When an emitter is close to a plasmonic nanoantenna, besides coupling to the dipolar antenna mode, the emitter also considerably couples to a superposition of the high-order modes, referred to as a pseudomode. We comprehensively investigate the differences between the dipolar mode channel and the pseudomode channel in a representative system where a dipole emitter couples to a silver nanorod. The two channels are shown to be distinct in their mechanisms, characteristics (including chromatic dispersion and field distribution), and dependences on system parameters (including emitter-antenna distance, antenna geometry, and material loss). The study provides physical insight and reveals important design rules for controlling the competition between the two channels.