Gun Dog Training Basics Explained
Anyone who has watched a hunter and his dog can sense the deep bond between them. The hunting dog responds to every command with speed and precision. It takes time and patience to reach this level, but the result is well worth the effort.
Hunting Retrievers: Certain retrievers, such as the Labrador and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers, have purposely been bred to be good gun dogs for hundreds of years, but that doesn’t guarantee that they will be any easier to train now than they were then.
The Basic Commands: Instructions on a basic level, such as Whoa, No, Kennel, Sit and Come, are necessary for the dog to be completely familiar with. It is vital that your dog know and obey each of these commands before field training can commence. If your dog doesn’t follow your commands when he is on a leash, he definitely would not obey when he is off his leash and running free. Do not try to train your dog at home; he needs a realistic situation out in the field.
Transition To The Field: When your dog becomes skilled with those particular orders, and you have taught him not to be afraid of the noise that a gun makes, then you can begin training in the field. Begin with dummy training. Your dog must learn that he is meant to retrieve, and dummy training is the best method for teaching this.
Dummy Training: Pick a dummy that suits your dog. Some resemble game birds, others are plastic and some are fabric. Once your dog learns to retrieve the dummy and bring it back without shaking or destroying it in any way, you can begin to train with real birds.
Sometimes switching from the dummy to a real bird confuses or upsets the dog; just switch back to the dummy and add some feathers and streamers similar to the bird you are hunting and work with him for a few more days. A decoy streamer will copy the movement of a bird that is not quite dead, so that your dog will not be scared when he comes across the real thing.
Decoys: Transition to the real bird slowly if your dog shows fear the first time he is asked to retrieve it. You can even get a stuffed duck or pheasant from a taxidermist and use it as a decoy dummy.
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