My legs burned as we neared the edge of the marsh closer to the pond which would give the dog a cool drink of water and provide a much needed easier walk back to the truck for me. We had almost finished a pheasant stalk through a waist to head high tangle that I frequently fight through on the Wisconsin pheasant opener every year. My dog Buster was pretty cold the last half mile when his tail started wagging. He zigzagged back and forth around some swamp bushes. He hunted it quite some time before widening his circle searching for the escape path of the bird. "huh", "must have flushed out", I thought. "Maybe the bird heard us coming and flushed without us seeing it". "Or maybe just old scent".

As I kept walking, nearing the pond some fifty yards from the scent, I noticed the dog turned back around and started hunting back to the same area. "Wait a minute guys", I said to my hunting partners. "I think Buster’s trying to figure something out". As we turned back Buster was underneath a big fat rooster taking to the sky. BANG,,,,,, THUD.

I think that bird really thought he had us beat. But I had a dog with experience, trained for the hunt that loved his work.

Like pheasant hunting, occasionally duck hunts turn into a "hunt it up" type of situation. I was hunting off a small marsh grass island on the Mississippi with my female Lab Xena and brother in law Bob. It was 9:00 am and we hadn’t shot a duck all morning when all of a sudden off the end of a stringer of a dozen canvasback decoys came a loan duck screaming at us. BANG. The bird sailed over three hundred yards, cupped, tipped a bit and disappeared. I marked the general area it went down. There was no way I could send the dog without moving up, and the boat was out of the question. The water was only two to six inches deep. Bob asked "what was it"? "A bull can", I replied.

I cringed as I thought about the nasty walk awaiting me. I got some things together and began to walk across the island through the one to two foot mud. About a hundred yards from the area another hunter started waving me down, yelling "its over there, it’s over there". Pointing clear across three islands over two hundred yards away from the area I thought the bird had gone down.

I sent Xena out to the area the hunter was pointing to and on the other side of the marsh noticed a Canadian goose swimming out into the river. Now, my eyes aren’t as good as the used to be but I know the difference between a Canada goose and Canvasback duck.

Then I figured out the hunter saw me coming with my dog and thought I was there to assist him in the retrieve of a goose that he sky blasted and wounded earlier in the day. If he would have had a dog, the wounded goose would have been an easy retrieve, at the time he shot it. But now it had been over an hour and the goose was swimming out in open water a half mile away. We saw him shoot the goose and thought wow great shot. But what we didn’t see was the goose getting away. We just assumed that a hunter walking out in a marsh jump shooting ducks would definitely have a dog with.

After figuring this out I headed back to the area my duck went down. When we got close, I told Xena, "hunt it up", "hunt it up". After a meticulous search she stuck her head under the water and pulled out a beautiful drake canvasback. The duck was still very much alive. If it wasn’t for the dog knowing how to hunt, it would still be out there. We even popped a mallard on the way back. A kind of unexpected reward for the dog. By the way, later after cleaning that canvasback I found eighteen BB’s in that bird and it also had a broken breast plate. Some birds are just too tough.

Our dogs must be taught to hunt. Even though their parents have given them the tools, we must instill it properly.

Taking a puppy for lots of walks is a great way to not only bond with the dog but get him used to all the sights and scents out there. I take them through fields of corn, wheat, alfalfa, hay fields, short grass, long grass, wood lots, even plowed fields getting them used to every scent and sight possible. Always taking them to the park down a sidewalk or trail does little for finding out what scents he will find in the field are like. Take him to public hunting areas in the off season so you’re alone with him or simply ask a farmer or land owner if you could take your pup for a walk on their land. I don’t want my dog taking up precious time trying to figure out what a certain smell is when he should be hunting for bird scent. I want them to recognize as many things as possible so they keep there attention on finding birds and nothing surprises them.

The voice command "fetch it up" or "hunt it up" should be taught. This way the dog will recognize the two of you going for a walk versus hunting. "Go" is also a command I use if the dog is lagging near me.

