Sep 23, 2021
Kyley Caldwell and her husband run a bird dog breeding and training facility in central North Carolina. Kyley tells us about how she got into dogs, and what it's like to do dog trials through The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. We talk dog breeds, hardness tests, blind retrieves, and more. Upland game season is here, everyone!
2:30 When your freezer unexpectedly kicks it #facepalm
5:30 Rusty Guns Kennel (link) - a dog breeding and training facility in North Carolina
6:00 Meeting your husband by way of a dog
10:00 "We're here today because I'm getting you a puppy." #bestsurprise ... "but don't pick the first one that licks you." #puppycurmudgeon
11:00 AKC events... "dog show people" versus "gun dog people"
12:00 NAVDA (link) - North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
17:00 Flushing vs. retrieving vs. pointing breeds
18:00 Quail/pheasants aren't as plentiful as they used to be in the Carolinas
20:00 Owning/managing a dog-training business with your husband
22:00 Training 10 dogs a month while still having full-time jobs; Growing the kennel to have kennel help and other trainers on staff
23:00 A life in the day of a dog trainer
25:00 Dogs sometimes stay with the trainer as long as six months
27:30 "A hardness test"... it's a prerequisite for some dogs before they can be breed eligible through their respective associations; a dog has to dispatch a fox or a raccoon
32:00 Dog trials + what to expect
36:00 The 100-yard blind retrieve... it's a feat of dog-handling
42:00 That moment you see a young dog just GET IT
43:00 "DK" in gun-dog speak is a Deutsch Kurzhaar, it's a slightly different breed than a German Short-Haired Pointer (which is a "GSP" in dog-speak)
45:00 The biggest dilemma for hunting vacations: "Which dogs are we bringing, and how many?"
49:00 Tracking a tricky bird (and getting it)
50:00 Check out a podcast Kyley hosts once a month, "Gun Dog It Yourself" (link) - a podcast for aspiring dog owners to train their dogs themselves; GDIY is also on Facebook (link) and Instagram (link)
54:00 Find Kyley on Facebook (link), Instagram (link) and RustyGunsKennel.com (link)