Texas Wildlife July 2010
by
Henry Chappell
What do you really need from your retriever? Let’s consider a couple scenarios.
You drop a dove in the brush along the edge of a sunflower field. If your dog marked the fall, you’ll simply send her to fetch. But suppose that in the excitement of birds flying into the field, she fails to mark your dove. Will you send her on a line to the bird and handle her with whistle and hand signals if she veers off line? For that matter, did you mark the bird well enough to handle your dog to it? Or will you heel the dog to the general area of the fall and have her “hunt dead,” until she finds the bird?
You’re working mallards in flooded timber and drop a drake 40 yards out. It doesn’t appear that your dog marked it. Will you stop calling and handle your dog around stumps, trees and brush or will you send him on a line downwind of the fall and let him use his nose to find the duck while you go back to hunting?
Are you interested in field trails and tests or do you simply want a reliable fetcher and hunting buddy?
The way you answer these questions should determine your approach to retriever selection and training. If you simply want birds reliably fetched, there’s little need to put yourself and your dog through the rigors and frustrations of a training program designed to turn out field champions.
On the other hand, if you’re a competitive, exacting sort interested in titles and trophies, you may as well stop reading.
I’m not knocking field trials. Without a doubt, competition and rigorous testing have sharpened training techniques and, for the most part, improved breeding practices. There are more talented pups now than ever. Competent field trail retrievers, UKC Hunting Retriever Champions, and AKC Master Hunters routinely perform feats far beyond what most serious hunters expect of their dogs.
Top field trial retrievers thrive under training pressure that would crush less insanely driven but otherwise acceptable shooting dogs. I’ve seen more than a few hunts ruined and nerves strained by thoroughbreds that were simply too much for hunters who would have been better off with a solid but less flashy workhorse.
If you’re looking for a working retriever, talk to folks who earn their living with their dogs – professional waterfowl guides. They simply can’t afford a sorry dog. Nor can they tolerate live wires that can’t be still in the boat or blind. Although many guides are excellent dog trainers, most aren’t pros. They need highly trainable retrievers capable of adapting and learning on the job.
If you’ve hunted with a competent guide and were impressed by his dogs’ work, ask him where he gets his pups. He may well breed his own. If he does, he’ll occasionally have pups for sale.
Veteran guide Allen Morehouse owns Heart of Texas Guided Hunts in Hubbard Texas. He breeds Chesapeake Bay retrievers and German shorthaired pointers for his own use. His extra pups go strictly to serious hunters.
He believes that for the average hunting dog, precise handling is overrated.
“I rate marking ability way above handling,” Morehouse said. “A competent retriever should be rock solid on singles and mostly solid on doubles. On an average volley, you’ll have one to three birds down. Your dog should mark and retrieve two of the three. You can handle him to the third bird if necessary.”
By handling, Morehouse means taking a line, reliably stopping to the whistle, and obeying basic hand signals – “back,” and “over.”
“A 100-yard line will take care of nearly any hunting situation,” Morehouse said.
On most blind retrieves – situations in which the dog doesn’t mark the bird – Morehouse simply lines his dog out to the general area of the fall, then commands “dead.” His Chessies then use their noses to find the bird.
Morehouse said, “If you’ve got ducks coming in, do you want to be standing up blowing a whistle and giving hand signals?”
Now we know what a hunting retriever should do: Sit or lie quietly in a blind, boat, or even out among goose decoys until sent to retrieve; reliably mark singles and doubles; take an 80- to 100-yard line, stop at the whistle, obey basic hand signals, and use his nose to “hunt dead.”
Understand that your pup isn’t likely to get there in less than 18 months. In fact, if your two-year-old retriever is reliably getting it done right, then you have every reason to be proud if not downright insufferable.
For now, though, let’s concentrate on the first six months.
Well before obedience training begins, your pup should be fetching for the pure fun of it. As soon as he’s settled in at home, toss small toys or knotted up handkerchiefs or socks. Hold the pup in your lap, preferably in a hallway where he can’t run from you. Tease him a bit with the toy, toss it just a few feet out where he’ll be sure to see it, and say, “fetch.”
Chances are, he’ll pounce on it, give it a shake or two, then lie down to play with it. No worries. Clap your hands, call him excitedly, and move away from him. If he won’t bring it to you, go to him. If he won’t give the toy up, pick him up; he’ll release it. Don’t jerk it from his mouth.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. Two or three tosses two or three times a day. Lots of fun, lots of praise. He’ll be fetching from the end of the hall in no time.
As your pup grows, make the informal fetching more challenging.
“The pup needs lots of play time,” Morehouse said. “Lots of fun bumpers [training dummies], tennis balls, whatever. The important thing is to keep it fun. End every session on a positive note, while the pup is still eager.”
All the while, use feeding time as an opportunity to teach, “come.” Fill his dish; call his name followed by “come.” When he comes, set the dish down for him.
As soon as your pup has received a full course of vaccinations, start taking him on short walks afield. Early on, a small vacant lot will do. All fun, no pressure. He won’t get out far at first. When it’s obvious that he’s coming toward you, kneel, clap, and command, “come.” Praise him profusely and release him. The pup is simply learning about his world. You can’t train in the field if every butterfly and clump of grass is a distraction.
By the time the pup is three months old, he should be giving to a lead. Don’t worry about precise heeling at this point. Choke or force collars will come later.
About this time, introduce the “sit” command. With the lead snapped to his collar, command, “sit” and gently push his rump to the ground. You may have to hold his butt down for a few seconds. Release him with “right on,” or “okay.” Make a ridiculous fuss over him. Repeat several times a day. Keep your voice at a conversational volume. Otherwise you’re teaching the pup to obey only when you yell.
Gradually increase the time you make him sit until you can walk circles around him. If he moves or breaks, catch him, take him back to his original position, command sit, and plunk him down. This is also a fine time to reinforce “come.” He’ll be delighted to come after he’s been sitting for several seconds.
Now your pup is a six-month-old fetching maniac. He’d rather fetch than eat. He’ll sit for a minute or so, even when you leave the room or walk around the corner of the house. He knows you’ll always return to release him. In a low-distraction environment, he comes when called.
Congratulations. Your pup has the makings of a sure-enough retriever. In “Retrievers 201,” in the September 2010 issue, we’ll take him from promising prospect to confident young hunting retriever. Stay tuned.