This weekend I did my first weekend of hunting so did my Yellow lab Mongo. He is a resuce dog and I did not have about the extra $1000 this year to try and get him profecinal hunt training so I asked for help and I did a lot a lot with him this summer.
So since this the first time I had the chance to have in in the feild with decoys in a blindretreive with firing my gun. So at the end of the hunt dayI decited to take out his dummy and do a few retreives. I fired my shotgun and Mongo just sat next to me looking at me like going what was that for.I tossed out the dummy in the middle of the decoys and he went after it and left the decoys with no problems and got the dummy and came right back to me with out a problem. I did a few more retreives that day and yesterday with the same results.
The only problems I have with him thatI was able to see is that he has not linked the gun to doing a recteive and he does not get how to fallow my direction to a decoy if he losses it.
Past that for just doing a $100 in a basic training class and just working in the pond with a lot of rectreives I can not complain one bit about Mongo. To be honest I thought I would have had a lot more problems with him but if I can just get him to know when I pick up the gun he needs to be up and attentive and if he can fallow my direction to the bird I will be a very happy hunter for dog that cost me $0 and is a rescue that a family friend found I can not complain one bit.
I did see a item on Ducks Unlimited show when I came in yesterday that was a tennis ball tosser that you put on your shotgun to help one my one problem but I can not find it anywere online and I have never seen in the store.
Thanks for any help, tips, or product info that you help me out with.
Thanks
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First time hunting, and have to say kicking myself for not starting sooner. Those ducks, geese, and deer better watch out for my 870.
I think incorporating the gun into training sessions would help your one problem. This is what I suggest for the 2nd problem.
Place your dog in a sit stay command. Then as your dog is watching you walk away from him with the dummy in your hand and place it in a spot your dog can see. Walk back to your dog and when you get back to him release him for the retrieve with the command you use (fetch or what ever) and give your hand signal in the direction that you place the dummy. Work this over and over again in your sessions. Gradually move the dummy out farther and farther. Also start to incorporate placing the dummy out of his field of view. Then work into a completely blind retrieve. Bring in a fiend or family member to do the placing of the dummy. Your dog should start to associate that when he follows your directions he finds the dummy and gets the retrieve and that should translate for him on live birds as well.
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"A bad day hunting or fishing is better than a good day at work!"
You know, you do not need a bunch of money. Join the NAHRA or UCK Hunting Retriever Clubs and they will help you train your dog for FREE!
Thanks,
I have never heard of these clubs. I like this idea a lot better because both Mongo and I get trained compared to the other way where a trainer trains mongo and I am not part of it.
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First time hunting, and have to say kicking myself for not starting sooner. Those ducks, geese, and deer better watch out for my 870.
Getting my dog working better off the gun
