Pro bird dog trainer on new book, steadiness, how dogs think, puppy development ... and chukar hunting tips

Pro trainer, chukar hunter, and author ... George DeCosta Jr. is also a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon fanatic. We'll talk puppy development, go to school on steadying a dog (hint: long before he encounters birds), and get a few chukar hunting tips too. George suggests some essential training gear and what he carries in his hunting vest that we should too.

George's new book Tips and Tales covers just about everything you need to train a versatile dog, some hunting stories and a ton of wisdom. We'll go page by page through some of the stuff you are probably working on right now.

Listeners tell us where their dog sleeps on a hunting trip, and the Handle It segment offers a DIY project that will steady your dog when a checkcord is impractical.

And it's all brought to you by:

Sage & Braker Mercantile, Pointer shotguns,, @midwayusa, #midwayusa, Midway USA, Mid Valley Clays and Shooting School, TrulockChokes, HiViz shooting systems, Purina Pro Plan Sport and FindBirdHuntingSpots.com.