Publications This portion of our site is devoted to articles published (or pending publication) by or about Donny or Duke.
         
   

Point and Track

Balancing a Double-Edged Sword

By Donny Zarra
Originally Published in Versatile Hunting Dog

A properly trained versatile gun dog is a viable tool, yet we must take care in our training to reach this level.

Our job as gun dog owners and enthusiasts in the pursuit of game is to bring or companions to a certain level of discipline. I want to awake all of my dogs' potential and hard-wired instinct; I want my dog to cooperate - we are team. more... (pdf format)

 

  
         
 

Urban sprawl, disappearing species hinder small-game hunters

By Bobby Kerlik
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 6, 2008

Donny Zarra considers himself an endangered species.

He and his dog, Duke, hunt for small game several times a week. But according to the state Game Commission, the number of small -game hunters has declined for the past 25 years, reaching a new low each year.

"Small game, in general, is just hurting. There's not an abundance of game like there used to be," said Zarra, 36, of Carrick. "If you take a kid out hunting and there's nothing to shoot at, the kid's not going to gain an interest in hunting. There's just not as many places for the animals to live." more..

    
         
   

Raising successful gun dogs

Before the dog learns a single command, its trainer needs to be trained to communicate

Sunday, October 21, 2007
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

Donny Zarra's champion Deutch Drahthaar, Duke vom Buffeltaler, goes on point as he sniffs out a rooster pheasant in the brush at the Alpine Club in South Fayette. Zarra's dog was champion in 2006.

The ringneck flushed from the woods and was descending over an adjacent field of waist-high weeds. I threw a 12-gauge blast of 6 shot at him through a stand of dead timber but it was unclear if he'd been hit.

A clipped pheasant will surely run and could easily be lost in the thick growth.

"You take the lower end," I shouted to my host, Donny Zarra, as I ran to the top of the field to find the bird. more..

 

  
         
 

Field to Table

By Charlene Campbell
Originally published in Table Magazine


Hunting in South Western Pennsylvania has always
been steeped in family and tradition. Most lo-
cal hunters have learned from their fathers and
grandfathers about the best locations, hunter safety and an
appreciation of local wildlife. Many hunters in our area are
deeply vested in the preservation of native species and have
a profound appreciation for our unique environment.

Donny and Jamie Zarra are a hunting family. Donny has
hunted since he was a child with his father and his brother
and become so involved with the sport that he began train-
ing and breeding bird dogs. more..(pdf format)

   
         
   

The Importance of Dominance Training

By Donny Zarra
Originally published in Versatile Hunting Dog


What makes dominance training so important?
There are several answers to this question
and most of them are very simple. But before we explore the prin-
ciples of dominance training, it is important to understand that
dogs are pack animals. From the time puppies are whelped a peck-
ing order begins within the litter. Some pups will be recognized as
more dominant alpha and others will fall into a more passive beta
category. It is also important to understand that these puppies are
constantly challenging their order in the pack. A dog will continue
this behavior throughout its lifetime. more..(pdf format)