Teaching a Young Dog to Hunt
By J. Paul Jackson Retriever Editor
It’s opening day and you’ve brought a pup to the blind for his first duck hunt. Excitement fills the air. Suddenly, two greenheads materialize out of the fog. You and your companion rise in unison and fire, knocking two birds into the decoys. This is the moment of truth is for the young retriever. You call his name to send him on his way and—he jumps straight into the water and grabs your ejected shell.
How can this be? After all, you have spent most of the last year throwing dummies and running drills. How could he fail you now? The answer is simple: You trained your dog to retrieve, but not to hunt.
Sometimes we devote so much time and energy training dogs to do complex marks and run blinds that we overlook or take for granted many simple things a retriever must do. In this article we will take a look at four commonly overlooked areas in training a dog to be a good hunter as well as a great retriever.
Introduction to Birds
Let’s start with ducks. There is simply no substitute for feathers in training. Dummies are easy to come by, they do not spoil, they store really well and they are great training aids. But a dummy is not a duck. The fact that your dog will pick up a dummy does not necessarily mean that he will pick up a duck, so do not wait for opening day to find out.
Feathers of some sort should be introduced to the dog as early as possible. In our training program we begin to incorporate ducks into training while the dog is still in force fetch. We then use them as frequently as possible when throwing marks, and to build excitement in running blinds. Finally, before any dog leaves for its first hunt we introduce him to live, shackled birds. Often a dog that absolutely loves dead birds will not know what to make of a live one.
Some dogs will go crazy for feathers from the start. Others will be somewhat reticent to grab a bird after months of retrieving plastic. Don’t be discouraged if your dog is reluctant to grab a bird the first time he sees one. Instead, patiently encourage him to make the retrieve. Tease him with it; throw it around, and make it fun. Avoid pressure if at all possible, even with the force-fetched dog. Giving an aggressive correction such as an ear pinch the first time your dog sees a bird can make the problem worse instead of better.
If your dog does not show an affinity for feathers in the beginning, don’t sweat it. Just be patient and make it fun. I have never seen a dog that truly loved to retrieve dummies not develop a fondness for birds given the proper introduction and a little time.
Guns
Every year I will receive at least one call from a retriever owner during duck season asking me how he can cure his gun-shy dog. Almost all of these cases will involve a dog that was never around a gun until he was taken hunting, and when the first volley was fired the dog went running for cover.
The fact is that gun shyness is usually made, not inherited. To avoid this problem, condition your dog to gunfire before he is taken hunting. Start by having a helper fire a starter pistol while throwing a bird at a distance. Gradually decrease the distance between the dog and the gun until he becomes comfortable with being shot over.
Next, begin to fire the gun yourself from beside the dog. Start with simple single marks. Later, add doubles to teach the dog to swing with the gun. Should the dog lock on the first bird, have the helper get his attention as you swing toward the second.
With a little practice most dogs will begin to follow the gun in no time. This is called “marking off the barrel”, and it is a valuable tool in helping your dog locate birds in the air while hunting.
Decoys
While almost all waterfowlers hunt over decoys, it is very easy to neglect their use in training. Nothing is more embarrassing than having your dog bring back a decoy while hunting instead of the bird (see Humble Pie).
Begin introducing your dog to decoys in the yard, not the water. On the ground the dog cannot become tangled in the line. Simply set a few out on the ground and walk the dog through them. Should he want to pick one up command him to “leave it” and move on.
Next, toss a duck or dummy among the blocks. Again command him to leave it if he picks up a decoy instead. After he is comfortable with decoys in the yard you should move on to water. Start by placing a few dekes in a small pond. Then toss a bird out into the spread. Repeat the procedure until he reliably ignores the decoys and retrieves the bird each time.
More Retriever Tips
· The First Few Months are Critical
· E-Collars - An Effective Tool But Not a Magic Wand
· Force Breaking Part One and Two
· Teaching a Young Dog to Hunt
Teaching your dog to work around the decoys can be accomplished in a few simple lessons, and it can help you avoid a great deal of embarrassment when the ducks come in.
Duck Blinds and Boats
Finally, in preparing your dog to hunt you should put in a few training sessions at your actual blind. This is particularly important if your hunting situation is highly different from the conditions in which you train. If most of your training is done in pastures and on cattle ponds, it is unfair to assume that your retriever will know how to work out of a blind with a dog ramp he has never seen.
A little bit of common sense here goes a long way. For instance, if you hunt from a boat you should begin by simply throwing the dog a dummy or two over the gunwale while still at the launch. The same is true for teaching the dog to navigate a dog ramp on a blind or entering and exiting a rice field pit.
All too often otherwise well trained retrievers fail to perform simply because they are overwhelmed or frightened by unfamiliar surroundings. Whether you hunt from a boat, a blind or a pit, you should never wait until opening day to acclimate your retriever to hunting conditions.
Instead, take him out prior to hunting and throw a few marks from the blind. Blow a duck call, shoot the gun and try to make the situation as real as possible. Keep it fun for him, and when opening day comes you will both be ready.