#DUCK DOG TRAINING HAND SIGNALS PRO#

A dog's ability to effectively hold a straight line to a fall area will make teaching such complex skills much easier and less confusing to the dog. Lining drills form the basis for more advanced skills, such as hand signals. This is also a great drill for lining on water. This narrows the angles between the bumpers and increases the temptation for the dog to veer off the handler's line toward the closer bumpers. As the dog masters the drill, gradually move B3 and B2 closer to the line to B1 while at the same time lengthening the distance to B1. Then line the dog for the middle bumper and finally for the close one. Line the dog past the close bumpers (B3 and B2) for the farthest bumper (B1). Heel the dog to a position where the middle bumper is directly in front and 20 yards out. Walking with your dog at heel, drop three bumpers staggered at descending anglesthe first one 30 yards out, the next at 20 yards, and the third at 10 yards. While working your dog this summer, you can sharpen its lining prowess with a simple drill (see diagram). The other is the ability to run an accurate line to the fall area by the most direct logical route.' One is marking, or seeing and remembering the location of the fall. 'Holding a line means that the dog will run a straight line to the fall despite distractions,' says Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels in Oxford, Mississippi. Once the hunting season begins, you want your retriever to mark a fallen bird, find it, and return as quickly as possible. One skill your summer training program should emphasize is lining.

Physically fit dogs not only perform better but also are less likely to suffer injuries to muscles, joints, and feet. Consider 'wet' feedingfilling the dog's food dish with about an inch of water and cutting back on food. Above all, do not overfeed your retriever during the summer. In addition to an exercise program, carefully monitor your dog's food consumption. Several 15- to 30-minute sessions each week are much better than hour- or two-hour-long workouts. Plenty of swimming is a good place to start, but do not push your dog past its physical limits even while in the water. Avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day. Heat exhaustion is a serious threat to heavy dogs. Walking or jogging with your dog is a fun and convenient way to get it back into shape, but stay on grassy areas and avoid hard surfaces such as concrete because they can be tough on your dog's joints and bones.Īlso, be mindful of the temperature. Inactivity, for example, can produce soft foot pads. Most dogs will not exercise themselves into shape, and there are side effects to lounging around. If you want your dog to be physically ready come opening day, you should work on conditioning during the summer. Cushy beds, too much food, and the comforts of air conditioning may combine to foster laziness. The downtime between hunting seasons is when dogs get soft.

A cool-down period following the workout also helps prevent your dog's muscles from tightening. During the cool-down period, you are reemphasizing the importance of obedience and steadiness before putting the dog up. 'Obedience is where it all starts.'Ĭompleting each training session by working on obedience before the dog goes back into the kennel serves a similar purposejust as walking a short distance after you have taken a long run slowly lowers the heart rate and cools down the body. 'Those who get the five basic obedience steps downand for me that's 'here,' 'sit,' 'down,' 'kennel,' and 'no'are going to have a better gun dog than about 75 percent of the dogs in this country,' says Waterdog host Justin Tackett. And make sure the dog is steady, manageable, and patient before beginning lining patterns or handling exercises. Begin slowly and allow the dog to stretch its muscles. A routine of heeling, a couple of steadiness drills with tossed bumpers, and perhaps calling the dog to you and then tossing a diversion would make for a sound start. You should also reinforce the 'sit,' 'stay,' and 'here' commands.

This time of year, heeling can get sloppy, so tighten that up. Instead, start each training session with basic obedience. When the dog comes out of its kennel, do not immediately begin high-exertion drills. Warming Up and Cooling DownĮven in hot weather, always begin training sessions with a warm-up period. Working toward specific goals this summer will make you and your retriever a more efficient hunting team in the fall.

#DUCK DOG TRAINING HAND SIGNALS PRO#

As a first step, consider incorporating the following tips and drills from pro trainers Mike Stewart and Justin Tackett into your workout. Starting a consistent conditioning and training program now will help get your dog ready for opening day. Even though the lazy days of summer are upon us, this is no time to forget your retriever.

Duck dog training hand signals