# WC Goals (Help!)



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

I got laughed at when I told someone this goal, so I'm hoping no one here laughs at me. I'm clearly new to hunt and field, having never taken a class/seminar/clinic/etc. 

I have goals for Lana and figured the hunt tests would be further along her career and not right right now cause I just want to get into the groove with her conformation training + rally training + basic obedience, etc. 

As of right now, all she is working on is basic manners and conformation handling. I want to get swim lessons in there cause she tries to swim and she sinks and obviously this is an important ability for hunt tests. 

I had the, admittedly naive, understanding that the WC was an "untrained, test the natural ability" test and was the stepping stone to see if she would do tell in hunt tests. I've been told by three different people/trainers that Lana could do WC no problem. But these people aren't field trainers. 

To bottom line it - how possible is it for a 3.5 month old (as of now) get a WC by October 2019 (she'll be 16 months old at the time of the test)? How much training does it typically take (assuming there is variation depending on the dog)? Does anyone recommend a field trainer in SoCal/San Diego area? I plan on asking at my GRCA chapter meeting when it meets next (I just missed the last meeting) and I'm hoping to link up with one or two clubs in my area that seem like they do hunt tests and what not. 

Welcome 
Inland Valley Retriever Club - Retriever Training and Hunt Tests in Southern California


----------



## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

You can teach your dog how to do a basic WC no problem with little training when she is older. that being said there are two things I would recommend you do now.I would have her get comfortable on swimming before it gets cold so that she doesn't have issues when the time for you to train for the WC comes. She is young so it will come as long as she's exposed to plenty of water, even baby pools would be great. The other thing I would do now and a lot is get your hands on a bird feathers or whatever and tease her with them. The biggest problem I have seen with conformation style dogs is they don't like ducks. I'm not saying all of them are like that, in fact there are some very good conformation breeders that work to preserve that prey drive in their lines and there are people on this forum with champion dogs that have Master hunt titles and even placements in field trials. But I've seen dogs in my area where that has just not been a priority in their lines and it is a nightmare to get their dogs to pick up ducks or pheasants when the time to train for a WC comes. If you start this early as a puppy, building up that prey drive or just fostering what they were born with, it will make her later training go a lot smoother. It will be hard when you take your dog to train and then have to spend months trying to get them to pick up a duck at training. Its not fun for you and not fun for the dog. Otherwise, a WC is really a piece of cake and doesn't really require much training.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks! I have to run it by the husband before I buy birds but I figured some of the birds (wings) on gundogsupply might work in the time being. 

I was thinking something like this: https://www.gundogsupply.com/wild-game-variety-pack.html
and this: https://www.gundogsupply.com/-3708-.html to help encourage prey drive? 

Lana loves water (just deep pools freak her out a bit). She plays in a kiddie pool at home. I have a life vest that we're going to use while she gets more confident. She is a huge retriever, she'll bring most things back to me (not to hand yet, and we're still working on drop it). I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to fill up the kiddie pool and toss a wing in and see if she will jump into the water to get the wing. IDK if we'll get to the point of using dummies that you put scent stuff in. But I honestly think she has the drive to do hunt tests. And I would love to show her line has retained their breed purpose.


----------



## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

Ive not used those wings but if you are going to your club meetings and they have hunt tests they know of that you can go to, you can go and watch and then ask if you can have some wings from their birds they used or just buy a few of the old birds after the test. You can freeze the ducks and reuse them. A lot of pups have interest in birds but if they aren't exposed to them enough then they get older and don't want to pick up a bird, even if they are super good retrievers with bumpers and balls. The ducks are just wet and cold and yuck to them. Of course there are some goldens that have never seen a bird and fall in love immediately. I think its just easier to expose them while their young. Also, be mindful that some dogs go so wild over ducks they want to "eat them" which is the opposite end of the spectrum. your pup may love them so much that you don't want to give her too much duck and create a bad habit, lol. Just watch her with them and periodically bring out the duck or wings and make sure she is exposed and enjoys them so when the time comes to really train for the WC she's got all the components she needs to make it easy for you both. 

And really I have yet to see a golden of any breeding that doesn't know how to swim so don't worry about it just expose her until she gets it.


