so, I have this dog....

[flyntwt]

hey guys- got a question for the trainers who also hunt their dogs.

About 12 years ago I went on my first duck hunt. A few hunts later , I saw a dog run a blind- and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Figured I had to have a dog that could do that. So I bought a puppy, trained her, but never got her to the point were she could run blinds. She picked up some ducks, and was steady, and generally fun to hunt with. Fast forward 8 years, and I have a few new additions: a wife, a daughter, and a 4 year old chocolate female that, yes, indeed run blinds and get my ducks. I trained the dog myself, and have a moderate amount of knowledge in hunt testing.

So, I have this dog.... she is collar conditioned, force fetched, patterns, through swim by, cheating singles, cheating memory birds,... basically finished. But, I am just learning how to hunt her. And, to be honest, its a lot different than a hunt test.

My question is this: do we apply the same standards in hunting as we do in training? If we get a cast refusal, do we correct the same way, as we would on a September training day? I imagine we would.... but, again, Im still learning.

Thanks for the insight.

Warren

[BrettG]

If you don't maintain the same standards you set yourself up for a self employed dog down the road. Dogs are like children and function best with clear rules and boundaries to live within, inconsistency breeds chaos.

[Cat Squirrel]

The major difference is, I don't attack blinds quite as hard, preferring to handle them into the sweet spot downwind of a bird. Mostly because I don't know where the bird exactly is like in a test/trial.

[flyntwt]

[Cat Squirrel]

Bring her down for South La's D/Q

[flyntwt]

[chance]

I hunt my dogs exactly the way I would ask them to perform at a weekend hunt test. I want to maintain the same standards during hunting that I encounter when at a hunt test. I can fully understand handling to the downwind side of a bird IF you do not know where the bird is but if you know then you should handle directly to the bird.
A retriever with a great nose is a valuable asset but if you allow your dog to "hunt em up" uncontrolled during hunting you will face quite a daunting challenge to get that controlback for hunt test season.

[Chuckle12]

Yes, same standards should be applied when hunting. Cast refusals should be handled same way. If I know exactly where the bird is, then I attack it just as aggressively as a hunt test. But, like others have said, if I am not sure, i handle to the area of fall or slightly down wind and let the dog do what dogs do.... unless he gets off track then I handle him back to where I want him to be.

Also, as an aside, don't get discouraged if your girl handles perfectly down wind but gets a little lost afterwards. She has been trained to listen to you and only take directions from you. I have hunted with her enough to see she is not very independent minded, which is awesome for a hunt test but takes lots and lots of birds to overcome in the "real world". She will want you to handle her to the bird every time just like in training. She expects you to always know exactly where that bird is. Remember, you've spent the last 4 years trying to convince her that you always know better than her, even when you are the last dog of the day running a finished test and her nose tells her different. It takes time for a dog to figure out where a wounded bird is likely to be, trusting her nose when she should and listening to you when she should, and lots of experience dealing with a bird that dove.

[flyntwt]

[Chuckle12]

You gonna be around during duck week?

[flyntwt]

[Cat Squirrel]

[flyntwt]

[Cat Squirrel]