Mike Oxbig
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Scarborough Ontario
I'm not giving up my pooch for that long.
Does the dog stay there the whole time? What are the "basics" and what do they teach the him/her?
Hunting Dog training advice
- Thread starter Mike Oxbig
- Start date
Does the dog stay there the whole time? What are the "basics" and what do they teach the him/her?
Well, I guess that depends where your dog is at when it goes to the trainer. The basics to me would be having lots of birds thrown for it, learn to heal and sit at your side no matter what, if you are into upland hunting maybe sitting to the flush, and to a whistle. There are so many different aspects to this, I guess you have to decide what you want out of your dog.
And yes, the dog would most likely stay at the trainers the entire time. My last pup, I sent to the trainer, I had them do the Force Fetch and Collar conditioning for me, it was 2 1/2 months, but she went Oct. and got her Back the middle of Dec.. she was 9 months old, so she would have been a little young for the goose hunting that I was doing, and I also Deer hunt a lot, so the timing worked out well. For me, I like doing the obedience work, and my newest pup, I am going to attempt to do the Force Fetch and Collar Conditioning myself. The marking work that a dog does, is also really enjoyable, but you either need a couple of helpers, or a sizable investment in remote bird launchers. Blind retrieve work is a good way to spend a half hour training with just you and your dog.
Lots of people who are into Field trialing and Hunt Testing send their dogs down south with a trainer every winter. It is good for them, cause the trainer is working with the dog every day, and they get to hit the Trials in the warmer climates.
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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.
it really depends how far along your dog is in his training and what kind of an end result your looking for. 1 month to finish after his basic training( simple ,complete obedience), to make him a good meat dog.at least $500.00 to $800.00 even more.if you want a field trial dog, in the end, WOW, you're looking at a few thousand anyway and probably a lot more,and that's if your dog can cut it!! most of us aren't looking for that.you can make him into a good hunting retriever on your own with a little help from some books. James Lamb Free's, training your retriever, is well worth buying if you can find it. patience pays off. you really can't screw him up if you take your time.your first hunt with him should be you and someone else. let the other person do most of the shooting and you handle your dog, at least for the first few times. now one word of warning. if you get addicted to hunting with your own retriever, and you certainly will!!,it is a whole new hunting experience and you will love it.i've trained 10 dogs and field trialed 3 of them. none were ever champions, but if a numbscull like me can train and handle anyone can!! good luck and enjoy!
