Respect.

This is by far one of my favorite pictures of my husband with two of our fur babies, Kaia and Mila. We were at the river and he was giving them a pep talk before they were released to find the shed that was hidden for them.

Most hunting men want to train their dogs to retrieve waterfowl, or pheasant hunt, or shed hunt. It's probably one of the most rewarding things to see your dog find a shed or retrieve something you've shot. The only time I've ever gotten a taste of that was when we were quail hunting with Mila and Kaia and watched Mila retrieve on of the quail that I had shot.

Even when we lived in town, we put the dogs noses to work. I would go outside and hide a pheasant wing or shed for one of my dogs to find and just watch the work happen. One of the coolest things is to see how each individual dog used their senses to find it.

From the get-go we always noticed Mila did not rely simply on her nose, but also her sight. Kaia is crazy good with just her nose. Put her on any scent and she will find it quicker than any other dog. I love watching them.

The mere sight of a gun and Mila and Kaia go nuts. Even our 3 year olds nerf gun can get Mila excited and ready. She sits at his feet barking. Then she chews on his bullets and it usually ends with a crying 3 year old.

One of the best things about owning dogs is being able to find what they are good at. I fully believe each dog has their "thing". We can train and teach our dogs to be good at anything, but they all have that one thing that they excel at. For Mila and Kaia, it's most definitely hunting.

My husbands bond with these two girls is not something anyone can deny. He loves these two. I am always joking how they are my sister wives. It very obvious that they respect and admire him more than they do me. This is simply just because they bond with him over something more than just being a "pet".

My hubsand and these two share the same hobby of hunting. The respect is mutual. You can see how they interact and how they respect each other. This picture says it all. Look at the way Kaia is looking at him. She is waiting for his word to get released. She knows that dad is in charge and dad is expecting something from me. The only reward she needs is his respect and praise.

This hobby is something that puts all of your dogs seses to work (is wears them out, seriously) and allows them to develop a deeper bond with you, which in turn brings out that respect that both owners and the dog love.

So get out there and do something with your dog whether it's hunting, showing, therapy, dock diving....doesn't matter. Do something. It's rewarding for both of you.

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