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Going to be taking Charlie my boykin on his first dove hunt next weekend. I have worked him on bumpers and he has some exposure to gun shots. He has taken everything I have thrown at him in stride except the ecollar. He will have it on but i have not been successfull in using it to reinforce commands. It will just be there incase I need his immediate attention. Now I hope to make it all click. Any last minute advice/pointers. Wish I knew some folks hunting this weekend to give him more exposure.

Wish me luck!
Brett

Since the real dog boys haven't chimed in on this I'm gonna put some $.02 in here as caution.
Since he hasn't retrieved real birds might wanta opt for steel shot loads in case he eats da first one. Not sure if lead ingestion is really a danger but later on heavey metal problems would be sad for da both of you. I don't know if long term problems are gonna happen...dogs eat lotta crazy chit!

It's easy for the dog and hunter to get overzealous so it's up to you to know when he get's too hot.
Having cool water bottle between retrieves helps with da feathers down the wind pipe. A kids swimming pool w/cool water is what I try to have but dats lotta trouble. A cattle pond nearby might seem like the trick but the water this time of year is 85-95 deg and might be worse. A cooler shaded creek close by is nice prolly 10-15deg cooler but not usually handy. Open fields i.e. dissced, etc works way better than tall grass, etc. Hard for the nose to work when hassling takes over...I like open areas and get the dog to mark if possible before I shoot da duv. This really helps.

I think what I'm saying go to work your dog and take care of da mutt more than worry about limits...
Not good luck but be careful...mostly common sense...

Thanks for the input. He has been exposed to dead birds and doesn't try and eat them all.

But I will defiantly watch his temperature. And our spot is shady cause fat kids over heat too

My main advice is.....
LEAVE THE E COLLAR AT HOME!!!!!!!!
You're gonna do way more harm than good!
A dog needs to be pressure conditioned, then e-collar conditioned! The reason the dog has not taken well to it is because he doesn't know what the deal is. All he knows is, something just hurt my neck! Trust me, leave the collar at home!

I would recommend having a dog a little farther along in training (according to your post) before introducing them to live hunting.
How is the dog on obedience?
Is the dog steady?
How many people will be hunting?
SOOOOOO MANY more factors are involved before taking a pup on their "first hunt".
You want this to be a pleasant and fun experience for both you and the dog! Please consider this before taking your pup hunting.

good luck brett and have fun charlie!

i would take him and not let him retrieve at all...it will teach him the utmost steadiness....keep him tied or kenneled beside you as you hunt. As a reward at the end of the hunt, let him retrieve one thrown bird. If you have any doubts about him running around the field and you not being able to get control of him, then I would re-iterate even more what I just said. Where are you located?

Brandon ms. Hunt will be close to there next weekend. Trying to find a field this weekend to further acclimitate him to all if this.

A two gallon pump up hand sprayer filled with water and ice is highly recommended to help deal with the heat...the ice will be gone in the first hour...

Well Charlie did extremely well yesterday day morning. He stayed by mymside and after about 5 minutes didn't pay any attention to all the shots being fired. He assisted me with picking up all of my birds and some of my friends. He made one actual mark and full retrieve. He the marked, broke out and was on his way towards a65 yard mark that I was unaware of so I called him off of it. My friend beside me that made the shot said he was on a beeline to the bird. I know breaking in undesirable and that gets fixed with hunting but all in all very pleased with his first hunt and looking forward towards dove season.

I loved my dog before and after this hunt but there is something different once you've hunted with him.