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Train the Dogs for Sheds

Trained and played the games for a lot of years with shorthairs and springers,,,,,,,,

Got a 3 year old lab last year, 59 pounds, a partial guide dog at a preserve and washed out trailer....

Anyway trained up real nice, very biddable, soft mouth, force broke, collared trained, shot quite a few birds over him, his quarter work is nice..... / Will training him for sheds, screw him up ? This is my first lab, got him from a pro, got a great deal.... The pro is in Texas training, so I have not been able to get a hold of him.

I would think not, the dog loves to train and play games, because I am going to hand signal him this spring, but wanted to know from anyone of you guys or gals that have trained them up.....

We have 2 GSP's that are multipurpose dogs (upland, ducks over water, ducks in field, and shed). No issue for us at all. Hunting is still hunting - if they come across a shed they return - other than that it is normal. Blind and boat works stays 100% the same. The good part of it is that shed hunting takes place well after most other hunting that uses dogs is over in Wisconsin except for game farm hunts and there the scent is so strong the sheds are soon forgotten. Have it.

Both my Labs are flushers/retrievers. They love to hunt sheds. It's a real prize when they find one.

Keeps them busy out of doors when we're doing winter chores on the tree farm.

Labs basically will retrieve anything,We use bumpers for training. For a shed just throw one a few times and praise Her up and they will do fine.I do know a little about dog training. http://lorkenfarms.com/trials_tests.htm

Labs basically will retrieve anything,We use bumpers for training. For a shed just throw one a few times and praise Her up and they will do fine.I do know a little about dog training. http://lorkenfarms.com/trials_tests.htm

Labs basically will retrieve anything,We use bumpers for training. For a shed just throw one a few times and praise Her up and they will do fine.I do know a little about dog training. http://lorkenfarms.com/trials_tests.htm

Okay thanks.... I will keep it fun.... I keep my dog on birds every 2 weeks, only way to keep them sharp.....

I think it will work out. I trained a lot of NAVHDA dogs for testing, ,,,,,,,

The problems were never much with the dogs, it was with the handlers, ha ha

i have a hound for trailing, which she is pretty darn good at. I have the understanding that trailing and retrieving are like apples and oranges. i didn't want to to mix her up on the trailing of wounded deer, so i didn't bother since there are no longer any deer in our unit anyway. Wonder if that is why she washed out of the trailing?

I do not know what kind of hound you have, so I can not advise. However I had a field trailer and navhda dog, and when she was all done with the games, I retired her for tracking.......

She was a GSP, and once she understood she was doing a track,, there was no problem. She hunted upland birds just find, would retrieve small lake ducks, and track a deer. Before she passed, she had 5 finds......

I was told to get this antler kit for training that is popular, but have decided to use my own sheds,,,,,,

He is getting the idea,,,,,, each morning when he goes out for a romp, I have sheds at least 3 stashed in and on top of the snow, where I live. I live in the woods,,,,,,,, So far he has brought back at least one every am....... In time it will come......

Also another game farm hunt this pm, it does not seem to interfere with his field work at all......

Next Tuesday we will start out weekly on public land and see what he finds,,,,,,

We leave for snow goose hunting on March 20th.... It only took me 3 days to steady him, in a fold up blind we use in the field in the Dakotas.....

Lab is pretty smart.........The only sad part I see about a lot of labs, is how out of shape some of them are, how a lot of them do not get to see enough birds, and become overweighted lap dogs......

I always said "You own what you condone"........

RH makes a good point.

Hunting dogs need regular exercise year-round. Packing on extra pounds only contributes to bone and joint problems.

I have almost a 2 month old yellow lab pup that I'm training to be able to find sheds. Right when I picked him up at 6 weeks I introduced him to a small shed that I had. Since I've had him he gotten very good at retrieving the shed and bringing it back to me every time. I praise him each time and he has gotten to the point where I don't have to tell him to bring it back, he just does it automatically. Any tips as far as what should be the next step to training him? I thinking once it gets nice out and the snow starts to melt I'll start playing fetch with outside with it and see how he does. I would like to find a fresh one this spring due to the fact that the one I'm using is a couple years old. My friend has some stuff called rack wax I might try rubbing on it to see if it'll give it a fresher smell. Hope to get some input, thanks for the help!!

