This is a skill that is a must for duck dogs, but also spills over into certain upland situations as well. ![]() The goal is to get your dog in the right headspace where he’ll clearly understand that his job of going out and retrieving birds isn’t over until you say it is, no matter the environment. If your dog handles the doubles drill easily, you’ll be able to move on to triples and then eventually, take the drills to the water’s edge. This is something we don’t address much in the dog space, but I think it’s really important for waterfowl retrievers. Not only does this start to get the dog to understand his job isn’t always over when he’s retrieved one bird, it also helps him use his memory. Use training dummies to help your retriever learn to handle the double and triple retrieves they're likely to encounter in the duck blind. This is by design and allows me to work and send the dog in a way that ensures he’ll get both bumpers in the order I want him to without deviating from the most direct lines. The dog then gets released on the last dummy.īecause I’m directly between the first and second retrieve, the dog has to go right to me to get both of them. As soon as I toss the first, I turn 180 degrees in the opposite direction and throw the second. I start this out by heading out to the backyard, once again, and then tossing one dummy while making the dog wait. This means you’ll want to train your dog to understand how to retrieve doubles and triples. Singles & Multiplesĭepending on what you hunt, who you hunt with, and how often you go, your upland retriever might rarely, if ever, encounter a situation where he’ll have to retrieve more than one bird at a time. These little drills can really set a dog on the right path to being a much better companion during duck hunts. ![]() These drills should eventually incorporate blank guns, shotguns, and duck calls to truly prepare your retriever for staying calm. Steadiness drills are crucial to developing a quality duck dog. And if you need to, reinforce steadiness throughout your daily life by making your dog wait to go through the door or having him sit and wait to be released before he gets to eat. Make sure to take this drill from the backyard to the water, as well, to round out your dog’s education. This drill, especially when you work up to a shotgun, or duck calls, really gets the dog in the frame of mind you want for steadiness. When you take that away from them through this drill, they usually start to relax, and you can see a palpable change in their body language.Įventually, you can periodically (randomly) send the dog for a retrieve to give him a reward and solidify the message that it’s your call when he gets to go. Normally, dogs know that as soon as the dummy is tossed, or it hits the ground, they get to go do their favorite thing. This is not how normal retrieving drills usually go, which is the point. I’ll toss the dummies and then instead of sending the dog, I’ll go get them myself. To do this, I’ll take as many as six bumpers into the backyard and tell the dog to sit. ![]() I like to address steadiness by thinking about how I can get a dog to relax and not nervously, or over-excitedly, focus solely on the exact second he gets to retrieve. And worse, often puts himself in danger by anticipating the shot and jumping out too early. Conversely, a dog that breaks and doesn’t understand the game is just not fun to be around in a boat or a blind. The ability to quietly sit tight and wait, is the secret sauce to all retrievers that are a real pleasure to hunt with. There is no good duck dog that doesn’t have a handle on steadiness.
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