From Shelter to Field: Tips on Training a Rescue Dog

The New Year often brings with it new dogs. Many of you may be looking into adding a new addition to your family as we speak. A major question we get this time of year is “can a rescue dog make a good hunting dog”. The short answer is yes. With time and dedication a rescue dog can be a great hunting partner. Below are a few tips we have for anyone in the market to save a dog and gain a hunting buddy:

Be Patient:

We cannot stress this enough. When training any dog, patience is the golden rule. This can be particularly important for a rescue dog. Rescue dogs are often exposed to different social situations than litter pups and it’s difficult to have full knowledge of what they experienced before arriving at a shelter. Your rescue dog might need a bit more time to adjust to the social order in your house or kennel. There may be old habits that need to be broken. Of course, you might get lucky and the dog you bring home is already well trained by its previous owners. This dog may start light years ahead of a newbie pup from a breeder. Either way, give it time and move at the pace of your dog. Having a bit of extra patience will ensure your pup gets the most out of training.

Do Your Research:

You want to ensure you are adopting from a facility that has treated your dog properly during their stay. Visit the centres to make sure the conditions are satisfactory. Animals should be clean, well-fed and given plenty of space. Look at reviews online of the shelters themselves and the animals that have come out of them if they are available for your local shelters. This will help ensure that your dog is in the best possible mental space to start a training regimen.

Let Go of Breed:

Many shelters go to great lengths to properly identify the type of dog you are rescuing, but there are very few ways to know exactly what you will be getting, and even fewer ways of telling which traits of which breeds will be exhibited in the dog you bring home. This can seem a bit daunting, but as any breeder can attest, genetics aren’t everything when it comes to a good hunting dog. Yes, many people rely on lineage, but many of us also have all we need in a certified Heinz 57 mongrel. Look more closely at what size and temperament suits your needs. It’s probably not a great idea to ask a Chihuahua cross to retrieve a goose, or a high-strung dog to remain calm in a hide for hours on end.

If you're interested in a particular breed but still wish to rescue a dog, look for breed rescues in your area. The advantage of this is that you'll know exactly what breed you're getting, and occasionally it's possible to come across a retired hunting dog who just couldn't be kept by his/her owners any longer. These chaps tend to come with a significant head start in training.

Take Time Learning:

Most shelters will be able to offer you a report regarding the behaviour of the dog(s) you are interested in. Ensure the profile matches up with what you want in your hunting partner.* Spend time with the pup before you make the final decision and ensure everyone in the household that will be interacting with the dog is on board. Taking the time to get to know and understand your new dog before you bring him/her home will be a huge jump start to a successful ongoing relationship.

*There’s an important side note here: your shelter’s write-up may not completely reflect the dog you are bringing home. If you’ve ever rescued a dog, you know their demeanour can change entirely when they come home. Your laid-back, chill pup may turn into the Tasmanian Devil. If you encounter this and you do not think this is something you can work past, return the dog to the shelter as soon as that decision is made.