where audience attendees can tap into over 200 years of combined training expertise.

"This is a great lineup of experts that we're really excited about," says Gunzer. "I'd encourage everyone with an interest in bird dogs to head on over and catch one of the seminars."
 

Complete Seminar Schedule

Friday February 14th

1:00 PM
Foundational Training with E-Collar Introduction
Josh Miller

1:30 PM
Training Your Dog to Find Shed Antlers
Mike Wieben

2:00 PM
Road Trip Nutrition: Fueling Bird Dogs on Multi-Day Hunts    
Seth Bynum, DVM

2:30 PM
Foundational Training for Pointers
Rick Smith

3:00 PM    
Advanced Bird Dog Development
Ronnie Smith

3:30 PM
Starting and Developing Your Pheasant Dog
Tom Dokken

4:00 PM
The Basics of Puppy Selection    
Josh Miller

4:30 PM
Top Puppy Training Techniques
Rick Smith

5:00 PM
Working with Your Dog’s Natural Retrieve    
Ronnie Smith    

5:30 PM    
Panel Discussion    Ask the Experts – Over 200 Years of Dog Training Experience


Saturday, February 15th

10:00 AM
Top Puppy Training Techniques
Rick Smith

10:30 AM
Delay the Spay? New Science for Reproductive Health Training Your Dog to Find Shed Antlers
Seth Bynum, DVM

11:00 AM
Training Your Dog to Find Shed Antlers
Mike Wieben

11:30 AM
A Different Way to Steady Your Bird Dog 
Ronnie Smith

12:00 PM
Foundational Training with E-Collar Introduction
Josh Miller

1:00 PM
Foundational Training for Pointers
Rick Smith

1:30 PM
Advanced Control for Hunting Dogs
Tom Dokken

2:00 PM
Secrets for the Savvy Bird Dog Breeder
Seth Bynum, DVM

2:30 PM
Advanced Bird Dog Development
Ronnie Smith

3:00 PM
 The Basics of Puppy Selection
Josh Miller

3:30 PM
Starting and Developing Your Pheasant Dog
Tom Dokken

4:00 PM
Ask the Experts – Over 200 Years of Dog Training Experience


Sunday, February 16th

10:00 AM
Training Your Dog to Find Shed Antlers
Mike Wieben

10:30 AM
The Basics of Puppy Selection
Josh Miller

11:00 AM
Road Trip Nutrition: Fueling Bird Dogs on Multi-Day Hunts
Seth Bynum, DVM

11:30 AM
Top Puppy Training Techniques
Rick Smith

12:00 PM
Advanced Control for Hunting Dogs
Tom Dokken

1:00 PM
Working with Your Dog’s Natural Retrieve
Ronnie Smith

1:30 PM
Foundational Training with E-Collar Introduction
Josh Miller

2:00 PM
Delay the Spay? New Science for Reproductive Health
Seth Bynum, DVM

2:30 PM
Starting and Developing Your Pheasant Dog
Tom Dokken

3:00 PM
Ask the Experts – Over 200 Years of Dog Training Experience