i wondering because i have a German Shepard and a Siberian i would love to take them with me i just dont know were to start and i cant afford to have them trained.i think if i taught the husky that rabbits taste good i wouldn't even need a gun
stikbrandon said:Sure there's more qualified people that could tell you a good way or the right way , but hat I did was I would show my dog my shot gun and play fetch with a ball in the back yard for a couple days,
and when she was feeding I would have my gun on its sling than bang to pots to together from far away, and over a week or so get closer and closer till you can do it next to your dog with out your dog freaking out,
iv read and heard that if you gun break a dog wrong it will make your dog scared of loud noises.
Once I got that covered I would take my dog to where I shoot clays and bring my wife and have her throw a tennis ball and when my dog would go fetch it I would crack a shell off when she was 30 yards or so aw way, in the opposite direction of where she was running and I did that for a box or so every time I went out to work with her, I only went twice and she was fine.
Every dog is different and to tell you the truth I'd ask SnakeCharmer he trains bird dogs . Just cause it worked for my dog doesn't mean it will work for every dog.
Now when I get my gun out she goes ape SH** and knows its time to fetch some birds !
Just gun break your dog slow don't rush it cause it can ruin your dog.
Snake Charmer said:Honestly don't waste your time trying to train a dog that was bred for one thing to do another. If you want a good hunting dog start with a breed and blood line that has a proven history. A dog that retrieves dead birds is not necessarily a "hunting dog". A hunting dog is dog that is trained to search a field and flush or point game as well as search for wounded animals and follow direction given by the handler. If you are interested in having a real hunting dog I would encourage you to check out The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) they are the premiere training and hunting dog club in north America.
GSE2 said:snake charmer... i appreciate the advice but i got two dogs now and the wife isn't having getting another (right now) i just want to get the dogs out with me there both working dogs and kinda feel bad for the husky considering she doesn't have a job really, the Shepard's job is protecting the wife,the next pup i get will definitely be one for hunting but that's a decade down the line
MJB said:Well said Brandon
If you want to train your dog, go for it. You'll learn pretty quickly what he's good at and what he's not. Do the training yourself, and you'll find out what you're good at, and what you're not. In any case, your dog will benefit greatly from the obedience training (the foundation for good hunting training).