Hyper lab in the boat

[anchor man]

I have a 2.5yr old yellow lab that over the past two seasons in the boat has been extremely hyper and tries to dive in the water everytime I make a cast. I've tried the e-collar which kind of helps, but doesn't really calm her down. I've also tried standing on her leash which works until she really starts pulling. I'm hoping perhaps this spring she'll have calmed a bit, but am not holding my breath. It's almost like her strong retrieving instinct kicks in and I can't get her to make the seperation between retrieving of sitting in the boat

Anyone ever gone through this experience and had any luck breaking this behavior in the boat? It's to the point that I basically cannot fish and maintain her at the same time.

Thanks

[Tripleplay]

I'm hoping you get some good responses on this topic. My GSP off the dock, has fallen in the lake more than once bouncing around when I'm retreiving a lure back when casting for northerns or bass, etc.. I haven't hooked her yet but it has definitely been close a couple of times!

I never thought about how bad it would be in a boat, but the picture I'm getting is not real pleasant.

[Mr. B]

I am so hoping that there are some good tips here. I love Musky fishing and my lab thinks all those big lures are training dummies. It was not a fun day with Maggie jumping out of the boat after almost every cast. Getting her back in to the boat was not pleasent either. I would love to be able to take her fishing but at this time it is not possible.

[Fisher Dave]

I have the answer.. leave the dog at home when your going fishing if its that much of a problem.

I had a dog that was the same way, but it wasnt only lures, it was also any bird going over the boat.

Its much worse for the dog in the end if they catch the lure.. we can only watch where our lure is hovering 99% of the time. It is inevitable the lure is eventually going to be within the dogs reach.

I tried to work with my dog in every way I could think when this problem arose for me. I spent more than a few days on the water trying to stop this... lures without hooks included. I thought she had improved, but it wasnt 5 minutes into fishing and the urge was too strong .. launched off the boat for the Suick.. got her back in, corrected her... 30 minutes later she was after a low flying goose.

She improved from what she was in the beginning .. every cast she was figting to jump, but she wouldnt improve enough, so eventually stayed home.

A friend of mine had a springer that got seriously injured because of its love for birds.. it decided to jump out of his Ranger at 50+ mph... to say the least it was *graphic*, and I wont forget that day.. I wouldnt want the same thing happen to my dog, or anyones dog.

[LABS4ME]

All right guys 2 things... 1st off, it doesn't sound like you guys have trained your dogs to be steady... meaning they don't get to go retrieve until commanded to do so. 2nd, they haven't been taught to be quiet and well mannered in the boat. The beauty of both of these issues is you can work on them both at home and not while you are out fishing. This goes for hunting too! The worst time to "train" is when you are out doing your activities.

For steadiness, let's start out teaching them this without the boat, just on land at heel. Teach them to heel, sit and stay on a carpet sample or old floor mat or piece of carpet runner. Teach them that everytime you say heel they have to come to the mat (at your side) sit and stay until ordered to get up and leave. Do this on a lead. Once they understand this let's work in some dummies. Do not let them retrieve it until they settle down, then release them and then have them deliver it to you on the mat. Extend the time between the toss and the time you release them for the retrieve. Eventually take them off lead and make them sit and stay until commanded to fetch. If at anytime they try to break when on the mat, stop them, sit them on the mat and under no circumstances do they get to complete the retrieve. You walk out and pick up the dummy and start the process again. They will begin to understand that they cannot get the dummy without obeying.

O.K., now they are steady or well on their way. Let's get them conditioned to being well mannered in the boat. Let them spend a fair amount of time each day in the boat (or even a canoe) in the garage, use your mat if you have to, to get them to have a spot in the boat that they know they have to remain steady. Begin to extend the amount of time you require them to be well behaved in the boat. You should be able to get them to be able to spend a couple of hours in there at a time no problem. Go ahead and tell them every ten to 15 minutes they are a "good dog" and let them get up and move around a little and then back on their mat. End every session with one retrieve... this is their reward. Then begin to cast out a large bobber (we don't want to use any hooks) from the boat in the yard and make sure they are on a check cord or lead... correct them if they break and start over, eventually they will put two and two together and not break. End these sessions with one retrieve.

Then when out fishing end each session with one retrieve even if tossed on shore at the access.

It's going to take some time working with an adult dog over the spring to get them to this level, but it can surely be done. Use a lot of repetiton and patience and you will be rewarded.

This goes back to puppy training, for boat conditioning and especially steadying them up, remember this for future dogs.

Good Luck!

Ken

[leechlake]

Anchorman, I think it's a basic sit/stay obedience problem. If you have your dog completely trained to sit and stay then the dog will sit and stay whether you're throwing fishing lures or t bones. Easier said than done, but I think it's as simple as that.

[mudman]

I agree with Labs4me

I brought my pup with me from day one everywhere I could.

He knows the difference between my fishing boat and the duck boat. Just the same as going for a ride to the vet or going hunting.

They just learn to know!