Summer Training for Hunting Dogs

Just like when we head to the shooting range to stay sharp and better our skills, we've gotta set aside a bit of time to make sure our dog stays keen and ready for the autumn hunting season, which always seems to rock up quicker than we reckon.

In addition to having 'work' time with your dog, make sure you schedule 'fun' time as well. The following tips will help you maintain a great training ethic and will help in sharpening your skills as well as those of your hunting mate.

First and foremost, keep training positive for both of you. It's important that the dog doesn't see training sessions as 'hard yakka'. If you keep a positive attitude and make each session fun, your dog will continue looking forward to more chances to train! While conducting your tune-up sessions always remember to keep your cool and use a good, strong voice with your dog. Remember, the goal is to keep the sessions fun! Using a steady command voice will go a long way in reinforcing your dog's training and behaviour.

Most hunting breeds enjoy working hard for short amounts of time. In the interest of keeping training sessions productive and fun, work your dog between ten and twenty minutes per day. Too much more time and you might risk losing their attention.

While conducting your training make sure that you maintain control of the dog and the environment within which you are training. Don't let them run around and sniff while working on land or water retrieves. Focus is a major component in training and while the dog is working, he/she needs to maintain a high level of focus on the task that you're trying to teach.

As your dog gets better and more confident, you can make the fetch trickier. Just remember, your dog's gotta improve and get more sure of itself with what you're teaching before you start throwing in distractions (it's like how we start training with feathers before we move on to a clipped wing and then, eventually, live birds).

I recommend that each training session ends with throwing a set of 'happy bumpers' – 'no strings attached' bumpers tossed for their sheer retrieving pleasure. This reinforces the message that training is a positive, fun thing to do!

Keep these tips in mind when you're training your hunting mate and you'll have a solid foundation for next season!

About David

Dave Siple has been breeding and training hunting dogs for over twelve years. His expertise includes voice, hand and e-collar training – the latter using SportDOG brand remote training collars. Dave is the owner of High River Labs (www.highriverlabs.com) which specialises in pointing and flushing Labrador retrievers, as well as High River Hunting Preserve (www.highriverhunting.com) Dave and his crew offer dog training at all levels, breeding, guided hunts, clinics and demonstrations.