# Young dog hunting to close.....



## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

COtroutbum said:


> He is easily handled by voice and e-collar, but I am hesitant to over correct or over handle.


How are you "handling" with an e collar and what would you be correcting?


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## COtroutbum (Dec 27, 2021)

SRW said:


> How are you "handling" with an e collar and what would you be correcting?


Not really doing much with the e colllar as far as correcting, other than a nick when he is not responding to "here" when he sits and locks up. The trouble I am having is he isnt doing anything "wrong", he just seems to be lacking confidence on what to do as far as "hunting". I think he is so used to being at heal with the hunt test work we did it is taking getting used to working more freely. Not sure how to encourage and foster that.


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## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

He just needs more time in the field to learn what hunting is about. The more live birds you can find for him to flush the faster he will grasp the concept of hunting.
Planting dead birds in a field and letting him find them would help.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

For quartering, I'd have a couple of experienced friends. The 3 of you walk across the field with you in the center. Dog starts out at your side. I'm not sure what your commands are for quartering (your overs), but that's what you need to be thinking about. How are you communicating with your dog? I use a similar but different over signal than I do when running retriever blinds. My over is a arm swing across my body completely and sort of push to the side as I bring my arm across my body. Talk to your dog when you're "pushing" them across the field. At the same time as your making that motion, the person on the side you are moving your dog too, calls "hey hey". When pup gets to that person, you double whistle, to get them coming back to you, but at the same time you cross your arm across your body in the other direction and push your dog to the other person. They call "hey hey" too. Back and forth you go, farther and farther apart the people get as the dog picks it up. You'll be using your whistle toot-toot to have the dog cross back and forth. Very quiet whistles, not like a huge retriever whistle at all. You can leave those dead pigeons out in the field for your dog to find as you quarter. After you've been practicing this for a few days, you can add a whistle sit or hup. That's when I slow my dogs down and get them to remember they are supposed to be communicating with me and not independent contractors. Do you have a spaniel club in your area you can train with? As time goes on, you add throws by the 2 people in the field of the dead pigeons.

For retriever hunt test distances, your dog needs a good bird boy that will throw and call "hey hey" to get the dog to hunt out farther and farther. Your dog just needs experience and time. But a good bird boy is a really important thing at this stage. Is there a retriever club offering classes in your area?


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