Training Retrieve to Hand

We often rely on our ProStaff when we hit a snag with training. ProStaffer Ben Busby has offered advice on training the crucial 'Retrieve to Hand' in this week's blog.

I've heard different gun dog owners reckon their dogs have been fetching but sometimes they'll stop just before handing it over. The solution's simpler than you'd think. This method's worked a treat for pups, experienced gun dogs, flushers, and pointers. When you're training your dog, whether in the off-season, or during the season, if you crouch down on one knee, hook your finger in his collar and leave the dummy or bird in his gob while you give him a pat and a good word for bringing back the dummy or bird, with your other hand under his jaw so he can't drop the bird too early.

You can start to walk backwards near the end of the retrieve while using inviting gestures and verbal encouragement for your dog to come all the way to you. When you're encouraging him to come in with welcoming gestures and supportive words, your dog will completely forget to drop the dummy or bird before reaching your hand. Make sure your bird dog enjoys the moments of success for you out in the field and occasionally challenge him with different types of terrain you train on and mix up the dummies and birds you're training him with.

Also, remember not to nick off with the prize too quick after a retrieve and give him heaps of praise so he's keen for next time you take him out in the field to work or hunt. Depending on the age of your hunting mate, you don't wanna have long training sessions. If he's a young pup, his attention span's not gonna be real long anyway. For the older dogs, they've got a longer attention span but you still gotta keep your sessions short and to the point. If you drag on the training for the older dogs, they might just start going through the motions and doing things half-arsed, which can lead to a few other problems you don't want during a retrieve to hand. When you're wrapping up your training session, you want him to be hanging out for more and to have a good time while you're training him.

With the upland hunting seasons wrapping up, if your seasoned gun dog or pup needs training, now's the time to get onto it.