Sunrise had been two hours earlier, but dang if it wasn’t still dark. Rain wrung out of the gray, low-hanging clouds in such a fury that if it continued to stream through the blind’s roof, we’d have to ditch our shotguns and start bailing. Of course, that’s always when you spot ’em—and there they were on the horizon: an enormous knot of geese. Our black Labs, Rip and Beamer, had been training for this all summer.
Wings cupped for a final approach, the geese glided toward our blocks. But just when I was about to say, “Take ’em!” Rip sensed our excitement and barked. The flock flared, and we never got a shot. When the birds disappeared, we got to work calming Rip down.
No matter how much training we do, there are going to be times when our dogs get excited and come unglued. When that happens, the only way to salvage the season is to get them back on track. Here’s what two highly respected Eukanuba pro trainers do to refocus wayward dogs.
Chris Akin, owner of Webb Footed Kennels, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, has produced more than 500 Hunting Retriever Champions, more than 200 Master Hunters, 55 Grand Hunting Retriever Champions and two Super Retriever Series Crowned Champions. In his experience, the inevitable lack of training time creates a need for a midseason correction. “These days everyone is shy on free time,” he said. “Work, family life and, heck, even mowing the lawn cuts into training time. But now, most retrievers double as companions and house pets. The combination of being short on time and having a house dog means that most training occurs in the backyard. Those reps are great for retrieving bumpers and even for conditioning, but that situation is totally different from what happens in a hunting blind. Backyards are calm, quiet and focused, while blinds are full of excitement. Ducks are talking, hunters are calling, birds cup in for final approaches, and then there is the barrage that comes after the pit boss yells, ‘Take ’em!’ Even steady handlers get ramped up.”
That shift from calm training areas to excitement in the blind creates distractions for dogs. Those distractions cause the dog’s focus to go out the window. According to Akin, “Most problems involve general disobedience: whining, whimpering, pacing and breaking. There are two ways to solve the problem, and they’re both done then and there. First, the handler needs to set down his shotgun and get the dog settled. Trust me when I say that your buddies will be more than happy to kill ducks while you get your dog under control. Use the same gear and commands in the blind that you use when training. If they’re leads, e-collars or treats, whatever; the point is that you want to pull on the consistency and confidence the dog learned while training into the blind. Reward good behavior, correct bad behavior, and you’ll refocus your dog.
“The second part is to train right when the hunt ends. Don’t pick up your spread or haul the boat. Instead, take some time and train right there. Don’t wait for another day; do it immediately following the hunt. You’ll want to create a mock hunting situation and work on steadiness, retrieves, entrances and exits in the boat or blind, and any other issues that came up during the hunt. Use normal training methods when working with your dog. If you normally use a leash, an e-collar or treats, use the same thing during the post-hunt training. After your dog is back on track, end the training on a positive note.”
Building on that reset starts immediately when the next hunt begins. “Start the next hunt by getting your dog under control the minute he comes out of the box,” Akin said. “If you use leashes when training at home, use a leash. Don’t let him run around with the other dogs, ’cause he’ll get fired up and excited, and that’ll carry over into the hunt. Instead, walk him around on the leash, praise him for good, focused behavior, and then stake him out while you set the dekes. After the dekes are set, walk him around a bit more, and then escort him into the boat or blind. Praise him when he’s quiet, praise him when he’s steady, and when the ducks dump in, be sure to kill a bunch for him to retrieve. That two-step program means you first make corrections in a real-time situation when the mistakes are fresh in the dog’s mind. And second, you’ll get your dog under control at the beginning of the next hunt. Build on his confidence, keep him focused and under control, and you’ll be working as a team in no time.”
Josh Miller of River Stone Kennels, in New Richmond, Wisconsin, sees dogs exhibit poor manners when the training area is traded for an actual hunt. “Dogs know your backyard very well,” Miller said. “They are familiar with ponds used for training, so they’re relaxed in the familiar turf. Take your dog from those familiar training areas to a real-time hunting situation that includes a blind or boat, and they’re suddenly exposed to a new set of conditions. They associate the blind and boat with feathers, and they get excited. If they’re out of practice with the dog ramp, they might get unnerved. The dramatic change from training to hunting situations can be solved by including boats, blinds and ramps in your preseason routine. Those issues can be solved before big flocks of ducks pour in.
“That said, dogs stopping short on a retrieve is one of the biggest issues I see during the hunting season. If you’ve been throwing a bumper at 35 yards every day for six months, then the dog is conditioned to that range. A winged bird that dies and drops at 80 yards is different from the dog’s usual exercises. The dog will swim to the 35-yard mark and hunt dead. Screaming, yelling and cussing usually follows, and that negative reinforcement winds up the dog even more. Instead, take a deep breath and call the dog back to shore. Have your buddy go to the duck at the 80-yard mark to serve as a visual. Release the dog to fetch, and when he starts to hang up at 35 yards, have your buddy call for him. The dog gains confidence in the longer swim, and when he is rewarded with the duck in his mouth, he’ll refocus his attention on where ducks fall and not stop short.
“Also, try to refocus your attention on the excited dog. In the preseason, 100 percent of your attention is on training. That’s different during hunting season, when a handler’s attention is split between calling, working ducks, shooting, marking birds and many other things besides the dog. If your dog is acting up, then leave your gun in the rack. Have your buddies do the calling, shooting and marking while you focus on calming down your dog. Work on blind manners, attention, releases and marks. After a few outings the dog will relax and behave, and that’s when you can pull out your call or shotgun.”
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