Hunting Dog training advice

Mike Oxbig

Mike Oxbig

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Location
Scarborough Ontario
Hey guys. I missed the sportsman show this year due to work and was really hoping to research a dog trainer there to help me train my pup (Lab and Springer mix) for hunting.

Does anyone know (and would recommend) a local trainer that I could see weekly for a few weeks to get the idea of what I should be doing with her?

I’d like her to be able to come upland and waterfowl hunting. Nothing too serious but I think it’d be great if she had the know how to join me and be a part of bird hunting.

Thanks

Mike
 
Does she retrieve now? I mean when you throw something does she bring it back to you or run around like a fool with it?

Can she sit still until you tell her to move? Will she pick up something with fur or feathers on it?
 
sjemac said:
Does she retrieve now? I mean when you throw something does she bring it back to you or run around like a fool with it?

Can she sit still until you tell her to move? Will she pick up something with fur or feathers on it?
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Yup. She'll bring stuff back now. I can tell her to sit and toss something and she'll stay till i tell her to get it.

The closest thing to furry of feathery would have to ba a tennis ball.:D
 
Get some bird wings and a dummy. Start playing with her and the bird wings and get her excited about them and trying to mouth them. Then secure them to a retrieving dummy and have her pick them up and bring them back. If she's excited about retrieving, has the basic commands down and doesn't mind or likes the feathers in her mouth then she is probably going to be trainable without a pro. There are some great books out there that will walk you through it with no more than a few minutes work each day.
 
sjemac said:
Get some bird wings and a dummy. Start playing with her and the bird wings and get her excited about them and trying to mouth them. Then secure them to a retrieving dummy and have her pick them up and bring them back. If she's excited about retrieving, has the basic commands down and doesn't mind or likes the feathers in her mouth then she is probably going to be trainable without a pro. There are some great books out there that will walk you through it with no more than a few minutes work each day.
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Nice! Can you recommend any? I was hoping to learn how to whistle train her. I'm just worried that the longer i wait, the more bad habbits she'll pick up from my "half assed" training
 
"10 Minute Retriever" is one that is used a lot by busy guys. As is "Retriever Puppy Training The Right Start For Hunting"

This site has a lot of good info and a good search function just like CGN.

It also has a lot of bull#### and drama --- Just like CGN.

Filter out the crap and there is some very good info here for free from some very talented trainers.

http://refugeforums.com/refuge/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=10&f=9
 
Bill Tarrant, Richard Wolters and Gerome Robinson are also good authors on training gun dogs.
I have always liked Tarrant's way of training.

A quick search at the Scarborough Public Library Site library shows they have:

How To Hunt Birds With Gun Dogs by Bill Tarrant

Gun Dog
Game Dog: The Hunter's Retreiver For Upland Birds And Waterfowl
Gun Dog: Revolutionary Rapid Training Method
Water Dog; Revolutionary Rapid Training Method by Richard A Wolters

The Ultimate Guide To Bird Dog Training
Hunt Close: A Realistic Guide To Training Close-Working Gun Dogs
Training The Hunting Retreiver by Jerome Robinson

Gun Dog-Training Spaniels and Retreivers by Kenneth Roebuck

So take a run down there, a library card will be a lot cheaper than buying all those books.
 
I trained all my labs myself and used a few books. Its most important to train them at a young age for no more than 10 minutes per day. Go longer and it stops being fun for a pup,GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Mike Oxbig said:
How young are you talking here? Just curious as mine is 8 months now
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I started training my Springer at 7 weeks and then sent her away to get finished at ayear and a half. At eight months you can spend more time training but remember to keep it fun for the dog and always finish a training session on a positive note with lots of praise. Stay away from the "treat" reward system. Just lots of praise and affection, the dog will work best when it realizes it is pleasing you. Just a few thoughts, good luck.
 
Big Game said:
I started training my Springer at 7 weeks and then sent her away to get finished at ayear and a half. At eight months you can spend more time training but remember to keep it fun for the dog and always finish a training session on a positive note with lots of praise. Stay away from the "treat" reward system. Just lots of praise and affection, the dog will work best when it realizes it is pleasing you. Just a few thoughts, good luck.
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Sent her away to get finished??? What does that entail?
 
Mudpuppy said:
A quick search at the Scarborough Public Library Site library shows they have:.....

.
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Holly ####!! We have a library here!!:D
I figured the internet made all them obsolete!

Thanks for the info.
I think i may be banned from there though due to a childhood incident though.
I hope they forgive and forget.
I like the idea of borrowing rather than buying. At least that way i don't get stuck with something i don't like.
I'll check it out this weekend.
 
If your not much for reading check out the Fowl Dawgs 1 DVD. It demonstrates in details everything from puppy obedience through to basic handling, including an excellent segment on force fetch. This program is based on Lardy's and if you complete the program you'll have yourself one hell of a good hunting dog, capable of remote handling.
 
to send a dog away to a professional trainer to "finish him off" is quite costly but well worth the money. however at the begining, when the dog is still a pup, throw a few training dummies every day, but stop while the dogs still wants more. don't keep tossing dummies til he loses interest.as well don't try and advance him too much too soon. the amount he can retain, in his training is relative to his age.until a dog is marking his birds consistently, out to 50 or 75 yds., it's best to keep his training fairly simple til he's 10 months to a year old.IMHO
 
Here's a great book for the beginner retriever trainer. Explains thing in layman's terms.

http://www.gundogsupply.com/trainretform.html

I find a lot of the authors out there, explain things whereby the reader needs a certain amount of knowledge, and terminology use, that the beginner just does not have. Lardy is a great trainer, but a lot of his idea's and methodology will go over the heads of someone that does not already have a good understanding of the fundementals.

The 10 Minute Retriever is also a good book, though I have not read the entire thing, I have borrowed it for specific items. http://www.gundogsupply.com/b10mirehowto.html
 
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Well i paid a visit to the local library today (it was right across the street from the beer store. Score!!)
No retreiver books in stock. So i'm going to buy one online.

I'm hearing a lot of praise for the "10 minute retriever"
I think i'll order that one. Failing that i'll get "Training Retrievers for Marshes & Meadows"
I'd get both but i know one would end up in the pile with all my other half read books like "how to finish reading books for dummies.":D
 
12magnum said:
to send a dog away to a professional trainer to "finish him off" is quite costly but well worth the money. however at the begining, when the dog is still a pup, throw a few training dummies every day, but stop while the dogs still wants more. don't keep tossing dummies til he loses interest.as well don't try and advance him too much too soon. the amount he can retain, in his training is relative to his age.until a dog is marking his birds consistently, out to 50 or 75 yds., it's best to keep his training fairly simple til he's 10 months to a year old.IMHO
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How much is the training and how long does it take? I may be interested in going this route next year. I'm not so worried about the money as i am without my buddy for a week or two.:redface:
 
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