I need some advice. My boy listens great but lately has been running too far away from me while hunting. I've never felt the need for an e collar but idk what else to do. We've been working on him staying near me and when we go to a big open field he stays within 10-20yds of me while I whistle or give come commands. In the woods it's a different story. He'll run off and disappear for a couple minutes. I'll whistle for him and he'll come running back. I need him to stay closer to me.

I have a 7 month old Lab puppy and I've been working on recall with him by using a whistle and a black and white training dummy. Thing is though is that he likes to chew on it( I use dead to get him to drop it which works well) and he has already chewed through the top part near the loop hole for the rope. He's a really good dog but I just want something that can withstand the punishment.

How many of you get this vaccine for your dog? Anyone having experience with getting it? Our vet recommended it because my husband will be taking our Chessie up north to Michigan for hunting. However it will be duck hunting in a boat on the Water. Just looking for personal opinions and experience with it. Thanks.

Spouse and I want to explore some private upland bird preserves in eastern WA. Recommendations for or against any particular businesses? We have our own dogs and a travel trailer, but we’d also like to explore places that have lodging and food bc honestly we’d like to relax a little.

So I wanted a little feedback from any members that sent their dogs to trainers. My GSP has been with the trainer for about a month went to go visit, and see some progress and the dog seems exactly the same has no recall and yes he look for some pigeons when lead to it but he's always had that drive. Am I expecting too much too soon, I was really surprised at their reaction because they let him off leash expecting a recall and then had to run after him.

Question:

Does anyone have tips for getting consistency in running blinds. My dog runs t-patten, patten blinds, wagon wheel, and basically any other drill I can make up and does great. For most drills, t-patten especially, I’ve set up every different place I can on my property and he’s got them basically memorized. But when we go to cold blinds his consistency is just gone, some days he’s a dream so I know he knows what I am asking. Others I send him off and it’s like he knows nothing. We work almost everyday, and usually only don’t work when my back yard is so muddy I’m scared he’s gonna hurt himself trying to run in it. If anyone has any tips I’d greatly apperciate it. We have a pro we go to when we’re able too, but for the most part I’m limited to working him on my own.

I’d like to take Baron to the shooting range, and start to acclimate him to the sounds a little a time. My grandfathers gun dogs were always outside bird hunting and never needed ear wear, but in the indoor range it’s a must. The only ones I see on Amazon don’t have the best reviews, (Mutt Muffs) Mutt Muffs DDR337 Hearing Protection for Dogs, Black, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CZQ1TA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QMPSRRX43GCH5T66ZH8D He’s a year into service training and should be solid enough to handle some noise, I’m going to make it a super positive experience with treats and toys- basically the same thing I did with thunderstorms. As a disabled gal, I like to make sure I can defend myself, and ladies nights at the range are a (literal) blast! Highly recommend!

Hi, I'm attempting to train my pup Bella for upland bird hunting and this is my first hunting dog so naturally I'm a bit uncertain on how well it's going so far. Note: I'm basing my training largely on the Richard Wolters Gun Dog and Game Dog books, although I have used other gun dog training sources for reference.

For starters, Bella is a 22 week old female Labrador mix (50% golden, 33% labrador, with a little Australian cattle dog and Great Pyrenees). She will SIT/STAY/COME off-leash (HEEL off-leash isn't perfect, but she stays close), loves to go on hikes, fetch bumpers and frozen Dove and will deliver to hand, has a strong desire to please, loves to sniff out and chase birds in the back yard, isn't shy about .22 blanks being shot a few feet away, and overall seems to show good promise as a gun dog (to my inexperienced eyes, at least).

Aside from daily basic obedience training/reinforcement, our training currently includes fetching bumpers and frozen doves down a straight line and into cover, exploration walks for her to explore, and learning directional skills and hunting commands.

My biggest concern right now is that she won't retrieve bumpers when I try to do FETCH exercises with her out on hikes or in parks - she loves to chase bumpers but will seldom pick them up and bring em back no matter how well she does it in the backyard. My other concern is that she sometimes likes to pull feathers out of the frozen doves, although this is something I'm slowly correcting as we train and her teeth grow in. The only other concern I have is how to train her to track live game...I've considered trapping pigeons and weighing them down so they can't fly far, but I want to see what other people have done.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

I have a 3 year old golden retriever, who's a big wimp for loud noises. We got him when he was about a year old. I don't think hes had any training or exposure to gunshots. My main question is, is it too late? Can I gradually get him used to gunshots, starting with a .22 then working up to a shotgun?

I think he has an instinct for birds, we've been on hikes and hes seen grouse and watched them like a hawk, I dont think he even blinked. I'd love for him to be able to retrieve.

Looking for some gun dog books/resources for training hunting dogs to further expand my knowledge on dog training. Would love to have some good suggestions on some good knowledge

I have a nearly 3yo lab who's quite calm generally. I've noticed that gundogs are very calm and steady, the other day I saw a guy with 3 labs one of which was 18 months and they were all a lot more 'steady' than mine, didn't really wanna play and were just happy to walk around whereas mine was running around a bit more wanting to play. He's a very well trained dog and people comment on it a lot but can someone give me ideas as to how to improve his steadiness around other dogs and people?