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Training your dog to duck hunt from your backyard

I'm a first time trainer. I have a one and a half year old Golden Retriever. I don't have a lot of time to work my dog. I've taken him through basic obedience but finding it hard to train him for field. I did very little work with him last winter, just practice every now and then to keep the obedience fresh in his mind. How can I incorporate field training into his regular obedience training? I just plan to take him waterfowl hunting just ducks mostly and some goose hunting. Any feedback would be apprecated.

You say you are going to use him for duck hunting. To be a good duck dog he need to be steady, stay in a place, be shot over and retreive through decoys.

Set up duck decoys in your yard , have him retrieve through the decoys. Steady him up by throwing bumpers past decoys, if dog goes before it has hit the ground, tell him no and bring him back and sit him down re throw the bumper. Introduce him to the shotgun starting with someone shooting a shotgun from a good distance, if the dog has no reaction move the dog in closer each time. Teach the dog to sit or stay on a mat or rug. This will be his place when you are hunting. You can do all these things in your yard. When you are done have the dog sit on the rug, move 5 feet from him throw the bumper or use a bird, shoot the mark while in mid air with the mark landing past the decoys, send the dog. You now have a dog ready to go duck hunting.

Kim Moses
Hunters Marsh Kennels
http://www.huntersmarsh.com


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