# What would you expect?



## drake17 (Mar 11, 2008)

I have a 4.5 month old black lab. I'm planing to bring her out for MN goose opener. Shes doing very well on her basic obenience commands and is used to gun fire. On the kennel command shes flys into her dog blind. I 've slowly been having her stay in her blind longer and longer time while i've been in my blind calling, flaging, and having decoys set up all around us. Every week for the last month or so i've been bringing her to a game farm and having her get up smaller pheasants, and its getting to the point now where shes getting them up and i'm shooting them with a 12 ga and she retrieves them and shes off to look for the next bird (she really loves to pheasant hunt)

Just wondering what you guys would expect for her first goose hunt if anything besides having fun.

Should i expect her to retrieve the geese at this age?

Any comments would be appreciated THANKS


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Hunt with one buddy for the first hunt or two

there is NO WAY I would bring him anywhere where multiple guns are involved until the shot- bird falls sequence is firmly in her head.

That is a scenairo for gunshyness which is a PITA to fix. Hunt her alone or with a trusted partner that will cooperate while you handle the dog. Get past those first few hunts, gun shyness is alot easier to avoid than fix and plenty of supposedly gun introed dogs have be intimidated by the roar of multiple shotguns being fired.

You sitting behind your buddy with the dog and no gun so the dog can see the whole sequence, let her see your buddy rise and shoot and the bird fall, that is the best way to proceed.

You have along time to go.

Other than that I would expect nothing from her but a wet kiss and dog breath


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## HUNTNFISHND (Mar 16, 2004)

I would not send her after a crippled goose at this age, in fact any goose maybe to much for her to handle depending on her size and that of the goose. A good beating from a wounded goose could scare her off at this stage. I would start her off on pheasants and ducks first. JMHO.


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## deacon (Sep 12, 2003)

All good advice, last thing you want to do is put your young dog in a situation that we damage all the progress made at such a young age!!

Need to be very patience until at least next hunting season. Sacrifice now will lead to at least 7 years of excellent hunting!


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## USAlx50 (Nov 30, 2004)

Personally I wouldn't hunt a pup that age on honkers. If I did it would be very casual with one other very understanding person.


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## drake17 (Mar 11, 2008)

Thanks everyone for all the advice and comments! Its greatly appreciated.


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## BROWNDOG (Nov 2, 2004)

> I have a 4.5 month old black lab


No way I wouldn't do it, to much can go wrong with a crippled goose. It sounds like you are doing a great job with your pup, I wouldn't chance it at this point, wait and take her on a duck hunt, in a controled setting..


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

Crippled goose beating heck out of the pup, bunch of guys shooting at something the pup has no clue about, trying to even get a goose back to you. Not me. Maybe toward late season. It that dog is either bird shied or gun shied, you're into mega problems.


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## Gordon Guy (Jul 23, 2007)

Someone said that you should start her on Pheasants instead of geese. Pheasants have also cuased their fair share of bird shy dogs. A lightly shot pheasant can spur a dog enough to cause problems. Start her on pigeons or a bird that won't spur and cause too much of a ruckus.


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## ccabb0tt07 (Sep 5, 2008)

I have a buddy that took his 5 month old pup snow goose hunting. The first bird he wounded, the goose nipped the pup on the face and was hissing and carrying on. She was a little hesitant for a while after that. She did grow out of it pretty easily, but still something to consider.


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## drake17 (Mar 11, 2008)

Thanks for all your comments. I reconsidered bring her out hunting. I did bring her out after we had our limit. We sat in the spread for about an hour and actually landed a pair, she did very well. I settled with making sure she had fun and that was it. I also had her try and make a few retrieves with a few dead geese we shoot earlier that day.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

drake17 said:


> Thanks for all your comments. I reconsidered bring her out hunting. I did bring her out after we had our limit. We sat in the spread for about an hour and actually landed a pair, she did very well. I settled with making sure she had fun and that was it. I also had her try and make a few retrieves with a few dead geese we shoot earlier that day.


Now that's using your head. Nice introduction.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

You were considering the common mistake of hurrying your dog. At 4.5 months, it's way, way too young to take out on a hunt!!! All you can accomplish doing this is to either ruin your pup or set it's training back the months it will take to maybe fix the problems that come of the experience.

At that age you should be concentrating on formal OB and simple single puppy bumbers.

My pups get their first taste of hunting at around 12 months, after FF/CC and well into their Transition Training. They have to be rock steady and doing complete double marks out to at least 100 yards or I don't even think about doing this hunt, which is always shooting pheasants on a preserve under closely controlled conditions.

Their first actual hunt/season is at 18-24 months, after they have fully completed their training. Even at that, the first couple hunts I just handle the dog and let others do all the shooting...

Right now just concentrate on your pup's training, there will be plenty of time to hunt him when he's ready...


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