ORIGINAL: caw_walley_eye
I have two dogs. A 14 month lab cross retriever and a 10 week old german shepard.
I would love to train both to be retriever bird dogs for ducks and geese.
The retriever is gun shy(runs under the truck when we shoot clays) and won't fetch the Grouse training bird for me when I toss it, but will for the 4 year old?!!!! Can I train him to fetch and bring back a goose or duck?
I have to admit I may have freaked him out a bit playing by throwing him into the pond on a hot summer day, but other than that he listens and obeys VERY well. HELP!!!
The 10 week old shepard is well behaved and listens pretty good for a 10 week pup. I realise I didn't exactly choose a sporting dog that time but I figure a shepard is a reliable, loyal, and obediant breed so I must be able to teach him to retrieve a goose, no? HELP again!!!
My 2 cents: Take the retriever out walking, playing just gooffing around, take your gun but don't fire it. Let him associate fun and playing with you and the gun for a while before you try to fire it. May take a few weeks. Once he seems comfortable with everything fire your gun once while you are out for that day. next day play, no shooting, next day fire one or two, and so on . Once it becomes a game to him , he should handle the gun-fire o.k. I wouldn't take him for extended clay shoots. Same goes for the training bird, make a game out of it, take it on those play sessions. The shepards are indeed a smart breed, but I wouldn't have a clue as to how to train it for retriever work.
BTW that's a Jack Russel in the pic for my avatar, not a treeing breed, but the best squrriel dog I have ever had, she will tree her heart out.
Good luck