About

My name is Craig Koshyk and I'm a dog nut.

I am also a hunter and photographer, author of Pointing Dogs Volume One: The Continentals, president of Dog Willing Publications and founder of PrairieView School of Photography.

But mainly I'm a dog nut.

Pointing Dogs Volume One

Over a decade in the making, Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals is more than a rich collection of photographs. It is a definitive guide to the versatile gundog breeds of Continental Europe, an in-depth study of the history, development and current status of the pointing dog, and it is a remarkable travelog of an incredible journey.

Written by a hunter for hunters, this volume provides detailed descriptions of all the pointing breeds from Continental Europe. It is illustrated with stunning images of hunting dogs doing what they were bred to do: hunt

To purchase your copy, click here.

Reviews 

★★★★★ Congratulations Craig, what an incredible book!! The quality and depth of the content, the design, your personal observations, and of course the fabulous photos, make this one of the best dog books (especially sporting dogs) I have ever read (and I have read quite a few). I’m sure this book will get some high praise from the dog community and the upland hunting crowd, both in Europe and North America. Besides its aesthetic qualities, it is highly educational and should do an excellent job introducing those unaware, myself included, of the many fine hunting breeds that exist in Europe (“Yes Watson, there is life other than the GSP”). Once again – well done ol’ “Crazy One”, well done in deed. - Hank Phillips, “The enthusiastic hunter from the US."

★★★★★  I was counting the years, then the months, then the weeks for the publishing of this book, but it was worth the wait. I don't think there is any similarly thorough, well-put together, high quality book about the pointing dogs anywhere in the World. Not only the fantastic pictures, but also the very profound content makes the book a precious piece for everyone who is interested in hunting dogs. Not one breed of the Continental Pointing Dogs is left out of the book, breeds I have never seen and never heard of, and the topics and breed's comparisons in their work style, what each chapter covers give a great overview for the reader. This is THE BOOK about the Continental Pointing Dogs. - Zsófia Miczek, Hungary

★★★★★  Your Pointing Dogs book arrived a couple of days ago (safe and sound thanks to the sturdy packaging). I have been reading it ever since and wanted to let you know that I already consider it to be THE contemporary compendium on continental pointing dogs (and I have quite a few books, English and non-English, regarding HPRs)! It is truly a wonderful piece of art and a treasure trove of HPR-knowledge. Sure, it's pricey, but when considering that it offers hundreds of beautiful pictures printed on quality paper and contains a wealth of knowledge gained from actually seeing each and every breed working in the field, I now feel it is one of the best bargains I made in a long, long time! The only thing that makes me sad, is the knowledge that I might have to wait another 12 years for Volume 2! - Steve van den Buys, Belgium

★★★★★  It is hard to know where to start, when attempting some sort of review. In short, this book is a staggering opus. It features all the HPRs I've ever heard of, and then a whole lot more besides, along with comprehensive sections on the History, Form and Function of each breed. (Caution: This book is dangerous. You will find yourself making a shopping list. Personally, I am now coveting the Braque du Bourbonnais. It has a natural bob-tail, did you know?)

The photos are stunning and effortlessly capture the beauty of the dogs in the field. There are many whole-page photos of dogs, and I found myself wanting even more, and wanting the smaller photos BIG. I wanted huge *posters* of these photos, they were so stunning. Realistically, though, I think the photos couldn't be any bigger without something having to go, in this 364 page book. It must have been very difficult for Craig to choose which photos to use and which not to include; which photos would go full-page and which would have to stay smaller. (Writers call this 'killing your babies'. Craig must have killed many. I feel for him.)

I have only read the Weim and the SRHP sections thoroughly, so far, but have dipped in and out of many others and I look forward to reading more. I've already learnt things I didn't know: I had no idea Weims were listed in the German GSP stud book until the 1920s and were considered a grey variant of the GSP! I'm no expert myself, but I have no doubt that even the most experienced owner of their breed will learn something new from this book.

The quality of the book is top-notch: The hardback is thick and heavy, the pages are dense and creamy and (very important to me, this one) it has that 'new book' smell! The book is (probably must be, to cover costs) pricey. However, when you think that it costs about the same as a tank of petrol and a couple of entries in a field event, it's a worthy investment.

