Training Hunting Dogs: Building a Strong Bond
Various hunting dog breeds exist, each with unique abilities in flushing prey, scent tracking, and retrieving. Before training begins, it’s important to select a breed that aligns with your style of hunting. A good hunting dog will have inherited a strong nose and natural instincts from its parents, but you have to be the one to control him—telling him where and when to hunt. Training hunting dogs begins at a very young age with conditioning and basic obedience, continuing in the field with command testing and reinforcement. A well-trained hunting dog always has solid fundamentals, so make sure to focus on his obedience and tap into his natural instincts while he’s still young.
The Importance of Early Training
What may surprise many dog owners hoping to train their dogs for specialized work is that training begins immediately when the dog is brought home. With hunting dogs, training a puppy straight from the beginning is much easier than trying to train a three-year-old dog with established habits and behaviors. Your first goal is to teach the dog his name. Once name recognition is established, you can move on to basic commands like sit, stay, and come. Because sometimes in the field your dog may be unable to hear your commands (like when he’s swimming toward a catch), teach him to associate the commands with a whistle. Once your dog understands what the verbal commands mean, you can add the whistle. For “sit,” blow the whistle once; for “stay” (or stop moving), blow the whistle twice; and for “come,” blow the whistle repeatedly in short bursts.
As a pup, get your dog excited about the game of fetch. In the field, you want a dog that’s eager to chase after a bird you’ve just shot, so make fetching fun. Use a dummy, twirl it around your head, and act excited. Once your pup shows interest, toss it for him. If he brings it right back to you, praise him and immediately throw it again. If he holds it in his mouth with a “come and get it” look, run away from him while calling his name. A puppy will naturally follow you. Once he’s close, turn around, grab the dummy from his mouth, and throw it again. It’s crucial for the dog to learn to bring the dummy back to your hands. In the field, a well-trained dog will bring a bird back to the handler without hesitation, while an untrained dog might need a check line to prevent him from running off with the prey. Play fetch often to reinforce this behavior.
Because it’s important for your dog to learn to carry birds in his mouth, never scold him for chewing or carrying anything, even if it’s something valuable that he shouldn’t have. If he’s chewing your table legs, spray them with bitter apple or dust with chili powder. Replace a shoe in his mouth with a toy, and praise him while he carries the toy. When playing fetch, make sure your dog doesn’t get into the habit of dropping the dummy if distracted or bored. If he drops it, put it back in his mouth and say “hold,” gently touching his jaw to show what you mean. Later on, if he drops a bird before delivering it to you, correct him by putting the bird back in his mouth, closing his jaw, and saying “hold.”
It’s crucial that your dog understands exactly what you’re asking him to do, so be clear with your instructions. Always use the same tone when giving commands and keep them short. Once the command is learned, stop giving praise—your dog needs to do the work for the sake of working. Hunting dogs must adhere to stringent behavior rules, as they may face danger in the field. If they misunderstand your directions or fail to listen, it could cost their lives.
Training hunting dogs is an art form. Time, patience, and consistent training are essential for success, and the best trainers know that there are no shortcuts to developing a good hunting dog. For those of us who get to witness a well-trained hunting dog and handler in action, the teamwork between dog and man is unforgettable. A bond like that helps explain why a dog is, and always will be, “man’s best friend.”
