How to ?? GSP and waterfowl hunting

[frankie's]

Hi,

Duck season is now open in Massachusetts, went yesterday and had to leave my 17 months gsp in her kennel, and it kind of broke my heart to see her whimping and crying when I was reaching for my boots and getting my shotgun.
She is a great dog in the field answering to the most important command, she likes water but is essentially trained for pheasant, grouse and woodcock. After hunting woodcocks I brought her this morning to the swamp and she directly jumped in the water when she saw some ducks. I would love to bring her with me tomorrow but I am scared that I will get her confused if I start shooting at flying ducks with her not pointing them or even seeing them. Am I stressing too much knowing that GSP are a versatile breed ?? what are the first steps I should do to start bringing her with me.
Thank You

[Hotpepper]

Take her with you and have fun. Not a bunch of guys as all the shooting might cause a new issue. Just the 2 of you will not hurt a thing.

I am a person that believes the more feathers you get in the dog's mouth the better the dog will be.

Pepper

[Ruffshooter]

Take her just make her sit while you stroke her up and such. Bring some dog bones for when it is slow, When the ducks come in shootem and let her go get it. Don't wait till the action dies down as that may confuse her or drop down her excitement for hte ducks. You may want to bring some rocks if she is not hand signal trained to help get her down wind of the downed duck. She won't see those as well. Like said only go with yourself and hopefully there are not to many others out there or close by. Again confusion.

Next season you can work on the duck stuff as well as the upland. She will learn the difference if you treat it different. This is going to be an introduction to this type of hunting for her, so keep it fun for her. but she does need to mind in the blind or boat or canoe, especially a canoe.

I hunt my GSP and French brits duck hunting and all upland.

Rick

[jt807]

She will learn the difference if you treat it different.
Rick

Rick,

How do you go about treating them differently? I have wondered the same thing about confusing a mostly upland dog when using for just retrieving work.

Thanks,
JT

[tasi devil]

there's a reason they are called Versatiles or Utility dogs, they were bred for it.

- -


she will work it out, take someone with you the first couple of trips to shoot one duck at a time while you keep her steady.
make sure she can see the ducks come in and the fall to shot. keep your mouth shut if you can and let her put it together.
good luck, there is a lot of enjoyment sitting in a blind or in the tussocks with your dog waiting, sipping coffee, thinking, calling them into the dekes.

..............tasi

[Dave C]

Yeh take her mate, they learn nothing stuck in there house.

[Ruffshooter]

Tasi Devil; Pretty much give you a good way to start.

But to answer the differently part.
1) Just the nature of duck hunting from a blind or boat is different. The dog has to be with you sitting lying or standing fairly still. (Although when one of my dogs wants to go for a short walk when we are in the blind I let them.)
2) The dog is not going to the live bird, the bird is coming to you, after a while the dog will start to see that happen, (Watch for the ducks)and "for some reason you shoot (in the dogs eyes) and I get to go for a retrieve when sent" (So the dog does not ever have the opportunity to point the bird.)
3) If you are jump shooting the ducks usually are in the water and mostly will not flush because your dog is running the shore the ducks, usually will fly when you show your mug and you shoot at them, then the pup gets his retrieve, hopefully.
4) The scent of the duck is different and the dog will learn to associate that scent (along with the types of circumstances)with a certain manner or behaviour and more so when you go often and actually train your dog to be a good duck dog.

So for the most part the activities are shooting, retrieving, steadiness, and birds. Those are the things that are the same. But the circumstances are far different till the retrieve.

Hope this helps. If not let me know and I will try to be more clear, which is difficult for me.
Just had a hunt with my ole girl Mercy yesterday afternoon. Check out the hunting section.
Rick

[Oscar]

No problem, go with your GSP , they are v dogs. Many years I was hunting with weimaraner , water and land and the dogs know hunting two - and other too -.

[nooblet]

Get a vest. The Avery Boater's Vest is really a handy little sucker. It's also easy to modify (which you will need to do with your dog's body). PM me if you cant find instructions on it. BUT get a vest!

[Winchey]

If you can get your dog to sit quitely for a while bring her. I brang my 10 month old SM out a couple times this year. By his second hunt he was just sitting there scanning the sky, It was pretty neat to look over at him at one point and look at what he was looking at. Sure enough it was a small flock off in the distance. He did actually lock up at one point when a flock was coming in. He has retrieved 10 ducks and had a blast and there was no ill effect in the uplands, he runs bigger and faster if anything. If she retrieves birds on land and retrieves things from water and will sit patiently, take her out, dont expect much and make it fun. You will probably be pleasantly suprised.

[A/C Guy]

She will learn the difference if you treat it different.
Rick

Rick,

How do you go about treating them differently? I have wondered the same thing about confusing a mostly upland dog when using for just retrieving work.

Thanks,
JT

Most dogs are a lot more intelligent than their owners realize. Just go about working the dog in the field as before and on alternate days, work the dog on water retrieves and hand signals. She will surprise you at how well she understands.

[mcclinj]

Along those lines, should you use a program designed for retrievers to teach the waterfowl stuff...the way you would a lab? If so, does it matter which training (upland or waterfowl) is done first?

-John