In the book, Craig often refers to people who have done a great service for their breed by, say, bringing it back from near-extinction or promoting working abilities. I think it's clear to anyone with their hands on this epic that Craig, himself, has done a great service for all these breeds through creating something which is such a breathtaking tribute to the dogs we all live with, and love." - Joanna Laurens, UK

★★★★★  Well, THE BOOK arrived today. It is stunningly beautiful, thoughtfully created, and overwhelming in its scope. I really cannot imagine how you ever managed such a huge project. It must have felt as if sometimes this book took over your lives. Lisa and you must be made of stern stuff to have made it through. We are very honoured to have been included in your stupendous book. Bless you and thank you." - Al and Nell McKim, Canada

★★★★★  It is a fabulous book – congratulations! I think you did an excellent job on the history, and you're right most people get it wrong. I said to Sheila, Craig did a great job. He sticks his neck out here and there and I’ve yet to find a time when it could be chopped off! - Joe Schmutz, Canada

★★★★★  I received the books today! Wow, I am in awe. Of course I went to the Weim pages first, but enjoyed randomly flipping around and reading about breeds I'd never heard of before. It will sit proudly on my book shelf! Anne Taguchi, USA

★★★★★ I am just finishing my brand new copy of “Pointing Dogs Volume 1: The Continentals”. I read nearly every word and loved it. I was hesitant about spending over $100 for what I thought was essentially a reference book, but I am looking at replacing my Brittany in a couple years. The next dog will probably be the last gun dog I’ll hunt with because when the dog retires, I’ll be well into my 70s. Hence the desire to read up on the Continentals and make a breed decision before I fell in love with a puppy.

The format was excellent! The photos were superb, and I especially appreciated your perspective on the animals—and your honesty—especially about the Weims and Pontos was refreshing. Thanks for such a great piece of work! It was worth every cent. It will remain as one of my prized possessions! Dennis Swett, USA

★★★★★ You do not know me, but I really mean this: what you have achieved is truly a masterpiece. I am convinced it will become a classic. Please consider my Volume Two pre-ordered! Santiago Herror, UK

★★★★★  I can think of many words to describe the book but perhaps the best is simply "wow". The love and determination you have towards this project show through and the book is simply amazing. Ken Reade, Canada

★★★★★  I just spent an hour clicking through Craig's website, blog and book samplings. From the few bits of Craig's writings I'd read before I knew he had a great knack for colorful wordsmithing and he comes through in great form here. "Dogwilling" is a clever twist. My best effort would have been "Dogeared" for a dog genre website/publisher name. His word picture of the printing and delivery of the "book" where he talks of the over sized truck with "reinforced axles" and "wide load" sign made me laugh. His joke about Lisa's "dognapping" purse is a chuckle too. He shows his uncle Tom and Sylvia "exaggeration" genes here. I'm sure Craig's book will be a bestseller because of it is so expertly researched and superbly written with great photography. His marketing skills in using all the internet tools and his personal promotions at Dog/hunting broadcasts and gatherings etc. will likely require him to use many big trucks with reinforced axles to keep up with demand. Gary Anderson, Canada

★★★★★  Today I received another "very special present" from Canada - Your book Vol 1 - Brilliant publication and so big, great informative text and wonderful photo's (usual CK high standard). Thank you so much for sending it to me, I will have hours of pleasure reading, re-reading and referring to it. Richard Jupp, UK

★★★★★  Ho appena ricevuto il libro "Pointig Dogs" di Craig Koshyk , é veramente bellissimo, splendide fotografie di razze che non conoscevo o che non avevo mai visto, come di razze continentali ben note. Interessantissime le annotazioni statistiche , il glossario ed i commenti sulle razze estinte. Un'opera che non puo' mancare nella libreria di un cinofilo appassionato. Lucio Marzan, Italy

★★★★★  Wow Craig! Your book arrived safely yesterday morning, and I can't thank you enough! What an extremely impressive looking publication. You should be very proud of your achievement. This is a must have for anybody who owns a Continental pointing breed. Martyn Ford, UK

Lisa Trades a Canon for a Shotgun

Lisa and I spend a lot of time in the field chasing game. For years, I carried a shotgun to put meat on the table and she carried a Canon to put photos in our picture albums. 

