Good to hear you are back Cj.  I was wondering if you were ok.

Marg

Combination Training

A lot of people in various dog testing groups train only for the exact tests and nothing else.  This is appropriate for those who are interested in only training and testing but it isn’t appropriate for preparation of a dog for real hunting work.  One area that is frustrating to me is calls from people looking for live ducks to train for water tests.  The fact is that you don’t need a duck for this training since almost any bird or game animal will suffice.  A nice combination exercise that is very good for water work is a land and water retrieve by drag.

After the dog has been trained for a retrieve from a drag track repetition of the exercise can lead to a lackadaisical response by the dog.  I add variety with combination exercises.  In a typical exercise I pack my canoe and a dead bird or game animal and head for a marsh.  A squirrel or a pigeon will provide a nice track for this exercise.  After placing the canoe at the water’s edge I take the game out into a field or into the woods and set up a drag from a marked spot to the canoe at the shore. Then I get into the canoe and tow the game off the shore and around through the marsh in swimming depth water.  I like a 100 meter drag on land and another 100 meters on water.  I leave the game hidden in a tuft of marsh grass or on the far shore and then I paddle back by a different route.

I bring the dog to the marked start of the drag on land where a few feathers or a tuft of hair has been left as a marker.  I start the dog on the drag trace and walk along behind as the dog tracks the hundred meters to the shoreline.  If properly set the track continues from land into the marshy water without any gaps.  I wait at the shore while the dog continues the track and swims the marsh until it finds the game.  If the dog is hesitant at the shore it is permissible to encourage it to track so that it enters the water.

The towed game will leave a continuous scent trace on the surface of the water and on vegetation that leads right to the hidden animal.  All versatile dogs can track on water and this isn’t a very difficult exercise. I expect my dog to retrieve the game to hand.  When successfully executed the combined retrieve from drag manages a number of exercises that blend into a very realistic training exercise.

For more variety you can start the track at the water’s edge and tow the game across the marsh and then drag it into the woods or fields beyond the marsh.  I have used squirrels, pheasants, ducks, pigeons, rabbits and chuckars for these exercises and the dogs have no trouble with working almost any game.  Of course this isn’t a search behind a live duck; it is more difficult than that since there isn’t the exciting scent of a live bird to keep the dog working.  If your dog can handle these combined drags it can easily manage a search behind a live duck when you go duck hunting. As with any tracking exercise the dog shouldn’t be allowed to see the setup or be shown the game before the exercise, the dog is expected to be motivated by scent alone.

© 2008 C. J. Walton