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View Full Version : another succesful day for Luke



Blacktail
01-16-2006, 09:01 PM
Went out today on Cowichan bay with my lab pup and although it was a ugly rainy windy day we managed to get a couple birds down.
There wasn't a lot of birds flying due to the weather but the ones I did manage to coax in and shoot were snapped up pretty good by my almost one year old Luke.
He had a bit of a problem marking them when they went down but when I pointed to them and told him to "fetch it up" he reacted immediately and went out to retrieve them and brought them right back into the blind and would not drop them until I stuck my hand out for him to place them into.

The birds that were flying around that didn't come in close enough to shoot were watched with great anticipation by him and as they flew away he looked at me as if to say "Hey what the hell was that!!"
He is coming along slowly and this is only his third time on real birds but hopefully he will be lots better by the time next season rolls around.

Johnnybear
01-16-2006, 09:05 PM
That sounds like a fun day blacktail. I've got a black lab pup as well. Did you do any training on land with live/dead birds first (i.e taping wings to a decoy or pidgeons)? or did you just let him go for it while hunting?

Dano
01-16-2006, 09:12 PM
Sounds like you had a decent day.
My dog had the same trouble (it's just inexperience) marking birds her first year. Her second year she was way better but birds that fell on the far shore were usually picked up by my buddies 8 year old lab Misty. This year my dog Maddy put it all together and from what I've heard and read, the 3-4 years are when this happens.
I think your dog is on the right path and will turn out fine. One thing I did and it worked well for me, I would sometimes throw a shot bird out when I shot and missed so the dog associated the shot and retrieve. Before we would pack it up and head for home, I would throw a bird a few times too. If I was unsuccessful (and the first year I hunted with Maddy alone, I didn't shoot many), I would throw the retrieving dummy I kept in my bag. If shooting was slow and no birds moving, once in a while I would throw the retrieving dummy out for the dog so she would get some work as the day went on.
Keep us posted as your dog progresses.
Dano

Blacktail
01-17-2006, 02:57 AM
When I first got him as a little one I started him chasing a wing on a string and let him catch it and play with it for a bit before taking my hand under his chin and telling him to drop it.I use duck wings from years past to tie to the training dummies as well and he never ever had a problem in picking up the dummy with a wing attached to it.I am keeping a couple of the ducks I shot this year for trainers and we will go out and play with them over the next year till next season rolls around.
He is really keen on bringing back anything I throw out and we are constantly playing fetch in the house with anyone of his toys or the kong and he will often bring me something and drop it in my lap for the express purpose for me to toss it out so he can retrieve.He is however somewhat reserved in his demeaner in the blind and today I noticed he was watching the birds flying around more than the last time.This could work out for me in the long run eventually.

I also have tried playing with the dead bird after he has retieved it and thrown it out again for him to fetch it up when he brings it back to the blind.I haven't tried the tossing out after a missed shot but I think that might be a grand idea .He also retrieved right to the blind today and wouldnt drop the bird until I told him to which made me happy.He is also fairly soft mouthed with the birds unlike my German shorthair which is a nice touch.The birds he has brought me back are in excellent shape and not tooth damaged at all.

Johnnybear
01-17-2006, 11:53 AM
Thanks for the info. I am a little slow with my training (not the dogs fault) as I am trying to do it on my own with him from books and videos etc. I broke him in slow to the sound of the gun and he is fairly steady on line now when I shoot and my son throws the dummy from a hiding spot and he retrieves it on command. Took him out a few times in the blinds without hunting just to get him used to all the birds and watching them and pratice being still in the blinds. I'll keep up the training this summer and have him ready for next fall. Thanks again.

Victor
01-17-2006, 10:09 PM
Dogs are amazing duck hunting companions, especially labs (in my opinion!). My wife & I rescued/ adopted a 6 1/2 year old yellow lab. This was the first year I took him out. Never in his life had he retieved a bird, but you can in fact teach an old dog new trick. The very first duck I shot in November, dropped in the middle of an open body of water. When I sent my dog Sailor, he just looked at me with a confused look. He was expecting me to throw something before he would retieve it. He wasnt used to retieveing something that wasnt thrown for him first. He is trained on hand signals, so I gave him a line and sent him towards the bird. Off he went, straight towards the bird! He spotted the bird and headed straight towards it. I was so excited, but when Sailor got to the bird, he turned away, looked at me, and it was almost as if he said to me "hey, this aint no tennis ball or stick!" I was so pissed, and ended up having to retrieve the bird myself. When I got home, I did some retieving with the dead bird. At first, Sailor didnt know what to do with the bird, but after a few throws and a litttle encouragement, he was getting used to retrieving the bird. The next weekend, I went out and shot 7 mallards, and Sailor retieved them all. The weekend after that, we headed to the Fraser and between me and two friends, we got 18 mallards, and Sailor got them all. Now he's crazy about duck hunting, just like me! It's amazing how quickly they catch on. I'm heading out tomorrow for one last hurragh. Hope the ducks are flying, I know Sailor is to!

Victor & Sailor