Step 1: Lining Drills Begin the Handling Education
Handling skills need to be done in a specific order because they build on each other. Start with lining.
How to Train Your Lab to Hunt
How to Train Your Lab to Hunt
Through narrative, photos and video, the Labs in Training category details some of the skills that I believe are valuable in the development of a solid duck hunting dog. My training methods throughout this website have worked for me and hopefully can work for you too.
Handling skills need to be done in a specific order because they build on each other. Start with lining.
The step 2 series begins to add hand signals to the handling lessons and emphasize that your dog must sit and stay as you walk away from him. They also show how you can begin in small spaces like your back yard.
Be sure your dog understands ‘basic’ hand signals before you start playing baseball. The hand signal drills to this point gave your dog just one direction option. Now, he will tempted to go in any one of three directions because he knows there is a bumper at all bases.
In actual hunting situations, your dog will be unsure of the location of many birds he is sent to retrieve. The ability to make successful blind retrieves requires handling, trust and not giving up before the bird is found.
Identify your home delivery circle and train your dog to bring every bird right to the middle of it.
If your dog is gun shy, you no longer own a hunting dog and you will likely never hunt with him.
You can use an ecollar for all types of correction and reinforcement of a command but that doesn’t mean you necessarily have to use it for everything.
Labs are genitically predisposed to go get something and bring it back. But genes don’t implant all the big and little nuances of how to complete a retrieve that make it an efficient hunting dog. They need help with that.