Iron Oak Dog Company

10/10/2025

This is technically episode 4 of a podcast I started a long time ago called, "Dog Trainer Confidential." The hardest part of generating this kind of long form content is having someone else to talk to! After a day in the field everyone is usually too tired.

Grayson (Lost Highway Kennels) and I decided we're going to try to have these discussions regularly. As always, I hope you get something out of it, and if I said something that bothered you it definitely won't be the last time. I'm an external processor, so I think out loud and say a lot of stuff I don't even agree with on the way to figuring out what I think and how I feel about something.

I tried to stick to an outline but the conversation just flows better without it. So I think in the future we'll pick a topic and just jot down a few notes and see where it takes us.

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07/10/2025

A few more pics of Eyck, the sire of the planned B Litter v.d. Eiseneiche.

29/09/2025

Grayson has quickly become one of my favorite people to talk to about dogs. We started waxing poetic about a few things over some Coors Banquets and good bourbon a few weeks ago and decided we should try to recreate and record the conversation. I'm not sure if this one went as well as the first. Or maybe the first seemed really good because everyone becomes a bit of a philosopher with a little social lubrication.

I hope you get something worthwhile out of this conversation. And I hope we get to do a bunch more of these.

SummaryIn this conversation, Nate Czarnota and Grayson Guyer explore various aspects of dog training, focusing on behavioral principles, the Keeler Method, a...

29/09/2025

We have room for a couple more folks to join us at our Midwest Grouse camp 10/29 - 11/5. Drop me an email at [email protected] if you’re interested in joining us!

27/09/2025

Aura passed her VGP test today with a Prize 1. This is the highest level test for our breed club. It is long and taxing, testing four subject areas and 30-something individual exercises over two days. She had a a couple spots where she started going off the rails. But we were prepared enough to keep the train on the tracks. She finished really strong with her water work today which was a nice way to end the test. Now that we have one under our belt, we’ll try some of the fancy optional stuff next time.

I’m really, really proud of my little dog.

15/09/2025

Client Q&A...

Q: I am looking to get some more bumpers. Can you offer any suggestions on which ones to go with?

A: I like the 3" plastic bumpers. They stick up higher in the grass which helps marking, and the dogs have to work harder to hold on to them so they tend to fix a lot of hold issues before they start. I only use 2" bumpers if the dog can't hold 3" ones because their mouth is too small.

As for color, white or black/white (flashers) are typically used for marked retrieves so that the dogs can see them when they are thrown. Orange are used for blind retrieves because dogs don't see them well.

Canvas bumpers get gross pretty quickly, and all the other fancy stuff isn't really necessary. When I'm ready to use game birds, I just use real birds instead of Dokkens for the most part.

I use pvc pipe, wooden dowels, or plastic dumbbells during my force fetch process. The idea is that if you make any mistakes or create any negative associations during the training of the retrieve, they are isolated to an object you won't be using in training later on. So I save bumpers and real game until my retrieve is fully taught, enforceable, and any negative emotions (doesn't happen often with the way we teach the retrieve now) have subsided as the dog becomes more comfortable with retrieving.

14/09/2025

A while back I was getting fed up with all the BS that comes with dog clubs after having a really bad experience with a local chapter and the people who think they own it.

So a small group of friends with similar experiences started getting together weekly for a bit of training, a bit of food, some fellowship, and a dash of libations.

We decided to call it the Speakeasy Gun Dog Social Club. It’s nondenominational, ecumenical, unaffiliated, has no dues, and is open to anyone who gets vouched for by the current “membership”.

All the guys and ladies try to out work/help one another. We take turns coming up with training plans based on who’s running in what test/trial soon. They’re directly responsible for Anja’s success at the Invitational, particularly with backing, the double mark, and the honor.

They run labs, and pointers, and setters, and versatiles. They’re good people, good trainers, and good handlers. Good cooks too!

Everyone is finding success in their respective tests/trials. Proof that when you put the dogs first, good things happen. A bunch of us will be guiding this season when we’re not hunting. We’re working on putting some events together for next year.

It’s become the highlight of my week.

So thanks and congrats to my friends.

If you’d like to join us, get an invite. When you show up, tell us “I’m here to see a man about a dog.”

12/09/2025