If the dog gets tired I stop and give him a drink of water or at least make him heel for a while. If I were on a long hunt I may even give him a snack like an energy bar or piece of my granola bar. Be aware of overheating and over running out of shape dogs. Take your time and let your dog hunt. Don’t be in a rush to run through an area. Quietly slither through the fields letting him search.

Quartering a field can be taught if desired, but too much emphases in handling without the dog sitting (as in running a blind) can create issues. You have to decide how often you will be able to train for this, as well as need it in the field. If you want the lesson to stick, you’re going to have to provide a lot of repetition with occasional refresher courses to keep him proficient. Most Retrievers hunt pretty well without necessarily "quartering a field". If you don’t intend to run AKC hunt tests or field trials and you do lots of upland hunting it might be worth it to spend some time teaching the quartering concept.

The UKC does run upland hunt tests that test the dog’s ability in quartering as well as being steady to wing and shot. Being steady to the shot is really a personal preference. I’ve heard both arguments, should you or shouldn’t you. I can see valid points both ways. Again you will have to decide how often you would need this, and be able to train for it.

My feeling is this. If your dog hunts cover meticulously, ranges out no farther then thirty yards, comes back to you if you miss the bird and retrieves it to hand if you hit it, you have a pretty decent upland bird dog. If you have the time and desire to have that special dog, then it certainly can’t hurt to teach him more. It will take time. A half assed job won’t do you much good. It must be taught to the point the dog knows the difference from being a non-slip retriever and a hunting retriever. Occasionally you’ll have to mix this type of training in with your set ups.

Live birds are the key factor in excelling your dogs hunting ability. They provide large amounts of scent to learn on and the ultimate reward. A dog that has been taught to retrieve with nothing but dummies could still be a great hunter. But it will take years of hunting with him to develop his bird finding skills. You can speed this up by planting live birds for him. Lots and lots of birds. All different birds. Quail, Chukar, Pheasants, Pigeon’s and even ducks. The more the merrier. I have seen noticeable differences in dogs trained with live bird’s verses mostly dummies.

I usually don’t start this type of training until the dog has been obedience trained, force trained, collar conditioned, taught marks, walk-ups and blinds. I don’t want bad habits formed from the hunt type training. This type of training gives the dog a lot of decision making for him and almost invites disobedience. The dog is used to being "non slip", meaning he is only to retrieve when told to and always from a heel and sit position. Now he will learn to find the bird, flush it and then retrieve it while either sitting (as in steady to the shot) or moving, but mostly from a remote position away from you.

I usually plant pigeons first for the dog. I plant them in a large field with medium cover. I space the birds out about seventy yards apart tucking their head under the wing and pushing some grass over them I slowly let go. Some trainers dizzy the birds by spinning them in a circle. Not only is that unnecessary, but I want the bird to really launch out of the cover, I don’t want him dizzy. Occasionally the dogs will catch the bird. To them it’s the ultimate prize. Just make sure they handle the bird properly and retrieve it back to you promptly. Highly praise the dog and continue on to the next one. Usually a dog that starts catching lots of birds really turns it on when he scents a bird.

The first bird will be on my right, the second on my left so on and so forth. This will teach the dog to run both sides of you. If you have a small field you can plant the birds using a release cage. This way you can plant a lot of birds not worrying if they will fly away when you shoot at the previous bird. You can also tie a twenty foot piece of decoy anchor or fish line to the bird’s leg and a decoy weight to the other end preventing the bird from flying away on the flush. This saves birds as well as money. It can prolong your training sessions provided the much needed repetition that much quicker.

If you want the dog quartering off your commands give a come in call with your whistle (toot, toot). As the dog gets twenty to thirty yards to your right or left cast him the opposite direction by holding your arm straight out to the left or right. If the dog has been taught to do blind retrieves he already knows what the arm movement is and should respond accordingly. Some trainers use several helpers and ropes demanding an exact quartering response. By planting all your birds off to the sides it should teach the dog to quarter more naturally without demanding perfection. I don’t want my dogs bypassing piles of cover to give me a perfect quarter. I would rather him search each likely holding spot a bird may be hiding, and then move to the next.

