# Goose Hunting



## hornhunter (Mar 26, 2005)

I did not take my lab goose hunting last year because I thought he was to young. But this season he will be 1 1/2 and want to get him out. I would like for him to lay in his own blind. What kind of training needs to be done for this? Do I just have to wait til season and work with him in the field? I thought about just putting him on short cord and not releasing him until the birds are down but is there anything else I should do?


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## cut'em (Oct 23, 2004)

You should be able to get him in there and use the stay command. I bought a new blind for my dog and it sits in my living room I started my pup at 4 months old giving her a treat but only when she went into the blind all the while I would be saying "geese" then make her stay in there and wait for her treat. Now the treats are gone and she charges into it when-ever I say the word geese. Friends laugh their ashes off watching her do it, the thing actually slides across the floor she hits it so hard. then she'll stay in it till I call her out. I'm in the process of having her retrieve out of it by simply saying "mark" and she pops her head out to see where the dummy goes. I hoping when the geese come in I can just say mark before I shoot and she'll do it. I'm sure this isn't a text book approach but it's certainly working for us.
Good luck with your dog :beer:


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## swany25 (Sep 3, 2005)

Not braging!, my lab was retrieving geese at 4 months.

Just get your lab to lay in the blind and make him stay for short periods of time, everytime making the session longer. Once he/she is comfortable in the blind, play catch w/someone or throw retrieving dummies and make the dog stay until you release him.

I dont have a blind for my lab but I tried the leash idea and it just became a hassle unhooking him. If your dog is decent size not much can hold them back. I tried tying the dog to me and he almost ripped my leg off not to mention the the problem of trying to shoot a second bird while the dog is pulling you across the feild. Most fields are soft ground and if you use a steak in the ground to leash I'm sure it will get pulled out in no time.

Hope this helps and good luck.


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## bill jenkins (Apr 23, 2006)

By no mean am I a dog trainer however I purchased a Avery finisher last season for my chessie who is rather tall and weighs about 90 lbs. He really did not fit in the blind when birds approached he would kennel upon command, however as we began calling he would start to inch out well after a pass or two I would have a dog sitting next to the blind, he loves to watch he birds work, and i think the blind resticted him. Step two was to kennel him and put a short lead staked to the ground, this sucked because if made him more jumpy. Step three was best, I left the blind at home invited an extra shooter on the hunt, and I worked the dog. That week I worked on making him lay down next to me on the floor I used some pieces of cheese to give some incentive. I twas pretty easy. I incorpoted a gun and a lay out blind as well. We hit the field and put the training to the test, he laid down no problem, Remeber when it rains it pours, so I picked up my gun to enjoy the fun after the first shot, the big guy broke, I was peeved! I stomped over to the truck and grabbed his pinch collar, short lead, an some coffee to cool my jets. The next group came in he attempted to break I game him a good tug, he delivered a slight yelp, but he never broke again, sometimes taking a day off from gunning will pay dividends in the long run. HOpefully this helps, let me know.

Bill


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Teach your dog to use his field blind as an extension of the "kennel" command. If your dog has been taught to kennel on command, he will quickly catch on.

Now is the time to start working on this, well before the season. Start by teaching him to enter the blind on "kennel". Emphasize that he has to stay inside and stay still until released.

Next expand on this by throwing him bumpers and sending him from his blind. After he delivers to hand, then place him back in the blind on "kennel".

When he has this down, enlist the aid of an assistant to throw the bumpers, and set up your field blind next to your dog's blind. This may challenge your dog's steadiness, as you are now controlling him from a position laying next to him rather than standing. Once your dog catches on, shoot at the thrown bumpers with poppers, and send your dog.

Once your dog is comfortable with this, set up a small spread of shells and position your blinds as if you are hunting. Have the assistant throw your bumpers, shoot them with poppers, and send your dog through the spread to make the retrieves.

This should really excite your dog, so again you have to empasize steadiness. If he breaks, send him back to his blind and make him stay there while you walk out to pick up the bumper. In short order, he'll figure out if he moves or breaks, he doesn't get the retrieve.

Took my dog and I about 4 weeks doing two 20 minute training sessions a day to install this training. When we got to the point where I was in my blind next to her, then setting up the spread, I used Dead Fowl Trainers or frozen birds, rather than bumpers.

This process will result in a dog who thoroughly understands the task, and can hardly wait to do it. My dog loves field hunting so much, she practically sets up her own blind!!!

Good Luck


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

Thanks for typing all that NDT. Excellent.

Work on it now unless you don't mind flaring flocks and probably having to hunt alone after opening day. Hunting will still be a big jump in the excitement level but at least you have taken some steps. It will stil take a few hunts where you really need to concentrate on the dog rather than the birds for the lesson to sink in.

One additional thing to add is calling excitedly and throwing open the blind and shooting. This sudden motion can cause them to break. Also if you can catch some live pigeons, clip the feathers on one wing and throw those for marks.

Everything is about adding excitement and distractions and still maintaining discipline.


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## hydro870 (Mar 29, 2005)

> One additional thing to add is calling excitedly and throwing open the blind and shooting. This sudden motion can cause them to break. Also if you can catch some live pigeons, clip the feathers on one wing and throw those for marks.


Good advise. I think the field blinds for dogs aid in steadyness - it is a boundary or place they know they can't leave untill told. However, ALL dogs need a steadyness reminder from time to time.

One additional thing, field hunting can be dangerous to dogs that break because when you shoot from a sitting position your gun barrel is not that high off the ground. I have seen dogs jump over the top of blinds to retrieve falling ducks dropping on the other end of your spread. Especially true with multiple hunters lined up in ground blinds.

Don't ever be embarrased to stake out your dog. I stake mine from time to time when I feel there is a need for safety or other reasons. I just set the dog blind on my left side slightly behind my own blind. Then I stake the dog on a 4' chain. After the birds fall I just unhook the snap with one quick motion of my left hand - works great - even when the action is hot and heavy. I use the DS Trainer stake made by stakout inc. in Fargo - they are perfect for hunting. Website: http://www.stakeoutinc.com/

Hydro


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

Good point on the dogs jumping over a line of blinds. I've never seen it happen but could see it. Especially if you get the birds finishing in close or straight off to one side. Scary stuff.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Thanks, I forgot to add the calling, and don't forget flagging. When you get to that point, you want to simulate a hunting siruation as much as is possible. Josie's motto is "The bigger the bird, the better the retrieve", so I use a canada goose DFT for much of this type of training. The only thing that she wants to retrieve more is actual birds.

You will be amazed how quickly your dog translates this training into hunting performance in the field and learns the nuances. For example, Josie very quickly learned that geese honking leads to shooting then goose retrieving, and began marking birds by hearing. As her hearing is way better than mine, I too quickly learned to rely on her to alert me to unseen birds and give me their bearing. A look down the line she's focused on with the binocs I always have in the blind invariably reveals geese that I couldn't hear and most times can't see with the naked eye.

Remember that like all training, take this one step at a time and don't move to the next part until your dog has the current lesson locked in.
Baby steps of success will get you there faster than rushing through it.
This is why Spring/ Summer is the ideal time to work on this.

Hyrdo has a good point about sometimes needing to stake a dog. A method I have seen that really reinforces steadiness in the blind is to cut a hole or install a grommet in the back of the blind, run the check through it, then set your stake behind the blind far enough that your dog can't exit unless you unsnap him...

This is really an enjoyable piece of training for both you and your dog.
Have fun and praise up your dog when he does good!...


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## hornhunter (Mar 26, 2005)

I appreciate guys  . I have to order his blind and get started.


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