Lisa hunting with her Canon camera  and good friends Cam Rice and Goose.

Then, last February, Lisa said: "I think I'm ready to be a 'real' hunter now." So she purchased a sweet side by side at a local shop and had it fitted. When the snow melted, she learned to shoot clays out in the field...

and at the local trap and skeet club. 



Over the summer, she studied for her hunter's safety test and in August passed it with a grade of 100% ! And then, just two days before the season opener, Lisa got her very first hunting licence at the age of  REDACTED .

On the eve of opening day we went scouting. Near dusk, we found the perfect spot to hunt the next morning. There were tons of ducks and the Great Manitou gave us a sign that Lisa was in for a fantastic season.

And he was right. 

Soon enough, she shot her first mallard!

She cleaned it

And we paired it with the best wine in the house. It was delicious!

And she also shot her first woodcock!

Mmmmmm.... pan seared timberdoodle with caramelized onion compote on toasted rosemary focaccia

And her first pheasant!

Roasted and served with basmati rice and roasted veggies.

And so it went.  When Lisa was not at the table enjoying dishes like these:

Snipe in broth and egg noodles

Pheasant soup with dumplings

Snipe legs on rosemary/fig/hazelnut crackers

Roast pheasant with spanakopita

Seared magret de canard (mallard breast)  with cherry coulis, fingerling potatoes and agugula

Our field lunches tend to be a bit simpler

She was in the field, forest and marsh hunting...

Woodcock with Uma

Snipe and Sharptails with Henri

Ruffed grouse with Souris

Pheasants with Zeiss

Or just relaxing with the happy family.

As they say: "the couple that hunts together stays together!"

The only downside of the 2014 season is that we have far fewer hunting photos than we normally do at this time of year. But we did manage to take some. You can view them here.


Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

It's TIME!!!

In the immortal words of Bruce Buffer...

The 2014 hunting season is now upon us, and it is a very special one indeed. It is Lisa's very first season with a gun. For many years, Lisa has been 'hunting' with a camera. Many of her awesome images are posted right here on this blog and some are featured in Pointing Dogs Volume One: The Continentals. But this year, armed with her brand new Yildiz A5 side by side (a sweeeeet gun!), she will be doing her best to put some free-range, organic meat on the table. And I will try to capture as much of the action as I can with my still and video cameras.

So stay tuned. I will be adding photos and videos to http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca, in the gallery located here: http://www.craigkoshykphoto.ca/p1063773707#h22f6be34

Henri pointing a snipe for Lisa

Lisa's first duck in hand.

Lisa's first duck, right out of the oven.

Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

Better Cold Than Sorry

The fact is, it’s hard to freeze a working dog to death on even the coldest days. But it’s quite easy to accidentally kill a hard-hunting dog on even a mildly warm day. — Brian Lynn

Every year, right about now, hunting publications everywhere run articles warning hunters about the dangers that early season heat can pose to hard driving gundogs. And I've done my best to heed those warnings, even up here in the great white north were anything above zero is considered a 'mildly warm' day.

But last year, despite our best efforts, Henri gave us a scare. We were in North Dakota in late October hunting pheasants. The days were cool and nights were down right cold. Since the dogs were spending nights in the truck, we put insulated covers on their kennels to keep them warm. And the covers worked like a charm. Despite plenty of frost on the pumpkin outdoors, I always found the dogs comfortably warm inside their kennels each morning.

During the day, as we ran one dog, we would leave the others in their kennels. We kept their kennel covers on but we cracked the windows on the truck to make sure things didn't get too warm — even though the outdoor temps never got above 5 degrees (40F).  Again, it worked like a charm. Every time we got back to the truck, we found comfortable dogs eagerly awaiting their turn to hunt.

And then Henri's eagerness got the better of him, and of us. 

Eager Henri

On day three of the hunt, we decided our first stop would be a small patch of great looking rooster cover. Since Uma is our closest working dog, she got the nod.  45 minutes and three roosters later (Uma was on FIRE!!), we were back at the truck. As I opened the tailgate I saw our dog Souris in her crate fast asleep, shivering. Next to her was Henri in his crate. But he wasn't asleep, and he sure as heck wasn't shivering. He was laying on his back, panting, wide eyed. His bright red tongue was hanging out like he'd just run a marathon in the desert!

