Trainging older dogs

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Crew1

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Anyone have any advice on how to train two older labs for hunting? They have never been hunting, but I know they would be good at it. I would prefer not to use shock collars. The big struggle is both are rescue dogs and one dog is afraid of gun fire, and the other sometimes gets into fights with other dogs (which I could be an issue in the field). It is very random when he fights, but it does happen on occasion.

I imagine other then some basic training for that stuff, training them to hunt is not hard, I am just not sure where to start. Any help in these areas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
How old is older?


Basic obedience will be your number one priority. Without this all of the rest of the training will be pointless.

Have you put them on any birds to see what their reactions are?

Overcoming gun shyness is most likely going to be your biggest hurdle. If your not somewhat of an accomplished trainer, I would tend to lean towards someone who is to help you with this. It may be no big deal and then again it may take every trick in a good trainers bag to overcome.

The fighting issue will be about keeping dominance aggression in check. If you witness this behavior, deal with it sternly and swiftly, NO EXCEPTIONS...

FWIW
 
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You have two HUGE hurdles...the gunshyness is one, and the agression is the other. The gunshy issue can be overcome (at times) but does take time and patience and is not guaranteed to work when actual shooting begins. The aggression issue may not go away if he's still got his "stuff" hanging around.

You might take them to a professional trainer and invest at least a few days with them for an evaluation. That may save you some time if they show no interest.

As for the shock collar; it is a valuable tool when used correctly. Again check with a lab trainer. Good Luck!
 
I agree with JMc that you have some huge hurdles to overcome. If you have absolutely no experience in working with a hunting dog it may very well prove to be impossible. And the time a trainer would need with these dogs would be substantial and so would the cost. I admire you for getting a couple of rescue dogs but if you want a good hunting dog your money would probably be better spent on a well bred pup or started dog.

The gun shyness can be diffucult to correct but is correctable with a lot of patience. The aggression issue may be even more difficult. If you plan to hunt this aggressive dog with other dogs you have a problem. The first time your dog tears up someone's prize hunting dog you will never be welcome again. If fact you may be lucky if the other owner doesn't put your dog down. I have seen aggressive, fighting dogs in the field and I have a ZERO tollerance for them. Unless you can correct the aggression and be 100% surre it won't happen again I'd leave the dog home. But then I'd be concerned about a dog like that and what might happen to kids and/or strangers that are around your place.
 
As long as they don't run away, just take them out hunting and see if they get excited! Can't hurt! I've brought dogs out (labs and goldens) that had never hunted, just for fun. If nothing else, they'll surely cover more ground than if you were without and might just scare up a rooster for ya.
 
definately not any room in the field for a fighter my lab fights with other dogs thats why I only run here with my dogs she is used to them as for gunshy I would get a pro he may cost but not as much as replacing him if he runs into the road after a shot and gets ran over in the process
 
First, if your dog has aggression issues, you may have to just plan your hunting trips where your dog(s) is/are the only dog there. If you have friends or relatives who like to hunt but don't own a dog, that could be a possibility.

Second, on gunshyness, if you haven't taken the dog hunting, what's the dog doing that convinces you he's gunshy? If your dog truly is extremely gunshy (i.e. runs and hides under your truck when a gun is shot), then that's a major project. However, if it's not that severe, you might be able to work with it. Start out with a cap gun, shooting it while your dog is running after a retrieve, or firing it while the dog eats, slowly getting closer to the dog. Then have a friend shoot a starter's pistol from 75 yards away while your dog is chasing after a retrieve and see if that spooks him/her... If that's not problematic, I think you can likely work through it.
 
I agree with the optimists in this thread. I'd be wiling to bet that with some effort, you can get at least one of those dogs to hunt well for you. If you're planning to keep them around as pets anyway, what could it hurt to try?
 
Take a look at Youtube, you're sure to find what you are looking for. Anyways, even if they are old, I bet one or both of them can still be trained to do well. Despite the saying, you can teach old dogs new tricks.
 
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