PSEUSER...

Good for you to train your Lab early-on to find and retrieve.

I think the bigger picture is what is the career you wish to train your dog for?

Our Labs are flushers and retrievers. Upland birds. The black Lab will point on occasion. But hunting (not sheds) is the first order of business.

The antler hunting is something we stumbled-upon with the older dog when we took her out with us for winter tree farm chores. She 'taught' us by fetching her first shed. Both dogs now have 'learned' that winter R&R includes mousing and shed hunting.

I think you're on the right track with the pup.

Labs - gotta luv 'em...

I know I'm so happy I decided to buy a lab. This is my fist puppy I've personally have had to train. My parents always had them but they got them when they were a little older. My dad and I don't do much waterfowl or pheasant hunting but we do have some ideal cover for both. So we occasionally will hunt them so it would be nice if I could get him to retrieve birds. But ultimately I'd really like to get him primed for sheds and just being an overall well trained dog!! Is that your lab TurkeyHunter? Very pretty dog!!

This is my first lab, but I have had 25 years of training pointers and springers, so easy to train, but since he was a gift, from dear friends, after I lost my best grouse dog, most of the training was done.....

I expect my dog to be steady on the blind, and good on the marks. He does point on occasion, but in reality its really the dog, being cautious,,,,,, the dog has the bird pinned, but as it moves, it will flush....

I demand all retrieves, be to my left side, sit and hold and only release on command. I do not accept anything less, and I never hurry a retrieve, no matter how many more birds are around, clean retrieves, is what gives you a well disciplined dog.....

dogs need patience and love, and more patience... Bad habits are a result of poor training, and no discipline

He has the sheds down now,,,,, every other day, I planted various sheds in the yard, some on top of the snow, some just sticking out, some buried just a little, and I made a game out of it....

He shoots out the door to do his thing in the woods, and love to look for them,,,,,,,,,,, going out today to look for public land sheds......

There is a training manual and scent and play antler for a young dog, seen it at the deer shows, but can not remember the name of it,,,,,,

CAUTION,,,,,,,, I can see, that a young pup could get hurt on a real antler, and I can see another problem, the development of hard mouth, if allowed to chew on etc........

If your going to develop a bird dog first, you may want to ask for some more professional advice, but if its going to be the house/shed dog, well get at it,,,,,,,,,,

I do not know it all, but I have always had nice dogs,,,,,,,,, love, patience, time, routine, discipline, repeat above

"Love, patience, time, routine, discipline"

Excellent advice RH.

That's my blonde lab in the pic from last Saturday. She's 4 1/2 and still full of puppy.

This is her auntie. She's going on 9 years old. She had a knee replacement last year and is going strong...

"There is a training manual and scent and play antler for a young dog, seen it at the deer shows, but can not remember the name of it,,,,,, ".

Razorheadand and PSEUSER, I think the name of the product you are trying to remember is "Dog Bone". I saw it at Fleet Farm in the sporting goods dept. Its a 3 step system. On the bottom of the package containing the antler is a website (www.mooreoutdoors.net). There is an address label also, out of Pulaski, Wisconsin. Good luck with training the pup. That lab will do just fine.

I have been married for 40 years and have had labs for 36 years. Its been a great combination. Right now I have a female and a male both 5 years old. We walk morning and evening everyday of the year. The coldest it has ever been is minus 51 windchill. Blizzards, rainstorms or thunder and lightening don't bother them. The labs don't flinch a bit plus it keeps me in top shape for chasing turkeys in Georgia, Nebraska, New York, Wisconsin or wherever I am in the spring.

Pseuser - one other thing,,,,,, although dogs love it outside, watch extreme cold. That wet nose can get frost bit very quickly

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