A-Hunting We Will Go…

Click here to read the complete article
170 – April, 2025

By Chris Robinson

Attention all sporting breed (except Lagotto Romagnolo), hound, Standard and Miniature Poodle, and Airedale owners: Now hear this! While most hunting seasons may be several months away, if a-hunting you are thinking you’d like to go with your dog–or to do some field work–and you should be, the new year means it’s time to start preparing not just the dog but yourself for this new task. This is especially true if you are as much of a rookie as the dog may be when it comes to hunting, hunt tests or field trials.

So, what is the first thing you need to do? That’s pretty simple. Find out if your pooch has any interest in birds, if the dog is a gun dog, or critters if it’s a hound. How to do this essential test? Find a hunt test club or a hound organization in your area and go to one of their events. Make the acquaintance of several members until you find someone willing to assist you. Sometimes all you need are the dead birds at an event. If your dog shows interest in those birds by sniffing and pawing at them or (hallelujah!) actually picking one up and trying to run off with it, you should be ecstatic.

If the dog doesn’t show any interest in the dead birds, don’t give up. Find someone who has access to pigeons. Perhaps one of the folks at the test has birds–especially professional trainers–and make an appointment to visit that individual to see if your dog will chase that most tempting of prey, a clipped wing pigeon or, if you have pointing breeds, a quail. It’s also possible to test a pointing dog’s prey drive with scented quail or pheasant wings on the end of a fishing rod. A dog that chases and pounces on the flopping wings has an interest in playing this game. Once the dog shows an interest and desire for birds, you are already halfway down the path of being home free as far as the dog’s part in the job is concerned. This rest is all just pretty much training. If these little tests fail to awaken any prey drive in your dog, it’s probably best for both of you to forget hunting or field work and find another dog sport that does interest your dog.

Click here to read the complete article
170 – April, 2025

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=323139

Posted by AnthonyA on Apr 13 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.