If you continuously plant birds on tree lines or fence lines, it may be difficult to get him to hunt the field next to cover. Many times a smart rooster will move out away from the cover when he hears you coming. Balance your training by planting birds in open fields as well as along edges. Also make sure you can handle him away from cover. In an upland situation you will have to teach him to take an "over cast" left or right while he is moving. By planting live birds in the field as well as next to cover and casting him towards the birds he’ll soon will find out you know what you’re talking about.

If you’re teaching the dog steady to wing and shot make sure you have a long lead on him. This will allow him to hunt while preventing him from breaking (leaving for the bird without being sent). Even if you’re not going to demand the dog to sit on the flush it’s a great idea to keep a lead on him. Control is big time important during this type of training.

Begin walking the dog towards the birds, telling him "hunt it up", "hunt it up". This may confuse the dog because he is used to always heeling. If you’ve taken him for lots of walks, he may think it’s just that. If he hangs close to you tell him "go", "go". If he goes to far give a yank on the lead telling him "to far", "here", "to far". Communicate to the dog.

When you get close to the bird back off a bit and let the dog find and flush the bird. When he does immediately say "SIT", blow your sit whistle "TOOOOT". Give a yank on the lead. Have a helper shoot the bird. Walk up to the dog telling him "good", "stay", "stay", good. Release him to retrieve the bird as you would a mark by saying his name. If your dog wears a collar and has been through a proper collar conditioning program you can nick him on occasion when the bird flushes. The scenario would go something like this, bird flushes, "NICK with collar", "dog sits", "blow sit whistle", "yell SIT", walk up to the dog and release him for the retrieve. Repeat this with and without the nick of the collar. Soon the dog will learn the game and really impress you.

You can begin the process under a more controlled environment by using remote launchers with dead birds or dummies. If the dog has been taught walk-ups (marks thrown while you are walking with the dog) this training will be no big deal. When the dog gets close, release the bird by pulling the chord or hitting the remote. Go through the same process as before. Stop him, walk over to him and then release him. You may find that he will take his attention off of the spot the bird fell and watch you as you walk up to him. This will surely affect his ability to quickly find the bird. That’s one of the reasons some people don’t do this type of training. But if your dog has been taught to do blinds it shouldn’t be that much of a problem.

Drag a dead duck through some medium to heavy cover, crisscrossing and turning several directions over a hundred yards or so. Leave the duck at the end of your trail. Let the dog out and bring him to the beginning of the drag. Release him saying "hunt it up" or "fetch it up". Walk with him, keeping him within thirty yards and see how he trails the scent. I use ducks at first because they have lots of scent. Gradually I will use different birds ending up with hen pheasants, which have little scent. When he finds the bird give him lots of praise and maybe toss it around for him. Doing this several times will make a great trailing dog.

Whether you do teach your dog to be steady to shot and or quarter in the field is personnel preference. But when planting birds for him keep the situation controlled. A dog running around all over the place flushing birds isn’t going to do you much good in the field.

If you use the e-collar and are nicking him for going to far, make sure the dog knows the reason for the correction. Normally when off the lead and he gets to far out, you would just say "NO, TOO FAR", "HERE", and maybe just give a quite "toot, toot" on the whistle. If he doesn’t respond and has been through collar conditioning then a correction is warranted. Don’t just zap him every time he gets past thirty yards.

In time you will learn to read your dog while hunting. You’ll know when he’s goofing off, smelling another bird, smelling a fur scent, really trying, and when he gets birdie. The heavy snorting, tail wagging and moving right to left like a bird walking through cover is a sure sign he’s onto something.

The more live birds you use, the more the dog will accelerate his ability to find birds for you.

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