Recommendations when duck hunting with a retriever

fugawi

fugawi

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I am planning to borrow my friend's black lab to retreive ducks that are falling into deep water in the marsh we hunt. Just wondering what I should bring along for the dog's comfort and safety.

We will be puddle jumping ducks in the ditches along a dike then shooting over decoys in a pond. In some places there is a green soup on the water. I know enough to bring water and towels to wipe him down, and water for him to drink at the truck but is there anything else to recommend? Thx.
 
Is it a hunting dog? Just cause it's a lab doesn't mean it's going to work... It won't have a clue what your up to & will likely be gun shy if it has not been introduced to gunfire SLOWLY & CAREFULLY!

And, like jnyri said, ask the owner...

Cheers
Jay
P.S. Dogs DO add to the hunt, they just need exposure & training to become a true asset to the hunt. You can't just take any dog hunting & expect results...
 
I know the dog likes to swim and I work the dog when I visit the owner. She would like to do field trials with the dog, but no it hasn't been exposed to gunfire.

The owner is coming with me to handle the dog. It is a 2 year old neutered purebred male from a line of hunting dogs and the owner says the dog gets excited at the sound of geese overhead. Has a bit of a hard mouth though.

I think the basics are there. I'm concerned though with the dog swimming in the water. I had a retreiver that had chronic ear infections and I wonder whats in the marsh water.
 
Ears are always a concern with a Lab. See your local vet are get some Ear Cleansing Solution, should have it anyway. Use it once a week and after swimming, balances the Ph in the ear and keeps it from getting funky.

I would however be more concerned with no exposure to gunfire. The best lines in a dog WILL NOT prevent the dog from winding up under the truck cowering if he has not been introduced properly.
 
Don't waste your time if the dog hasn't been trained. We get people all the time who just want to "try" a dog, the dogs poorly behaved and it is unethical to hunt with a dog that may retrieve a bird then run off with it. Don't aasume because the basics are there that it will work, you may end up spending the day chasing a dog around a marsh.
 
sjemac said:
You might get lucky and have the dog do what you want. You might hit the LottoMax too.

Most likely result is a s**t show that scars everyone.
Click to expand...


X10

Do not do this. Real hunting dogs are trained for at least a year or 2 before they can even be semi reliable. Even then they're in their prime after about 5 years of real field work.

If you shoot a shotgun next to that dog it will be back at the truck pissing it's self and be ruined for life.

If the dog has not been introduced to dead birds it will either chew the #### out of it or not pick it up at all.

If you can't keep the dog at heel or do remote send while on the creep, you'll not get any ducks in range on a jump shoot as the dog will flush them. Also you run the risk of shooting an inexperienced dog.

It would be like taking a 3 year old child that does not even speak English out hunting and expect him to be useful. It's cruel and dangerous.

I'm not claiming to be the leading expert but I train dogs and belong to a club. I like to think I know what I'm talking about.
 
What you are planning is a perfect way to ruin any potential the dog has. Do not do it.

Get in touch with your local retriever/hunting dog club and find out how to train one properly.

Very bad idea.
 
OK, I see that the consensus here is to not take a dog that hasn't been exposed to fire, duck hunting. Thanks for the advice - I don't want to ruin the dog. Thanks to all that replied.

Now I'll have to talk the owner out of it. She's really gung ho on taking her dog along.
 
I have 2 labs that I hunt with and I agree that unless the dog has been properly broken in to gunfire,I wouldn't take him anywhere near it.He's not going to just know what to do.They need to be trained to equate a dead bird with that which you wish them to retrieve.My black was incredible on dummies,balls or anything else that I would throw for him but it took him a while to figure out that a dead grouse or duck was what I wanted him to pick up.Afterall it was fluffy,warm and possibly still moving.My yellow on the other hand doesn't care and will pick up anything I ask him to.
 
Great thread, important to educate people about this. Buddy of mine and my sister have dogs they think would be great for me to take hunting, always politely declining the offer as they aren't trained at all.
 
A good start for the owner would be to get a cap gun at the dollar store and fire it just before feeding her dog. This way the dog begins to associate the bang with something good. This should still be a slow process, such as someone firing the cap gun in another room and then over time moving closer. I did this when mine was 2 months old.

You can then move outside and, depending on how the dog has responded, move to say .22 at a distance. Fire a blank .22 at say 30 yards and throw a dummy for the dog to retrieve. Again loud noise means something good is about to happen.

Also keep a couple of mud ducks from this year and wrap them in newspaper put them in the freezer. Once you have the gunfire around the dog under control introduce him to a semi frozen duck. Play with dog with it make it fun but do not let him chew or be rough with it. I am assuming when you get to this point the dog is under control when on a retrieve, if not, wait on the duck till he is.

If the dog has a hard mouth you are in for a lot of work. Chicken wire wrapped around what you want him to retrieve I have heard works. I have never had to do it, just what I have been told, read on the subject. This does however increase the likelyhood that you will have to force fetch the dog. I have never had to do this but from what I have heard, it can be a long process and sometimes not very pleasant for you or the dog.

Hope this helps some. Good news is if you can get the Lab to do all this you will take
your hunting to a new level!!


Cheers!
 
I've had many retreivers and one things for sure, make sure you brush him and make sure its ears are dry... They are great dogs thats for sure but they can develop a lot of problems!
 
I force fetched my black in 15 minutes.He is very smart and knew what I was after.I haven't done my yellow yet.He very stubborn and I'm sure it will take longer.He's just about ready for it now anyways.He does drop everything at my feet but just won't hold it til I take it.
 
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