How do you teach a dog to go thru a barbed wire fence?

[BLACKJACK]

Theres a lot of barbed wire fences in SoDak where we hunt, we've had a couple instances where we've had to take dogs to the vet to get stitched up, so this weekend I was camping in SW MN, throwing some dummies into a river for my two labs, 9 1/2 and 1 1/2, noticed an older barb wire fence, rusty sagging wire, no electric, and started thinking 'training exercise'.

Threw a couple for the old lab, she ran up to the fence, then ran along the fence for a ways until she found an opening to jump thru. Shes bounced off a few in SoDak and knows they hurt. Threw one over the fence for the young dog, she runs up the fence at breakneck speed and jumps thru, but nicks the fence. Same on the way back, she hit the fence. Sure enough, she had two little bleeding divots on her forehead. End of training exercise.

How do you teach dogs to go thru a fence? I can see the mad dash in SoDak going after a pheasant isn't going to be much better.

[rwwong]

Yeah, that's a tough one. My dog sliced his neck wide open a couple years ago in North Dakota. He is trained to jump over or under a fence on command. I just don't know if there is a way around it when they are on a bird. Sometimes they just don't see it....

[rundrave]

I dont't know how to really "teach" them but let them figure it out on their own. Both of mine have learned the hard way.

I have incorporated "Fence" as a command and usually just heel my dogs to my side when we approach one and yell out "Fence" when we have to get past one and make a good effort to point the wire out out as we cross through/over/under etc. After a few hunts they figure it out to slow down when they hear me give the "Fence" command.

[MuleShack]

i have done the same with using the word fence as we come upon any barbed wire. they slowly start to attribute caution or slowing down with the word and take it easy until they locate it.

one of them actually turns in and starts back when she hears it.

she is the same one who early in the year least year tried to jump over some layed down wire and it caught on her vest and flipped her over.

[BLACKJACK]

Was hoping that someone on here had a good training technique to make them aware that fences are 'bad'. Been thinking that maybe a little electricity would work, put a electric fence charger on the bottom strand of a fence and let her hit it - but then it may be hard to get her across the next fence if shes takes it the wrong way...

[DaSwede]

Wouldn't it just be easier to use an e-collar and give them a little stimulus when they are getting close. Yell out the command "FENCE" when they approach and nick them. I haven't personally tried it. I just make mine heal or sit if they are approaching one, but I would think it would work if you work on it.