Duck Hunting Training Techniques Can Benefit All Retrievers
Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, mixed retriever breeds as well as all water dogs can have more enriched lives by learning training techniques used by duck hunters.
Once the owner of a retriever has learned the skills to teach his dog all he can be in the field a new world opens up. Training your retriever can become a highlight of family activities and at the same time give the retriever all the exercise he needs.
Too often retriever owners make the mistake of assuming only hunting dogs need to be taught marks and lines. But it is these exercises that keep the dog exercised and at the same time fulfills the basic need to retrieve. Not just throwing a toy a few feet but rather retrieves from a distance. This is referred to as a mark. The dog watches the dummy as it is thrown and then marks the location of the fall. Training dummies are used for this activity and can found at dog supply stores.
A single mark is the best exercise to teach the dog to mark. You will need a helper to throw the dummy. It is best to start with one person helping. Having two or more helpers in the field can cause the dog to gaze back and forth and disrupt his marking ability.
Double marks can motivate the dog to return quickly to retrieve another mark. Have your helper throw a dummy in one direction (approximately 50 feet to begin) and another helper throw a closer mark. Having your dog retrieve the last mark thrown is the usual order of pick up. Place the helpers so that there is no chance of going to the wrong mark. The more distant mark is often referred to as the memory mark. The dog will learn to judge distance if you vary the location of the helpers at each new marking lesson.
You will have a very enjoyable training session as long as each participant knows his job. Here are the steps to keep in mind. The handler places the helper in the field and decides where the starting line should be. He then heels his dog to the line holding him by a rope attached to the collar. He signals the helper with his free arm to throw. The dog must follow the flight of the dummy until it lands and only when the dog is intently fixed on it does the handler send the dog. The helper should remain silent facing the mark as the dog makes the retrieve.
When you are first beginning, find a park-like area with mowed grass and always try to use white dummies since dogs do not see red. Initially, do short marks about 50 feet or less. After a few weeks the training exercises can include water work. So if you are at a pond, lake, or river you can have lots of fun with marking retrieves across the water giving the dog a chance to do what he was bred to do. Once your retriever has successfully retrieved a mark it can be repeated without the helper. This is referred to as giving the dog a line.
The requirement to accomplish the above exercises is basic obedience. This must include the ability to return to the hander to deliver the dummy. Fun short marks can be introduced as early as four months old. Most dogs need a number of months to prepare for marking lessons.
Jean Smith is a dog trainer specializing in training retrievers. She has condensed years of dog training experience into two DVDs. Lessons
http://www.teachmeplease.com from basic obedience through
advanced. Jean has helped hundreds of people
train their own dogs.
Hunting With a Golden Retriever
As far as breed popularity goes, Golden Retrievers are near the top of the list. Because the breed is intelligent and very eager to please, they are one of the most trainable breeds of dog in existence. Golden Retrievers, besides being wonderful family pets and doting companion animals, are employed in a variety of uses as seeing eye dogs, therapy dogs, and drug-sniffing dogs. What these retrievers were bred for, however, is hunting.
Since the breed is so popular for such varied uses, they are often bred with different traits in mind. When seeking out a new hunting companion Golden Retriever, it is best to search for a breeder who also hunts and has worked to keep traits beneficial to the task in the bloodline of their litters. A reputable breeder who has kept field work in mind for the dogs the breed will likely produce a retriever that excels in the hunting environment.
If you’ve ever played a game of fetch with your Golden Retriever, you know that retrieving comes naturally to the breed. They have a strong sense of smell and an even stronger homing instinct, returning immediately with their ball, a stick, or the fresh kill. Some people prefer hounds for hunting because they offer more varied assistance on the hunt, whereas Golden Retrievers are not flushing dogs.
Since the breed is so trainable and are not relied upon for flushing, it is considerably less difficult to work Golden Retrievers up to their full ability, unlike other popular breeds of hunting dog. Standard obedience commands are the only place to start with any training activity. Sit, stay, fetch, and release are all commands that are imperative to the hunting process. Teaching these commands will also make your life with a Golden Retriever much smoother!
Golden Retrievers can be a useful work or hunting companion, but will be happy to come home and spend time with the family as well. This is an attribute that is very much appreciated by enthusiasts of the breed. When trained properly, your dog will know which behaviors are acceptable in the home and witch are acceptable on the hunt.
While most Golden Retriever owners have their dogs as nothing more than a loving, energetic companion, the breed is still very popular with hunters – and for good reason. The ease of training and the boundless desire to please their owners makes this dog a wonderful pet and an impeccably skillful hunter.
This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com. For more information on the Golden Retriever, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Golden_Retriever/.
Hunting With Your Golden Retriever
As far as breed popularity goes, Golden Retrievers are near the top of the list. Because the breed is intelligent and very eager to please, they are one of the most trainable breeds of dog in existence. Golden Retrievers, besides being wonderful family pets and doting companion animals, are employed in a variety of uses as seeing eye dogs, therapy dogs, and drug-sniffing dogs. What these retrievers were bred for, however, is hunting.
Since the breed is so popular for such varied uses, they are often bred with different traits in mind. When seeking out a new hunting companion Golden Retriever, it is best to search for a breeder who also hunts and has worked to keep traits beneficial to the task in the bloodline of their litters. A reputable breeder who has kept field work in mind for the dogs the breed will likely produce a retriever that excels in the hunting environment.
If you’ve ever played a game of fetch with your Golden Retriever, you know that retrieving comes naturally to the breed. They have a strong sense of smell and an even stronger homing instinct, returning immediately with their ball, a stick, or the fresh kill. Some people prefer hounds for hunting because they offer more varied assistance on the hunt, whereas Golden Retrievers are not flushing dogs.
Since the breed is so trainable and are not relied upon for flushing, it is considerably less difficult to work Golden Retrievers up to their full ability, unlike other popular breeds of hunting dog. Standard obedience commands are the only place to start with any training activity. Sit, stay, fetch, and release are all commands that are imperative to the hunting process. Teaching these commands will also make your life with a Golden Retriever much smoother!
Golden Retrievers can be a useful work or hunting companion, but will be happy to come home and spend time with the family as well. This is an attribute that is very much appreciated by enthusiasts of the breed. When trained properly, your dog will know which behaviors are acceptable in the home and witch are acceptable on the hunt. Golden Retrievers are among the smartest breeds and the most easy to train. It’s very easy to teach them when it’s time to hunt and when it’s time to relax and spend time with the family. It is recommenced that training begin from a very young age. If done properly, it is very easy to teach your Golden Retriever an entire array of tricks start as early as 4 months old. Retrievers love to please and are eager to learn.
While most Golden Retriever owners have their dogs as nothing more than a loving, energetic companion, the breed is still very popular with hunters – and for good reason. The ease of training and the boundless desire to please their owners makes this dog a wonderful pet and an impeccably skillful hunter. Many people are unaware, but Golden Retrievers have a very sensitive nose. They are very skilled at tracking wounded game and retrieving it.
This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com. For more information on the Golden Retriever, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Golden_Retriever/.