Though some form of hunting is illegal throughout the world, other forms of hunting still exists and one of the popular hunting sport is bird hunting. If you want the bird hunting to be a memorable one then a hunting dog is a must for your hunting expedition.
Some dogs have effective hunting skills while some do not, but either way when it comes to having a proper hunting dog to be effective and obedient at the same time, hunting dog training is essential. The training itself is long and time consuming process , which by the end is worth all the effort as you will have a faithful and effective companion for your hunting adventure. But before that you need to completely willing and dedicated to put in the time required
until you get the desired effect.
Hunting dog training starts from pup itself. The best bet would be in buying a pup from any hunting dog training facilities. Because most of those pups are already exposed to some form of hunting training and the most important aspect is those pups are usually breed from a good hunting dog lineage.
Formal hunting dog training is the next step. Remember the saying “you can’t teach an old dog a new trick”, this is true for hunting dog training too. It is very difficult to teach a grown up dog obedience required for the trail, without obedience the whole concept in hunting dog training is ruined, so focus the training on puppy, these will always be effective.
Formal training consist of gun sound training, command training, and whistle voice training and sign training. Though each is difficult, experts opine that half an hour of training when the dog is 1 year less and an hour of training daily when dog is over 1 year is all it takes to teach your dog the way of a hunter.
Gunshot training:
This is very important, in this training you train the dog to get used to the sound of rifle. Remember that all dogs are afraid of the sound of rifle, so without proper gunshots training you end up having a dog running everywhere because of fear when you fire your rifle.
Gunshot training can be started when the pup is over a year old, this can be done by taking your pup to the fields where you fire your rifle and reassure the frightened pup, and by continuously exposing the pup to gun fire makes the dog to be least afraid for gun shots.
Command and whistle voice training:
This training is the basis for having an obedient hunting dog. This training can be started when the pup is under 1 year. The voice commands for hunting dog is basically three commands- “Whoa”, “Come”, and “Heel”. Though you can teach the dog many other commands it is necessary for your dog to be well trained in thus three commands.
Whistle can be used instead of voice, whistle command is better than voice commands, because in the field your voice might not reach the dog.
Sign training:
You need to have a professional trainer to teach this as this training is bit complicated
You can also train your dogs in many professional hunting dog training facilities.
Dog boarding services are very well known and a popular choice in summer holidays.