Training Your Retriever for Double Duty

If you've got a gun dog, odds are that sooner or later you're gonna ask it to do some bush work. It might be a pheasant hunt as a bit of a side hustle to your Dakota duck hunt, or maybe an arvo of quail hunting after a morning goose hunt. Most retrievers handle their second gig pretty well. You can help your dog perform that job even better.

Hunting a field in search of scent is a lot like retrieving; it’s a natural instinct. Your job is to awaken those instincts and control the actions of Pup until you see him responding.

Training your pup to quarter can and should start as soon as you bring your future star home from the breeder. Long daily walks will introduce him to heaps of new smells, sounds, sights and adventures. Your pup will be keen to explore, but it's unlikely he'll wander too far from you. As your pup is frolicking about in front of you, start letting him know you're pleased with his actions with a cheerful 'Hunt 'em up!'

While Pup is running through the paddocks as happy as if he had two tails, your first job is to follow him. Pup's gotta learn that his spot is in front of you. If he decides to run behind you, turn and follow so he's always ahead of you. I've seen older dogs
struggle with this idea. They reckoned the safe spot for them was right by your side. With patience, they all came around to become top-notch bush hunters. As young dogs, their hunting instinct wasn't ever encouraged. Avoid this by starting early.

As pups grow older, they tend to become more independent. One day he might decide to venture off on his own. Pup is bold now and ready to challenge your authority, so be prepared. Hopefully, you've already started some obedience training, and pup understands the 'Here' command so you can call him back each time he ventures too far. With enough repetition, pup will learn how far he's allowed to stray. This distance is determined by how well you shoot and what type of birds you're hunting.

I also encourage you to give your whistle a toot at this time. Give a toot on the whistle each time he goes too far and before you know it, Pup will be turning back on his own when he gets to that distance. Now we’re getting somewhere – Pup is happy while hunting, but under control.

I'm a big believer in buying the best doggo you can and letting his natural genetic encoding tell him where to hunt. However, there are times when you need to cast Doggo into a specific area that you reckon or know holds birds. To do this, Doggo must learn hand signals. Unlike blind retrieves, casting in the upland hunt is not a precise exercise, but a steering of Doggo into a general area.

A dog will easily learn to cast in an upland hunt if he comes when called. Start by telling your pup to 'Hunt 'em up.' He heads off in one direction, you head off in the other. As he's about to turn on his own, give a tweet on the whistle, making him turn and head towards you. When Pup looks up at you, hold out your arm, pointing in the direction you're heading. Start walking a zig-zag pattern through the field on your daily walks. If pup zigs, you zag and if he zags, you zig. Each time he turns, either on his own or after you call him, hold out the correct arm and cast him in a new direction. With enough practice and conditioning, Pup will cast in any direction.

What if Pup decides he'd rather have a run around the scrub instead of diving into it and hunting? We need to show him that the scrub's a top spot and not something to be scared of. Do this by walking into the scrub and call him in there with you. If he's keen on you and will come when called, this shouldn't be hard. After he gets into the scrub, encourage him to hunt with a cheery voice. When Pup finds enough birds in the scrub, you'll have a tough time keeping him out of it.

What if he shows little interest in the field and is sluggish in his search? Try livening up the field with a couple of birds, either freshly killed or live ones. Hopefully, this will spark Pup's interest. Spread the birds out on both sides of the field to encourage Pup to search the edges. Walk down the centre while Pup works the sides and retrieves the planted birds. Make a big fuss over him each time he finds a bird, and then send him off to search again.

Always check your local and state regulations related to dog training and the use of game birds on private and public property.