Newbie Question: Do I have a chance?

[Curtdawg88]

Ok first off I need to know if I even have a chance.. I am new to duck hunting, I have duck hunted a little over the years, but mainly been a deer hunter. I am started to loose interest in the deer as I kill more and more ducks and we just got hunting rights to a place with a few duck holes. I don't mind picking up ducks because I don't want to spend thousands on a dog to do it for me mainly because I don't have enough time to hunt to justify it. Here's the questionable part... Please excuse my ingnorance. I have a 6 month old lab/Australian shepard mix. He exhibits the qualities of both breeds. He has an incredible nose and I have already started training him to blood trail deer (picked it up naturally), he loves the water, not gun shy as I had him in the dove field at 3 mothns old, he herds things like the garbage can as I wheel it up and down the driveway and small children , and he will also retrieve the tennis ball repeatedly but that is the extent of the retriever training. I have never trained a dog to retrieve before. Do you guys think it is possible to train this dog into a retriever? I'm not trying for a champion or anything just go get a few ducks. As I mentioned I don't want to spend a lot so a DIY training video would be great if someone has one they can recommend. Thanks in advance for any help!

[cheeko]

yes you can train this dog to pick up your ducks. It should not be any trouble at all. I have seen several of these breeds duck hunting

[Curtdawg88]

yes you can train this dog to pick up your ducks. It should not be any trouble at all. I have seen several of these breeds duck hunting

Thank! I found a book called "The Ten Minute Retriever" mentioned in another post and I have found good reviews on it. Anybody else have experience with this book? It seems like it would be good for me as I don't all the time in the world to train him.
What about Tom Dokken's book?

[Curtdawg88]

Does anybody have any books or DVDs they could recommend?

[B3]

10 minute retriever is a good book

[Duckpro12]

Chris Atkins duck dog basics good video

[EvanG]

Gundog Essentials

The basic skills of a working retriever. No fancy stuff, no field trial nuances. Just basic gundog skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz88RUxvNHE

EvanG

[ScottyLee]

i have a brittany that will retrieve ducks. so if your dog has the drive then you should be able to train it to retrieve ducks also... good luck

[Dux Be Us]

Train em with a dead duck or duck scent on a canvas bumber. You could affix a duck wing to a ball he like as well..if its in him, it will show. Good luck

[Curtdawg88]

Thanks for all the tips and advice! Keep em coming! I probably won't be able to start working with him till the spring because I don't get home in the evenings till after dark so he will be 8-10 months old when I start with. I will probably freeze some ducks and duck parts to work with him. I'm working on obedience everyday. He's a smart dog and takes commands fairly well. Hopefully he has a good trainer that can make him work

[EvanG]

Even if you take only a few minutes, and train by headlight, start this pup on real birds as soon as possible. You don't need tricky marks, just fun tosses. Fan the flames of his desire to retrieve, and form good habits.

EvanG

[Curtdawg88]

Even if you take only a few minutes, and train by headlight, start this pup on real birds as soon as possible. You don't need tricky marks, just fun tosses. Fan the flames of his desire to retrieve, and form good habits.

EvanG

Ok this poses a question for me. I took him dove hunting in September and would throw a dove just a few feet away and make him retrieve. That worked the first few times, but then he figured out that it was more fun to shake the bird and try to rip the wings off. What if I throw a duck and he just starts to shake it and won't bring it back? He loves to fetch the tennis ball, but if something else catches his eye he won't bring it back. Any suggestions? These questions are probably answered in a book or DVD I just haven't made a purchase yet.

[BucksandDucks]

Even if you take only a few minutes, and train by headlight, start this pup on real birds as soon as possible. You don't need tricky marks, just fun tosses. Fan the flames of his desire to retrieve, and form good habits.

EvanG

Ok this poses a question for me. I took him dove hunting in September and would throw a dove just a few feet away and make him retrieve. That worked the first few times, but then he figured out that it was more fun to shake the bird and try to rip the wings off. What if I throw a duck and he just starts to shake it and won't bring it back? He loves to fetch the tennis ball, but if something else catches his eye he won't bring it back. Any suggestions? These questions are probably answered in a book or DVD I just haven't made a purchase yet.

Is the pup collar conditioned? if yes then use light pressure to get him back. If he hasn't been CC then I would put the pup on a 50ft check cord or some type of long leash. When he picks the bird up if he doesn't promptly bring the bird back to then pull him back with the cord. Force Fetch will stop all that, but I wouldn't suggest starting it now if you don't have the time to go forward with it until its complete. That would be the first thing I did in the Spring though.

[EvanG]

Is the pup collar conditioned? if yes then use light pressure to get him back. If he hasn't been CC then I would put the pup on a 50ft check cord or some type of long leash. When he picks the bird up if he doesn't promptly bring the bird back to then pull him back with the cord.

THIS.

I would like to make a couple procedural suggestions, however. Dogs, like most animals, universally resist a steady pull. Some new trainers get the good advice to use a check cord or rope, but end up dragging their dogs when commanding "Here". Use tugs; one tug per command. There is a structured way of doing this that makes it go very efficiently, and it's the same general process as CC to "Here". I would get that done ASAP. Here is a glimpse of how it works. I don't suggest just taking this snapshot of it and moving ahead. Get the information and study it first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BDM78DYARc

Force Fetch will stop all that, but I wouldn't suggest starting it now if you don't have the time to go forward with it until its complete. That would be the first thing I did in the Spring though.

Again I agree. But two small differences in approach. I would not dream of hunting this pup right now. He hasn't the skills, even if he did somehow have the maturity to benefit from it. I therefore would proceed with CC to Here, formalize "Sit", and move on with force fetch...in that order. Starting all that now will, indeed give you a jump on spring training.

EvanG

[Curtdawg88]

I'm sure if he is collar conditioned. I am just a new to duck dog training as he is . He wears a collar and we take him for walks on the leash. Is that CC? I know he understands "here" he just chooses not to do it sometimes. Will force fetch help with this? He also "sits" very well.