First Hunting Season

[browningguy18]

Well I have ventured into my first year hunting with a dog. I envy you guys that can really train dogs. My pup is a year and almost 9 months old and after working hard this summer on obedience, steadiness, gun training, marking, lining and a little bit of handling I decided it was time to let him tag along this year. I thought early goose would be a decent way to break him in a little. We had a field that was holding a few geese but I would not call it a prime spot. I didn't really expect him to pick up a goose (although I hoped he would give it his best attempt) but I really just wanted to try and give him some excitement and work on steadiness and obedience. The first hunt my wife and I took him and he did really good when things were happening. He stayed in his blind when the geese were working, was quiet and watching for his mark. It was when things were slow what proved to be the tough part. Hard to convince a young pup to lay down in his blind rather than go explore a field. We had geese work and one come in however, we missed. I was thrilled that he never broke and the look on his face when nothing dropped for a mark was priceless. Well over the week, a few more geese had found the little field we had permission to hunt. There was a nice spot on the edge of the field that provided good cover and I constructed a little make shift blind this morning so that I could be right next to him. I had planned on not shooting and letting the friend I was with do all the shooting so I could just concentrate on the pup. Well he did much better this morning with staying his blind (he and I have been just sitting in the backyard all week watching the sky using it) and would pop out for a quick look but never hesitated and as soon as I told him kennel. Well we had a group of 15 do it right. Again he stayed quiet and in his blind and let them work right in. I let my buddy start shooting but when I saw that he was staying in his blind, I joined in on the action. (the hunter inside took over) We dropped 5 geese and when the last 1 fell, to my disappointment he had broke and got about 10 feet out of his blind. He came right back into a heal when I called him back. He didn't actually pick any up but he did drag one a little ways back to me. I kind of figured having never seen a goose or a live bird (we had two that were still twitching) that this was coming and not really all that disappointed in but rather used it as an introduction. What I was disappointed in was the lack of him being able to get back under control when he got all fired up. At this point he wasn't wanting to stay in the blind at all anymore just quick in and quick out to go out and check things out and it was a battle that I think he won. That was it for his morning at that point. I knew this coming and know that he is going to make mistakes which may cost me a couple of birds this year but if any of you dog guys have any advice on the first hunting season for a pup I would appreciate hearing it.

[lanyard]

I don't have any advice, only can say that your description sounds about right for the long relationship you both have ahead of you. Here's what I picked up from my experience:

Don't give in and don't accept the behavior. Man, even my kids get sent to their room and we've been on that for a lot longer than 12 months

Don't get down on yourself. You and the rest of us in the 99% that have trained/are training their own dogs are the biggest limits to our dog's potential.

Don't forget that the dog can't "act like you've been there before"..... if he's never been there before.

You've got about 10 years left on your relationship, think long term, not the last 10 days.

My lab saw improvements each year with her peaking at from 4-6 years. Her last retrieve is still one of my favorite memories in life: a redhead sailed a loooooooong azz way, then died and drifted to other side of slough, we picked it up on our way out: blind water retrieve, all on hand signals... she wouldn't deliver to hand, she carried that bird 1/4 mile back to the truck.

As much as possible, try to think "obedience is team work, not compliance". This will especially be important when the weather turns to chit and that dog is swimming in 33 degree water struggling to get back onto an ice ledge with a bird in it's mouth..... and then gets back to the blind and might not be that inclined to give a rip if you're pissed about something

Keep working on both your and your dog's skills. Keep it fun. If you don't, you end up like one of "those guys": where everyone on the slough knows your dog's name from you yelling it over, and over followed by a false command like "...get over here!" "Bucky, bucky, BUCKY! Get OVER Here!"

[browningguy18]

That's pretty much my goal is for him not to be "that" dog. I am thinking I am going to put him on a short lead this weekend so that he can't break and I think it's also easier to keep good obedience that way too. I'm going to at least start not shooting so I can help work him through everything. I took a goose wing and hockey taped it to one of his bumpers this week which he gets really pumped up for so we can work on obedience when he gets all jacked up.

[lanyard]

If you haven't yet, take another wing and tie it to a fishing pole, then treat the dog like a cat by bouncing it up and down. Works both for excitement/engagement with birds and discipline.... a dog can sit and watch that damned thing salivating like a Pavlovian hound waiting for a command

The other thing with that is you can then drag the wing around the yard and hide the dummy with the wing on it. Puts your scent off the wing's scent by 6'-8' and the dog can start figuring out how to trail.

My dog got bopped by a very alive hen mallard, right in the snot box, on her very first retrieve. She never picked up a goose or mallard, but every other duck, pheasant, grouse, etc. was fair game alive or dead.

Good luck!

[browningguy18]

Well slowest opener I have had in years which was alright by me because it was great to work with the pup. I let my old man shoot and I just worked with Tate. He did much better waiting for birds and it didn't take long to get his first retrieve. It wasn't too hard but it was through the rice. He made it three quarters of the way there and lost it but when he turned around I gave him a whistle and a back and to my surprise he went right to it. He had a hard time keeping it in his mouth through the rice but he got it back to me pulled up on my left side and held it. I was super pumped and you could see the light bulb go off in his head. One thing I didn't anticipate was how pumped up he got when other groups shot. He does break still, I had to keep him on a short lead to keep him from going swimming everytime a group shoots. When he gets fired up it's tough to get him back in his blind and for about a min or so it seems everyone knows it and I was super embarrassed.I just used the down command in his blind and by the end of yesterday when he started to get fired up he would lay down. The fun part is you can see him figuring things out. I now know what to train him on. Staying in his blind until I call him to heal and being around shooting without retrieving.