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Gun Dog Training Basics Explained

By: Rebecca Foxton If you've ever seen a hunter with his dog, you know that the bond between them is very strong. The hunting dog listens and responds to every command quickly and precisely. This takes time to accomplish but is well worth it.

Types of Retrievers: Breeds such as Labrador retrievers and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retrievers are excellent gun dogs having been bred over hundreds of years for just that purpose. However, despite centuries of breeding, dogs can still be willful.

Command Basics: Whoa, No, Kennel, Sit, and Come are very important basic commands. Before you take your dog out into the field, it should know and obey all of these basic commands. You can't expect your dog to listen and obey when he is running free if he doesn't listen to you when he's on a leash. Teach your dog in the real situation of public fields and not just at home.

Transition To The Field: When your dog becomes skilled with those particular orders, and you have taught him not to be afraid of the noise that a gun makes, then you can begin training in the field. Begin with dummy training. Your dog must learn that he is meant to retrieve, and dummy training is the best method for teaching this.

Do Some Dummy Training: Select a dummy appropriate to your dog. Some are made of plastic or fabric, while others resemble game birds. Only when your dog can retrieve the dummy without shaking or damaging it can you begin to train with real birds.

Sometimes switching from the dummy to a real bird confuses or upsets the dog; just switch back to the dummy and add some feathers and streamers similar to the bird you are hunting and work with him for a few more days. A decoy streamer will copy the movement of a bird that is not quite dead, so that your dog will not be scared when he comes across the real thing.

Decoys: Transition to the real bird slowly if your dog shows fear the first time he is asked to retrieve it. You can even get a stuffed duck or pheasant from a taxidermist and use it as a decoy dummy.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

About the author: Rebecca Foxton wants to help you bring your pet better direction with Gun Dog Training. Check out her nutrition tips for people with dogs and cats and visit her FortiFlora article series on Dog Buffs.

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