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Anyone who has watched a hunter and his dog can sense the deep bond between them. The hunting dog responds to every command with speed and precision. It takes time and patience to reach this level, but the result is well worth the effort.

Retrievers: Dogs such as the Labrador retriever and the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever have been bred over hundreds of years to be good gun dogs. This doesn’t mean, however, that it is any easier today to get them to work than it was back then.

Basic Commands: Commands such as Whoa, No, Kennel, Sit and Come are vital. Your dog must know and obey all of these commands before you take him out to the field. If your dog won’t obey you when he’s on a leash he certainly won’t obey when he has the freedom to run at will. Your dog should be taught in a realistic situation in the field and not at home.

Transition To The Field: When your dog becomes skilled with those particular orders, and you have taught him not to be afraid of the noise that a gun makes, then you can begin training in the field. Begin with dummy training. Your dog must learn that he is meant to retrieve, and dummy training is the best method for teaching this.

Do Some Dummy Training: Select a dummy appropriate to your dog. Some are made of plastic or fabric, while others resemble game birds. Only when your dog can retrieve the dummy without shaking or damaging it can you begin to train with real birds.

Sometimes switching from the dummy to a real bird confuses or upsets the dog; just switch back to the dummy and add some feathers and streamers similar to the bird you are hunting and work with him for a few more days. A decoy streamer will copy the movement of a bird that is not quite dead, so that your dog will not be scared when he comes across the real thing.

Using Decoys: It is important that you transition to the real bird slowly if your dog seems to be afraid at first when retrieving it. You can use a stuffed duck or pheasant as a decoy dummy, by getting them from the taxidermist.

Tags: Dogs

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