Training A Hunting Dog: Tips For Beginners
All hunters, regardless of their experience in the field, agree that having a good quality hunting dog is an invaluable asset in the field. The question is: how do you go about training a hunting dog so that your dog is an asset in the field, instead of a liability? In this article we would like to give you tips and some helpful information that will enable you to successfully train a hunting dog for work in the field.
Some basic recommendations: training a hunting dog requires a great deal of patience, especially in the very beginning of their training. Properly motivated, your young dog will be very anxious to please you -- yet the training of a hunting dog is a learning process for both you and them, and many mistakes will be made along the way by both of you. So learn to be patient with your dog, as well as with yourself.
Another very important recommendation: when training a hunting dog -- especially when they do not have much experience or exposure to the out-of-doors -- you must give them plenty of time to become acclimated to their outdoor environment. Training a hunting dog effectively requires that you recognize that the out-of-doors is a brand-new experience for your dog, and it will seem quite overwhelming to them at first.
This means that when you are training your hunting dog, you should not be surprised if they seem quite distracted when they are in the field -- that's because they are! And if you, the owner or handler, attempt to train your hunting dog by shouting out endless commands to them, you will only distract them further. One of the very best recommendations I can give you is that when you are training your hunting dog in the field, try to speak to them as little as possible. Just be patient, give them a little time, and before you know it you will find them doing many of the things in the field that you need them to do, because their natural instincts will take over and guide their behavior. In the very beginning of training a hunting dog, I feel it is very necessary for you and your dog to go out into the same field repeatedly. Training your hunting dog to hunt in many different fields will only confuse them at this stage. Let your dog get used to the look, feel, and smell of one field really well before you take them out into other fields. Remember that, especially at the beginning, your dog is going to be busy learning many, many things -- don't put them on information overload by going into brand-new territory before they are ready. Also don't be surprised to find that in the beginning stages your dog may be reluctant to go very far away from you. In the early stages of training a hunting dog your dog is looking to you to give them direction so that they will know what to do, what is expected of them. Over time as your dog gains confidence and familiarity with the terrain, they will begin to venture out further and further away from you -- just let this occur naturally when training a hunting dog, don't try and force it. In summary, when training your hunting dog, learn to be patient and understanding, don't overload them with too much to do or too much to learn, be consistent in your actions and behaviors, don't be harsh but do be forgiving towards their mistakes -- and above all, when training a hunting dog HAVE FUN!
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