# Picking up the bird



## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Flip was my only one to naturally pick up a duck at first sight (well and Colby too). The others weren't too sure about it. 

Conner would pick one up because he had been through force fetch so he knew to follow through with the command, but it wasn't until he was able to chase a live bird that he realized the true joy of retrieving birds. Something just clicked in his head when he was able to chase one down and grab it.


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## hollyk (Feb 21, 2009)

My 1 year old female, Winter, and I are new to field work. (Winter is my 1st dog so it's all new to me). We attended our 1st HRC practice in Feb. We had a similar to yours. Good on bumpers, interested but unsure on the ducks. No pigeons for us. We were sent home with 2 pheasant wings and a duck wing. I was told to duct tape a wing to a bumper to get her use to the scent and feathers. She is happily retrieving the "winged bumper". We missed the March practice but going to the April one in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, more field people chime in. I love reading the hunt and field threads.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

My dogs are taught 'Take It' and 'Hold' and 'Give'. Once they know these cues, I introduce the birds by telling them when to take it and hold and then the release. This is close in to them. I work this a few times before they are asked to retrieve the duck.,, and the first 'retrieve' is just a short toss. Then they get to actually run for the duck.

Ducks are big - have you tried chuckars? They are smaller and easier to fit in the mouth.

You can also try playing with bird - if Scout is young enough this might work.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm in agreement with Sunrise's post....first your dog needs to be solid on commands like "take it", "hold it", "bring it" and "give it" (or similar) before you try to insist on the duck. I'm not a "field person", but having a dog that's obedience trained first we had no trouble at all with the duck, I just told him what I wanted, and he did it. I believe, from the field books I've read, that those commands are taught to where the dog is very reliable before you try the duck.


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

I want to echo what Sunrise and Hotel4Dogs has posted--I have not done any fieldwork (yet) but purchased one of Evan's video's "ForceFetch," (Evan posts here in the hunt section from time to time). He is insistent that unless you have worked on obedience first with your dog, you can not reliably work on fetching a 1. paint roller first, 2. then dummy and then 3. bird.

And by obedience, he is talking the basics--sit, heel, "fetch" (as in just taking the object at first, at your command) and "hold" (holding the object). Also, he works on getting the dog to have a steady hold--some dogs "mouth" the object and you want to start on having them with a firm hold.

He is a big believer in using the objects that the dog will be working with--not frisbies, or balls, or toys.


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

She's only been exposed to a duck and pigeon. She knows to take it, hold it, give it (in fact, at the field day when she did pick up the pigeon everyone was impressed by how easily she gave up the pigeon--until she found out it tasted good). I am actually thinking if I could get my hands on a duck and have her practice holding it I could get her to pick one up--but I am not sure. I am also not sure where I would get a duck.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

GoldenSail said:


> She's only been exposed to a duck and pigeon. She knows to take it, hold it, give it (in fact, at the field day when she did pick up the pigeon everyone was impressed by how easily she gave up the pigeon--until she found out it tasted good). I am actually thinking if I could get my hands on a duck and have her practice holding it I could get her to pick one up--but I am not sure. I am also not sure where I would get a duck.


Ask your training buddies for a duck in good shape. Then freeze it, Let it thaw or partially thaw between uses. Wrap the duck in newspaper to keep it dry (one lady I know also uses a blow dryer) and refreeze it.

Work on the take it, hold and give in your back yard (or hunting fields or private property - generally speaking you don't train your dogs on birds in public places - a lot of people just don't like it). Then work short tosses and work up to longer retrieves.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Keep a frozen duck for training. Add it to all your other retrieving articles when training the dog to pick things up. It shouldn't take long for the dog to put 2+2 together and accept the bird as just another item to be picked up on command.


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## GoldenGrady (Jun 5, 2009)

Find a hunting preserve that has dog training available. There are some that raise ducks that are fattened to the point they don't fly. Get the duck in a pond and hopefully your dog will be enticed to go after it, let it swim after it for a while- 99% of dogs will not be able to catch it but it should hold their interest for a long time swimming after it. When you think the dog has had enough and a safe distance, shoot the duck and let your dog get it and bring it back to you. I've had success with this, same concept as a clip winged pigeon flopping around, getting them birdy and riled up about it.


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