Okay guys, after my first duck hunt yesterday, I think I'm pretty much hooked. That said, I want to train one or both of my dogs to hunt. Just a little background, I have a Golden Retriever who is almost one and a lab mix who is about 18 months. Neither is registered, so I doubt that they have hunting bloodlines, but I believe that you can train them to do anything you want with enough determination. Both fetch great and get upset when I'm tired of throwing the dummy because they want to keep playing. I took them both dove hunting this season, but I wasn't able to get them any birds to fetch, so I have no idea how they would do. I hope to get a few dove during the extended season, and one of them will be next to me when I do, so I may get to see how they work on doves in a few weeks. They will fetch a dummy with bird wings taped to it though. They're not overly gunshy, but when they get bored, they tend to want to lay down and sleep next to me, then when the gun goes off, they get startled.
Is there anyone in the centex (Temple, Belton, Killeen) area who would be willing to help me, or show me the ropes so that I can get my dogs ready for next season? Also need to teach them to sit still and quietly in a boat, both underway and while set as a blind. That's the main reason they didn't get to go with us this time, I wasn't confident they would be still in the boat. They both know sit, laydown, stay (although they get impatient and break the stay), and we're working on retreiving only when I say go, but that's not going so well. It's difficult to train when you have two dogs, since they want to compete with each other. I can lock one in the house while I work with the other, but he'll be sitting at the door and the dog I'm working with has trouble paying attention when the other dog is watching from the window.
If nobody can give me pointers or help me, what kind of equipment do I need to get going? I have dummies, but that's about it. Basically, they'll fetch anything I throw, but I don't know if they will fetch something that just falls from the sky, and I don't know if they will sit still until I tell them to go.
Is there anyone in the centex (Temple, Belton, Killeen) area who would be willing to help me, or show me the ropes so that I can get my dogs ready for next season? Also need to teach them to sit still and quietly in a boat, both underway and while set as a blind. That's the main reason they didn't get to go with us this time, I wasn't confident they would be still in the boat. They both know sit, laydown, stay (although they get impatient and break the stay), and we're working on retreiving only when I say go, but that's not going so well. It's difficult to train when you have two dogs, since they want to compete with each other. I can lock one in the house while I work with the other, but he'll be sitting at the door and the dog I'm working with has trouble paying attention when the other dog is watching from the window.
If nobody can give me pointers or help me, what kind of equipment do I need to get going? I have dummies, but that's about it. Basically, they'll fetch anything I throw, but I don't know if they will fetch something that just falls from the sky, and I don't know if they will sit still until I tell them to go.
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