Hunting by Chris McNab

Author:Chris McNab [McNab, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Amber Books Ltd
Published: 2013-04-03T23:00:00+00:00

Basic Obedience

Getting your dog to obey the ‘stay’ command is vital to its overall obedience and hunting training. Gradually extend the time period the dog can stay seated, using both hand and voice commands so that eventually the dog will obey either.

Training in Flushing Techniques

Once the dog is completely comfortable with the sound of gunfire, including shotguns and rifles fired in close proximity, you can connect gunshots with the act of retrieval. Practise throwing the retrieval dummy and firing a shot at the same time, doing this procedure several times before breaking off and allowing the dog to rest. If you are practising retrievals from water, throw the dummy just a short way into the water and see if he goes in of his natural accord. If he looks tentative, wade into the water a short way yourself to show that there is nothing to fear. If he is just getting used to swimming, support his torso as he builds up confidence. Gradually increase the distance of the throw into the water until the dog confidently swims out to prey offshore. Always take account of water conditions, however. Never shoot a bird that will drop into fast-flowing water; not only will you lose the bird, but your dog could drown going in after it.

Training your dog in flushing techniques is in many ways an extension of the retrieval process. Flushing dogs such as spaniels naturally love to scamper energetically through undergrowth, their keen noses snuffling up the many scents around them. You can hone this process to flushing game by putting several dummies in the undergrowth; throw them ahead of you, rather than in places where you have just walked, so the dog doesn’t follow your scent trail, and do this when the dog isn’t watching. Then release the dog, allowing it to follow its nose naturally through the undergrowth, but providing basic directional guidance with your voice and hand actions.

Water Retrieval

When training gundogs, introduce them to shallow water at an early age, building up their confidence to the point that they can swim out to retrieve floating dummies. Be careful, however, that you don’t send your dog into fast-flowing waters.

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