Don't Overlook Steady in Your Wetland Training Arsenal

When you think of wetland hunting with your dog, the importance of water retrieves is probably the first thing that comes to mind. 'Steady' is also an incredibly important command for a waterfowl dog. As we all know too well, the sport requires patience for both yourself and your dog. Ensure you've prepared him for the hunt by working on 'steady' through the following scenarios:

1. Train on Multiple Surfaces

In many circumstances, hunting is an exercise in adaptability and your dog needs to be prepared for a variety of situations. One day, he may find himself perched on your boat, and the next atop a nice stump, or beneath a hide. For this reason, it's very important that he learns how to remain steady on a variety of surfaces. Ensure your pup gets practice on stumps, flat surfaces, in a hide, on a boat…anywhere you think he might need to be on a day out.

2. Expose to Different Durations

It’d be great if we knew going out how many ducks we were going to shoot and how often, but we don’t. Your dog needs to be ready to spend a good chunk of time on being steady. You can’t expect him to get out and maintain the entire hunt if you’ve not taught him the expectation before getting out.

3. Steady to Shot

This can be a very difficult task for exceptionally keen dogs, but it's essential to ensure all your pups are safe and precise in the field. Your dog might want to leap into action as soon as the gunshot is heard (they have great faith in your ability to shoot something down) but they must wait to retrieve until you've given them the release command. This is simple enough to practise at home. If possible, just go out and shoot, but only toss a dummy for retrieval every 5 or 6 shots or so. If your dog struggles with waiting for the command to release, put them on a lead and release as you issue your command. If you don't have the space to be shooting, there are excellent tools available that you can buy to simulate gunfire.

4. Work in Water

Being a wetland hunter means your dog is going to get wet. Now, you’re thinking 'thank you captain obvious, I had that part sussed out', but there’s more than just water retrieves. It may be necessary for you and your dog to take to the water. When training around water, make sure you take some time from the retrieves to steady in the water.

5. Work on Honouring the Retrieve

When you and your mates are out with your dogs, it's very important that all dogs are trained to honour the retrieve. This means your dog does not need to go until he or she is specifically released. To train on this, try a group training session. Have your hunting partners come over with their dogs and work on steadying until it's time to retrieve. Add some real-world simulation by firing some guns. As when teaching your dog to steady to shot, only throw a dummy every few shots, and then release one dog on it. Any that are having trouble honouring should be leashed and released when given the command.

Training in these situations will help you and your pup have a more successful season. What other tips do you have for training to steady?