Francalia Retrievers

06/20/2026

Facts about spay/neuter

New research links spaying and neutering to cancer, joint disease, and behavior problems. Dr. Peter Dobias explains the science — and the safer alternatives.

05/10/2026

What Rex Carr understood

Rex Carr trained more Field Trial Champions than almost anyone in the history of the sport. Handlers traveled from all over the country to watch him work. Pat Burns was one of them.

What Pat took away from Rex wasn't a set of drills. It was a way of seeing. Understanding what the dog was actually telling you. Knowing the difference between a dog that had learned something and a dog that had learned to avoid something. Recognizing when smooth reps were building real foundation and when they were just rehearsals waiting to fall apart under pressure.

Pat spent the next four decades putting that into a system that regular handlers could actually use. Not professional trainers with 24 dogs and eight hours a day. Regular people with one dog, a few days a week, and a real goal.

On May 13th he's sharing the core of that system in a free live workshop. If your dog is in basics right now or starting to show cracks, this is the session that changes how you see what you're working with.

Free. Live. 8 PM ET.

https://www.eliteretrievers.com/bb-spring-webinar-register

05/09/2026

One thing I’ll always stand by… working bred dogs need more than love alone.

So many people are drawn to gundog breeds because they’re clever, active and eager to please… but those natural instincts come with responsibility too. You can’t expect a dog bred for generations to hunt, retrieve, problem solve and work closely with humans to simply switch all of that off because they now live in a family home.

Training isn’t something you do for a few weeks and move on from. It’s part of everyday life with a working dog.

Every walk, every retrieve, every boundary and every interaction is shaping how they channel those instincts. When we don’t give them an outlet, frustration, overstimulation and unwanted behaviours often follow. Not because they’re “bad dogs”… but because they’re dogs doing exactly what they were bred to do, without guidance on where that drive belongs.

For me, good training has never been about control or perfection. It’s about harnessing natural instinct in a healthy, productive way. Giving dogs clarity, purpose and the skills to settle when needed, while still allowing them to use the parts of themselves they were born with.

A well trained gundog should still look and feel like a gundog… just one that understands how to live calmly alongside you too.

That balance matters.

04/20/2026

Nashville anyone? 🙋‍♀️

04/19/2026

"🚨EXCLUSIVE: If you have a dog and your vet has recommended the Nobivac NXT canine flu vaccine, read this before your next appointment.

Over 1,000 pages of adverse event reports were obtained from the USDA through a FOIA request. They cover Nobivac NXT H3N2, the first self-amplifying RNA vaccine widely used on pets in the United States.

The data covers September 2024 through July 2025 and documents 296 cases listing the vaccine as a suspect product, including deaths, neurological events, anaphylaxis, collapse, and injection-site masses. A 4-year-old golden retriever went into cardiac arrest and died ten minutes after receiving the shot. A 7-year-old Yorkshire Terrier collapsed seventy minutes after vaccination and could not be saved.

Self-amplifying RNA works differently from traditional vaccines. The RNA replicates itself inside the body to produce a sustained immune response, and researchers as recently as April 2025 have written that the mechanisms involved are not fully understood and warrant further investigation.

The USDA approved this vaccine in June 2024. Portions of the pre-approval safety trial data have been withheld as confidential commercial information provided by Merck. Read this entire column and share it with your friends.

Full article by linked below 👇"

Via

Link

04/13/2026

🛑 The Hidden Dangers of Chemical Flea and Tick Products 🛑

The chemicals imidacloprid and fipronil were fully banned for outdoor use in 2018 due to their proven harm to wildlife, including bees, birds, and freshwater species, as well as their disruption of ecosystems. ⚠️ Despite these dangers, both chemicals remain active ingredients in many flea and tick treatments, including spot-ons, collars, tablets, and chewables. 😢

❗Before you reach for these products, remember: they may harm your pet more than help.

Discover safe, nontoxic alternatives to protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks in our latest article (link in comments). ✅

04/05/2026

"He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay". Matthew 28:6

04/03/2026

Tick management is not easy and we’re often stuck between a rock and a hard place. It’s important to understand the risks from all sides.