by TalkHunting Member Steve "Labsteve" Hearing
Hunters Edge Labs

Well here it is the middle of summer and so much to do. Our precious hunting partners are enjoying their time off and we are busy with all our summer activities. Vacations and house projects are first and foremost at this time of year with little thought of the upcoming seasons of bird hunting.

Don’t wait until August to all the sudden come to the realization that either you or Fido is prepared for the upcoming season. If you haven’t been following a regular training regimen, now is the time to get ready!

First, evaluate the general health of your dog (and yourself). Fido has been eating and lounging around a lot and probably has put on a few pounds. Obesity in hunting dogs leads to all kinds of health issues and can put an end to a promising hunting season before it gets going. A checkup at the vet (or the doctor) before restarting training exercises is a good idea.

Second, I start with my own pre-training evaluation. I start with the basics, heel, sit, stay, wait, and come to see what my buddy remembers and how he is going to obey. In many cases, I see faults and have to correct those before going on to more training.

Third, after correcting any basic faults, I start with basic retrieving drills, singles and doubles.  Once these are being done with the usual accuracy, I move on to training drills such as the wagon wheel configuration of throw dummies.

Since it is usually hot here in Michigan in July, I try to only work my dogs in the early morning and late evening to avoid overheating. I have plenty of water available and limit training times to around 15 minutes. Because I have labs and they spend a lot of time with me hunting waterfowl, I try to include as much water retrieving as possible. It is good practice and helps keep the dogs cooled off. Be sure to watch your dogs for any signs of heat exhaustion and quit work as soon as any symptoms are noticed. My dogs have a huge desire to train and will not quit unless I make them even when their tongues are dragging on the ground.

I always start my training off slowly and work up until I get to the level that I feel the dog is capable of. Just because your buddy quit last season acting perfectly is no guarantee that he will pick up where he left off. Bringing your dog back up to the last season’s excellence can take months and should not be rushed just so you can hunt next weekend. This will inevitably end in disaster and frustration.

On another note, I also am spending this time scouting for wheat and corn fields that will be prime time during the early goose season. I make contact with farmers and secure hunting rights for that season if birds do appear. Developing those relationships is not just a hunting time activity. The decoys that I should have painted and gotten ready still have not been touched. I wait for a rainy day and try to get those knocked out before I need those on opening day.

Remember, now is the time to get ready. Don’t wait until the last minute to get ready and your hunting season will get started off right. 

Comments(1):

1. dog days of summer

   steve has written an excellent pre-plan article for dog and hunter preparation before your season starts.

   Saturday, July 17, 2010 brad