----------



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Good Lord, whoever laughed at you needs to be smacked upside the head! Those are VERY attainable goals! 
I wouldn't go the life jacket route, I think it's harder for a dog to have to re-learn to swim all over again when you take it off and they will have a sinking sensation without it. As Shelby said, dogs can swim. They just can (except some pit bulls, who are too muscular). Do you have access to someplace that starts shallow and gets deeper? Some place where you could toss something to retrieve, first in shallow water, and then slowly deeper and deeper until she is swimming a few feet to get to it? If she is focused on the retrieve, not the swim, she will probably swim much better.
As for the birds, do yourself a big favor and find a decent trainer to help you introduce birds!!! If you go to a hunt test, you will probably be able to meet several pros and maybe find one that you'd like to work with a little. Unfortunately, if she has decent prey drive she may either refuse to give it back to you, or worse yet, chomp on it. Now you will have a problem that's very, very hard to fix. As in VERY hard to fix. Jackie Mertens once told me that she doesn't even introduce birds to (very) young dogs for exactly that reason, and I have lots of faith in her advice. She said it's hard to evaluate prey drive vs. meat drive in young dogs so you're better off just not causing an issue.
Speaking of Jackie Mertens, I would very highly suggest you get her DVD, "Sound Beginnings" which addresses pretty much everything you need to know.
https://www.gundogsupply.com/soberetrdvdw.html
from the website--
Topics include:
Basic Puppy Obedience
Introducing the Tools of Training
Your Puppy's First Retrieves
Introduction to Water
Developing a Positive Water Attitude
Puppy Drills
Preparing Your Pup for Advanced Training

I'm sure you can get it other places as well.
You will probably only be interested in the first 7-8 chapters for now.

Finally, about wings, I think the ones you buy from GDS are pretty well worthless in terms of getting a dog used to feathers. JMO.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Thanks! There are a few places I think that have the shallow end that gradually gets deeper. Most of the places that offer "swim lessons" require the dogs to be at least 6 months old. BLARG! My breeder has offered to let us use her pool (which we did this month and why we know she sinks). I'm debating on getting a water trough (should be deep enough to swim in) and making a shallow end myself so I can practice more regularly. But it'll probably be more efficient to take her to a pool. 

I think my first step is to attend some of these club meetings and go to some practices or hunt tests and see if I can find a trainer that jives with me and see what they think the steps would be. I imagine field training is a mostly private training sessions so it'll probably be a pretty penny. I just want to be able to juggle it between everything else. 

I wish you all could meet Lana. I swear she is the best dog in the world. She's perfect (which I'm preparing for a bad teen run cause I feel like no good teenager starts as this good of a puppy, if that makes sense).


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Shelby is 100% correct
The actual training required for a WC is very little
BUT the dog has to like birds and has to swim
Those are the two things you need to do NOW
Do NOT wait any longer to get her independently swimming (not touching bottom) and picking up birds
Don't worry about her liking birds too much and trying to eat them. That's a nice problem to have with a show-bred dog. 
Don't bother ordering wings. You need real birds.
You need to get on the horn and find a hunt test pro within driving distance and pay them to give you an evaluation/introduction to birds and swimming.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Do you think something like this would be a good introduction? 

Puppy Head Start - Raney Ranch Retrievers


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Is force fetching mandatory for training and/or am I just being sensitive to not like the idea of force fetching? Some of the trainers I've found online (waiting on emails back from club members) have indicated they start puppies on force fetching. I'm not sure that is the route i want to take.


----------



## MillionsofPeaches (Oct 30, 2012)

The link that barb suggested with Sound beginnings is a must have.


----------



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Yup yup! The DVD has already been ordered. Just waiting on it to come in.


----------



## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

You can do a WC without Force Fetch for sure. My dog got her WC before I ever introduced the collar. Her SHR, too (HRC program Started).


I, too, would wonder why anyone would laugh at these goals. Any Golden should be able to be trained to a WC - you don't need steadiness on line, just a dog who likes to retrieve ducks and has been trained to give them back to you to hand. Perfectly reasonable goal!


----------



## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

I agree with everyone else.....a WC should be easily attainable for a Golden Retriever.

I figured we had this aced for this year. I mean Ledger loves ducks, loves retrieving, loves swimming, is very steady and delivers to hand. HOWEVER, after a picnic trial in May, at which he did awesome work at 9 months, he suddenly developed a fear of people out in the field!!! I have yet to figure out what happened but we have worked for months to overcome this and we're still working. But, here in Canada, our testing season is over with so we will continue to work on this over the winter and hopefully he'll be ready next year. 

So while it sounds easy enough, the silliest things can jump up and bite you in the butt!!

Good luck in your training and have fun!!!


----------

