Pup going to training for a month

So 1st 2 weeks will strictly be obedience. Then remainder he wants to get him steady and possibly help with retrieving. So he will start with pigeons in traps. Will get point and teach steady to shot. After that he may plant chukars and shoot them over him to see about retrieval. I pay for chukars yes
 
So he’s been through 4 weeks of training when he was 8 months old basic point holding point to flush with a different guy I wasn’t pleased with so he Dakota has some bird experience already just not what I’d like. By no means am I looking for a perfect dog here. Want to do chukar challenges and have fun. I’m from Pa so let’s face it no wild birds here all stocked. A lot of u guys get to hunt wild and I think that’s a totally different game then what I’ll be doing
 
ScottH said:
Well guys took longer to get him there then was planned. Dropped him off today. Wow I feel terrible!!! So he will be crated but gets out for hours throughout the day plus training. This may be good for him because he’s not used to being crated but man it broke my heart. Anyways 6 weeks he will be home. So he says he will work on obedience and steadiness. Says in 6 weeks he will accomplish that. As for retrieving he says we will see but may have to go back depending on his issue. He seems to think he’s just being selfish as he will pick stuff up but not bring it to us. Anyways guys just feel awful but hoping in long run it’s worth it.
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By crated—I hope you meant kenneled—if not do you mean this “pro” does even not have kennel runs?!
 
ScottH said:
Well guys took longer to get him there then was planned. Dropped him off today. Wow I feel terrible!!! So he will be crated but gets out for hours throughout the day plus training. This may be good for him because he’s not used to being crated but man it broke my heart. Anyways 6 weeks he will be home. So he says he will work on obedience and steadiness. Says in 6 weeks he will accomplish that. As for retrieving he says we will see but may have to go back depending on his issue. He seems to think he’s just being selfish as he will pick stuff up but not bring it to us. Anyways guys just feel awful but hoping in long run it’s worth it.
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In a crate or a run? Mine was in a run that had a wood floor with spaces for the waste to fall through. He had a dog house elevated at one end of the run. It was about 4x8. It was covered as well And and about a dozen in a row.
 
Sorry guys Dakota is still there I’m roughing it out a little longer. So I’m being told he’s great with obedience and steady to shot now. Retrieving is still a issue. He’s trying to force break him but starts his hunts in a week and a half so not sure if it’ll get done or not. Guy was focused on the dogs safety which I’m thankful for. Shows to me that he cares about the dog. Will let u guys know soon if he will have to go back to continue force fetch or not
 
From what I remember, you put the dog on a lot of birds early but didn’t really have him steady or under control- we’ve all been anxious as first time bird dog owners. Now the trainer has to correct steadiness, obedience, retrieve, among other things. To me, that’s asking a lot of the dog in a short amount of time. I would take the obedience and steadiness and focus more on that this season even if it means letting your buddies shoot while you handle your dog.
Retrieve can be worked on next spring.
Good luck.
 
Yea so the guy I bought the dog from”trained” him originally. So he said just hunt him. Well he wouldn’t retrieve and now I’m in this mess. That said I am not a hard core hunter. I don’t need a NAVDHA dog as I’m literally a weekend warrior. That said I want a hunting partner not a tool. I agree me hunting him may have made things worse but I only listened to what I was being told hence me joining this site. I’m trying my hardest to learn and sadly my dogs hunting will suffer from my inexperience. I’ll k ow more next week on how he’s doing and yes the trainer said we will see how he is and get a game plan together. I will say this trainer although may not be up to standards of Midwest guys I really like as his main concern is the safety of my dog. I do appreciate the insight and help from u all
 
Oh and yes I agree and actually take my dad and son and they shoot. I don’t need to shoot ai love watching the dog!!! I am going to focus more and keep trying to learn as much as I can
 
“I don’t need a NAVDHA dog as I’m literally a weekend warrior.”
“That said I want a hunting partner…”
NAVHDA is a great training network for all kinds of people, trust me there’s plenty of members who don’t even qualify as weekend warriors.
A training club of any kind is a great way to help and learn from others, you can get much better advice from people who train with you and see your dog and how you handle him than from people on the internet.
 
Self proclaimed weekend warrior here (who might get out for an extended weekend now and then and if lucky a full week). NAVHDA is a great tool and group to work with. Definitely don't feel intimated or anything by working with them thinking they are all pros.
 
I just meant I don’t need a dog to be a master hunter or anything like that. My friend takes his dogs there and competes to get the title for them. That’s what I meant by not needing a navdha dog. He dosent need to be a master hunter in my eyes. I do understand though they know what to do. They actually do the classes at the hunting place the guy who’s training Dakota at owns
 
david0311 said:
And yet you tell us you lost 15 cripples last year!!
‘Dog and you need some help!
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Not knowing the cover Goose hunts and how often he hunts, that statement wasn't justified. Coming into some of the Iowa CRP fields where there could be hundreds of birds, losing a cripple or 2 would not be unusual. Finding a winged rooster running when there might be dozens of birds moving in front of you is a tall task for a dog to sort-out. Try hunting thick 5-6 foot high switchgrass with lots of birds a not lose a few over the course of a season. If you hunt prairie grass, lost birds might not be much of an issue. If you are a great wing-shooter and can put a full pattern on your bird (which I am not), will help with the lost birds, maybe more that anything, including a "trained" dog. Conditions/opinions do vary.
 
Scott?
Relax. Get your dog back, let it settle in to your household, figure out the pack structure, and then just play fetch...with no screams, shouts, or discipline. Make it a game. Then make it a game with a treat reward. Then make it a game where the Pack Leader (that's you) get crazy deleriously happy when the pup does it right.

The dog isn't stupid, wants a place in the pack, needs to understand what it should do, and wants everybody to be happy.

He will be your partner. Stop reading and start playing.


It's going to be a great season, just relax.

Be safe.
 
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