Quote:
Originally Posted by Pineedles
Does anyone have any advice or experience with training 3 or 5 year old yellow labs for hunting retrieval services? I have recently taken up hunting, (long time ago used to be upland game hunter), and wonder if either one of these worthless balls of fur  could possibly earn their keep with either duck retrieval or pheasant flushing with proper training. |
Jeff, do the dogs like to play fetch? Most dogs do, but that is a good way to transition them to retrieve birds. Pick up some scent or this year when you knock down a bird, keep the wings for hiding in the field. This combined with getting a taste for the scent is the only way to know if your dogs will make good hunting partners, aside from what they receive from breeding.
The only sure fire way to train a dog that will not hold or flush properly is to attach them to a seasoned hunter (that has desirable hunting traits) with a
short lead leash. That way they have to pay attention to what and why the dog is doing when hunting. The age of your dogs may make this type of training a no go as younger dogs typically get the hint when corrected by an older dog. Your older friends may have something to say back when corrected.
Typically labs are water retrieval dogs, but that does not mean they cannot work upland, as many do. The issue tends to come in that you will have a very difficult time getting them to flush properly. Not having time to think about how the bird will flush creates a stressful hunt for you and your friends as safety becomes a very big issue. Most uplanders know that anything within 45 degrees of a partner requires stand down, some folks get way to excited when that flush happens and forget or have not mastered the technique of pulling off a bird in flight (read: new or young hunters).
Retrieval will be an easy transition for your dogs if they enjoy fetch.
One important note is to make sure they are not gun shy, have seen many good prospective hunting dogs started wrong and then they quiver when you open the cabinet.
Just remember, don't expect more from them than they of you. Meaning always end on a good note, whether it is what you wanted or not. And set aside a lot of time. Most of all have fun. It typically takes two years from 6 months of age to train a hard nosed hunting dog, so add some time for the added age. But, under no circumstances will they be ready for this season. But go an pick up a dog training license from the local CO ($6.00) and go work some of the fields that get stocked regularly to see what their reaction is to a bird flushing. The license allows you to work your dog and fire a shot in the off season, you MAY NOT shoot a bird, unless it is a training dove that you purchased for training. The CO will fill you in on what you can and cannot do.
If it does not work out with your dogs, I have a 3 year old English Pointer that has 5 Dual Champions in his blood and his father is a Master Field trial Champion in Greece. Not having the time to fully bring him to spec is my fault, but he locks up on moths and other yard critters, without formal pointing training. You can't have him (that spot on the couch would get cold), but I will let you train him, if I can hunt with you when he is done.
