Does your dog charge the water when you shoot, or wait for a command?

[ZEEK1223]

I was hunting with a buddy the other day, and he said I really have to get my dog to stop charging the water when we shoot.I could probably train my dog to do this, but I also like the fact that he is in and out pretty quickly. Also most of the time the only way he knows where to swim is actually seeing the splash in the water. My buddies argument was that there could still be birds coming in, and the dog would spook them. My argument was we just fired 6 shots, and every bird in sight is going got get the heck out of there. He would rather leave dead birds lay in the hopes of the flock coming back, and I prefer a quick retrieve to get back to hunting right away. So what do you guys do? I always thought the dog should be able to kind of see whats going on so they know where to go......thanks for replies......

[LABS4ME]

I prefer a steady dog. I send them after all the commotion ceases. I make sure all crips are dead and then send them. Nothing worse than trying to shoot a crip with the dog already in the dekes because he wasn't steady.

I also like to send him on certain birds in a certain order based on the severity of the retrieve... ie: send him back to the one in the bullrushes 1st and the dead drake belly up in the dekes 2nd...

many more reasons... (ie: multiple dogs working out of the same boat/blind, hunting out of a canoe etc. etc.) some have merit and some are just solely because I enjoy clean 'finished' dog work....'

If what your dog is doing works for you... I wouldn't worry about what others think.

Good Luck!

Ken

[ZEEK1223]

You brought up a lot of good points. I guess I have not been in a ton of different scenarios. Thanks for the input

[Fish&Fowl]

Definitely agree with Labs on this one. I have been working hard on steadying my dog this year as it's his first hunting season.

One reason:

What if no ducks are hit? Do you want him jumping out there and starting to swim around when there's ducks coming in the distance. Many times ducks (especially divers) will circle again, and if it's windy, approaching ducks may hear no shots at all.

Overall, I'd say my main reason for steadiness (aside from safety) is so the dog can take it all in. If you drop a duck or two in the decoys, but one sails off behind you into the cattails, how will the dog know? He will be off at the sound of a shot and not have a clue where any birds are going. Then he will see the splash and go for the easy ones and not really accomplish much.

I too like to see a finished, obedient dog who knows he doesn't do what he wants, he does what he's told.

I've given up a fair amount of shooting this year to help my dog understand this concept. If you feel you want to have a steady dog, I suggest letting your buddies do the shooting and you hold the dog and calm him as birds approach, rather than try to excite him. Doing this work early is better than trying to correct a bad habit later on. Good luck!!

[ZEEK1223]

This will be hard to do, but I think I can pull it off. Gotta love these forums! I cant believe all the pointers I have received.

[Jordyn Kaufer]

how do you

Train a dog to retrieve ducks and train them Which way

To go?

I'm going to

Get a

Dog and train it but don't know how/what to do to train it to see

The duck go down and than go get it. And how to direct

It to go The way You Want it to

[tealitup]

Jordyn, I see that you have many questions on dog ownership. This is a great place to learn, but I would also suggest getting a book or two on how to train a lab. This will let you learn on your and your dogs own pace.

Remember its not a race to see how fast you can train a dog.

[Fish&Fowl]

how do you

Train a dog to retrieve ducks and train them Which way

To go?

I'm going to

Get a

Dog and train it but don't know how/what to do to train it to see

The duck go down and than go get it. And how to direct

It to go The way You Want it to

First of all, try writing in sentence form instead of poem form!

You sound like you need a book or preferably to talk in person to someone who has a good hunting dog. There is a lot more to worry about when you get the dog than the questions you just asked. Start with the basics, mainly establishing obedience.

[AngelicFatum]

Jordyn:

Game Dog by Richard A. Wolters

great book and it is very easy to understand. It teaches everything from water to fields and of course obedience. There is also a dvd of the same name that is useful along side the book.

Good Luck, and have fun, training a pup is extremely rewarding

Zeek:

My pup isn't the steadiest dog in the world, but she is getting better. I agree that the dog rushing in the water could spook other birds, as I have seen it happen, good luck!

[Jordyn Kaufer]

Originally Posted By: Jordyn Kaufer

how do you

Train a dog to retrieve ducks and train them Which way

To go?

I'm going to

Get a

Dog and train it but don't know how/what to do to train it to see

The duck go down and than go get it. And how to direct

It to go The way You Want it to

First of all, try writing in sentence form instead of poem form!

You sound like you need a book or preferably to talk in person to someone who has a good hunting dog. There is a lot more to worry about when you get the dog than the questions you just asked. Start with the basics, mainly establishing obedience.

Ya sometimes I hit return when I'm in a rush on my itouch so ya..

[Fish&Fowl]

Just giving you a hard time

[uplander]

I'm not a retriever guy but I've always heard a dog should wait to be released. I guess if I were a duck hunter and owned one I demand he stay until told to fetch. I use to duck hunt and from my limmited experince there can be alot of chaos. Ducks dropping here and there more flocks circling above.. I would think a good dog would have to be steady to take it all in and not mess up the hunt. Also for his safety as well. I think it should be your goal to have a dog that stays until he is released

[Full Choke24]

My lab is trained to go when we say his name. All you have to do is get a dummy and go to a pond, have your dog sit next to you while you throw the dummy hold his collar then make him sit and wait for a while then whenyou let go of the collar yell his name. it is important to have your dog not go out right away because there could be more birds coming in. And on the training a dog to follow hand signals you should take a dummy and cover your dogs eyes. then throw the decoy out to the side where the dog wont see it right away, then send him out there. take rocks and throw them at the decoy hold your arm in that position for a while and the dog will eventually realize what it means. this took me a long time to teach to afull grown lab i also used dead pheasants in the weeds. You just have to stick with it for a while and not give up your dog will pick up on it.