Henri was showing the classic signs of heat stress. We needed to cool him down, fast. Fortunately, the grass right outside the truck was cold and wet with melted frost. So I opened Henri's crate, picked him up, put him on the ground and said "down!". He was more than happy to oblige. He plopped down and began to roll in the grass as we poured an entire jug of cool water on his belly, under his arms and inner thighs. 



In a couple of minutes Henri was up and around, seemingly no worse for wear. We dried him off and took him for a short walk just to make sure he wasn't woozy or wobbly or suffering from any lingering effects. And right there and then we decided that 1. Henri would not hunt that day. We'd give him some time to recover from what was probably not a severe case of heat stress, but what could have easily been much worse and 2. from now on, when we leave any dog in a crate while we hunt with another, it is better to be cold than sorry.

Henri overheated in a cold truck on a cold day. He was in a crate that was covered with an insulated jacket. And such a setup is designed to keep a dog relatively warm when it is sleeping or just chillaxing waiting for its turn to run. Unfortunately, when we started the day with Uma instead of the usual 'first stringer' Henri, well, let's just say that he did NOT take it lightly. Henri did NOT sleep or chillax. In fact, it seems that while we were in the field with Uma, out of sheer frustration and indignation, Henri decided to paw at the bottom of his crate like he was digging to China. There is no way of knowing how long it took for the crate to heat up, but as Henri threw a tantrum, heat up it did. And heat stress suddenly became an issue.


And there is also no way of knowing what would have happened if we'd been in the field with Uma for longer than 45 minutes. Clearly, Henri had stopped doing whatever he was doing to heat things up before we got back. His brain said 'cut it out you idiot!" and forced him to just lay there and pant. So would he have recovered on his own just by being still (and panting his tongue off)? Or would the temperature have remained high enough, for long enough, to cause permanent damage...or worse?


We will never know. And we never want to find out.


Since Henri's near melt-down, we've installed wireless temperature gauges in the crates so we can monitor them from the cab of the truck as we drive. And we've decided that from now on, when we are in the field with one dog we will leave the others in kennels with all the cover flaps off and all the windows open. The dogs will just have to get used to shivering. It’s hard to freeze a working dog to death on even the coldest days. But it’s quite easy to accidentally kill a hard-hunting dog on even a mildly warm day.


Stay safe everyone!


Enjoy my blog posts? Check out my book Pointing Dogs, Volume One: The Continentals

Opening Day, Waterfowl 2014

This morning, my nephew Craig James and I headed out at insane o'clock for the waterfowl opener. We had scouted a great new spot over the weekend and were pretty sure that we'd be bringing home some fresh duck for diner. And we were right. By 8:30 am, we had 6 mallards and 3 teal, all fetched to hand by my go-to dog Henri. By 9 am, temps were rising fast so we decided to shed the chest-waders, lace up the upland boots and head to the field in search of snipe. 

 

Snipe are migratory, so we can hunt them when the general waterfowl season opens, usually a week before the upland season. But in some areas they are actually found in the very same pastures frequented by sharp-tails. So we had a hunch that we'd come across both. And we were right again. Henri had a total of 10 points in a little less than an hour. 6 points were on snipe and 4 on sharptails. All the snipe were singles, the grouse were in pairs for the most part, but one point was a sort of 'popcorn all around him' kind of thing with probably 8-10 birds flushing in one's and two's.

As for our shooting, well... it sucked. We only shot at snipe of course (sharptail season doesn't open till next week), but we missed them ALL! I blame it on the new shells. You see, I ran out of my regular snipe cartridges, so we had to use a new load, Kent TealSteel #6s. And sure, they went 'boom' just fine when we pulled the trigger, I am sure they are a decent load. But blaming them is easier on the ego than blaming our rusty shooting skills, so I will stick with the 'bad shells' excuse until I start knocking down more snipe with them. Then I will change my tune to 'these shells are awesome!'

All the photos in this post are from today's waterfowl hunt. I didn't take the camera with me for the snipe hunt and now I regret it. I am pretty sure I would have shot better with my Canon than I did with my side by side.