Looking for some advice on a steadiness issue I’m running into with my dog. For the most part, he’s steady on pigeons and will often stay steady through the shot, although he does occasionally break on the shot. Where I’m struggling is with chukar. With chukar, his points tend to be much closer and he really wants to catch the bird. He’ll sometimes break point and try to take it out. If I whoa him or correct him with the e-collar, he will stop, so I know he understands the correction. But I’d like him to make the decision to hold the bird on his own rather than me having to stop him (wont have ecollar in tests and commands can ding you) I’m hoping to test him in August, so I’m trying to figure out where the gap is in my training. I feel like there’s something I haven’t transitioned correctly or he isn't connecting the dots. Today I went back to some controlled yard work with a chukar on a string, working on him staying steady with the bird moving in front of him, and I thought he did really well. That almost left me with more questions about why it isn’t carrying over when we get into the field. For those of you who have possibly worked through this, what would you go back and tighten up? More controlled chukar work? Check cord? Launchers? More work around moving birds? Whoa? Or is there another step between being steady on pigeons and expecting the same steadiness on chukar that I’m missing? I’m definitely open to suggestions. I’d rather fix the hole in my training now than keep correcting the same mistake in the field. Thanks, Nic

Who's still in? What did you notice in your dog this week, good or bad? Drop it below. I read every one of these. Also: free live Q&A this Wednesday July 15 at 7pm MT. Bring your questions. Drop them below if you can't make it live.

I want to hear what's working for people in this community. Doesn't have to be a major breakthrough. Could be your dog held steady for the first time. Finally nailed a recall under real distraction. Held through a flush without breaking. Whatever it is, put it in the comments. Drop a video if you've got one. These posts are how a community actually builds.

Quick check-in. What's the one thing you're most focused on with your dog this month? Drop it in the comments! Knowing where people are at helps me put out content that actually moves the needle for you.

Before birds. Before e-collar. Before steadiness drills — the most overlooked step is building a dog that actually wants to work WITH you, not away from you. I call it handler connection. When that's solid, everything else builds faster. When it's not, you're fighting your dog the whole way. Every drill takes twice as long. Every correction creates twice as much friction. It doesn't have to be complicated. It starts with how you approach the dog before a session even begins — your energy, your consistency, your presence. What's one thing you do to build connection with your dog before a training session? Drop it below.