Training Your Hunting Dog

One of the most useful training concepts for your retriever is platform training. This lesson is one that to me is an absolute necessity. There are endless applications for platform training or place training as some call it. First, you'll need some sort of platform that's large enough for your dog to sit on comfortably. Make sure this platform is stable. A shaky or unstable platform will make your dog uncomfortable and make it much harder to get them to sit and stay seated on the platform. There are heaps of different platforms available to buy for hunting. I like to use a 20 inch by 20 inch wooden stand for my training because it's stable and sturdy. A cheap and easy platform is to take an old tyre and cut plywood to attach to one side and it gives a spot for your dog off the ground.

Start with a low platform to begin with and gradually increase the height until the desired height is reached. It might take a bit of coaxing to get your dog to hop on the first time, but make sure to give heaps of praise while they're on the platform to reassure them it's a great spot to be. Just be careful not to tell them off or discipline them while they're on the platform, as your dog might start to link the platform with being told off and want to steer clear of it completely!

Platform training is great for teaching 'sit' and 'stay'. The platform gives your dog a visible boundary with the edge of the platform. This helps your dog understand what is expected of him. Teaching 'sit' and 'stay' on the ground allows your dog to creep or easily move around. It's our job as trainers to simplify and make lessons as easily understood as possible for our four-legged mates.

After your dog's comfy sittin' on the platform, give the “load up”, “kennel”, or “place” command as your dog physically gets onto the platform. Keep on givin' your chosen command every time your dog climbs onto the platform and increase the distance between you and your dog. Sometimes the nearest tree to your shootin' spot might be 20 feet away. You don't wanna have to trudge to that spot each time to load your dog up and get 'em out of the chilly water. Being able to point and tell 'em to “load up” is crucial.

While the dog I'm training is on the platform (on lead), I walk to and from the dog as well as in a circle to make sure the pup is focused on me and waiting for the word to be allowed down. This movement encourages the pup to follow and reinforces the 'sit' and 'stay' command no matter how far you are from the pup. If the pup gets off the platform at any time, firmly give the 'No, load up' command and make sure the pup stays seated until told otherwise.

Make sure you increase the time the pup stays seated on the platform to 15 minutes. I prefer to do this while I'm feeding all the other dogs, 'cause if they can sit and stay on the platform while you're feeding the lot, they'll sit there with you on a long, slow hunt!

Platform training's fair dinkum useful in most hunting situations. You might be hunting in flooded bush and using a tree stand or free standing stand as well as a dog box in a pit hide. You could be hunting from a tinny and the bow is used for a dog platform / perch. Or just teaching your doggo to sit and stay in one spot for safety or convenience. Some of me clients have found it handy in their transportation of their dog in the seat beside 'em in their ute or truck. Your dog knows he's to stay in that one spot until told otherwise and won't be in your footwell or stuffing up your ability to drive safely.

While your dog might be 100% comfy on your platform back at home, make sure to take him or her with you to your hunting spots before the season. Introduce them to those unique spots that might be a bit different than your usual set up. By doing this, you're making sure you'll have less of a headache when you're actually out in the field trying to shoot birds. Not only does this make things easier for everyone hunting with you, but it also keeps your top hunting mate safe from shotgun blasts while hunting with you too.

May you be blessed with heaps of good birds and a top-notch hunting dog to make memories with!