Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Hi All,
I have a 2 year old Small Munsterlander that I am beginning to prepare for the navhda "duck search" portion of the Water Group for the UT test.
My munster has been through his basic obedience and has mastered his recall, sit, heal, fetch(ff'ed at 14 months), and stay. Digressing for the benefit of providing a more complete picture of by dog during today's snapshot, he is also steady on point and will hold to allow me to flush, but needs work to finish him off on his complete steadiness on field game progression. We will have chuckar in a month to begin field steadiness to flush, shot, and fall.
I have been working him on retrieval work for the last 6 months on land and in water. However it has not been done with the duck search in mind. My mistake I believe. I suspect a good progression would include decoys set out on land to move toward water work. Just guessing....
He is steady at the blind and waters edge for the water grouping. I have already practiced "steadiness by the blind" and "remaining by the blind" work and the "duck retrieval" discipline (docken dummy) for the UT test and he's solid on all of these test elements. He has also mastered walking at heel both on and off lead. In fact, I conduct the duck retrieval work by approaching the water with the steadiness at blind work first.
However, the progression for the duck search has me stumped and I have yet to incorporate a training progression for this into his water group training. The main reason, lack of ducks.
Once I find ducks how to I keep them for training purposes? Do I render them flightless by pulling the flight feathers of one wing and then providing them a pen and pool in my backyard? How about feeding them?
Once I obtain ducks, how do you create a training progression for the "duck search" where the dog can be successful right from the start and then increase the three "D's," "difficulty, distance and duration" to ensure a flawless duck search and authentic training progression?
As a new dog handler and trainer, my best buddy and I would be indebted for any advice you could provide to ensure success and less failure from the start. Any suggestions on obtaining ducks? I live in Rapid City, SD.
Let me know if you need more information from me to help with painting a better picture of where by dog and I are at presently. Thanks in advance for your input and time.
In gratitude,
Jeff
I have a 2 year old Small Munsterlander that I am beginning to prepare for the navhda "duck search" portion of the Water Group for the UT test.
My munster has been through his basic obedience and has mastered his recall, sit, heal, fetch(ff'ed at 14 months), and stay. Digressing for the benefit of providing a more complete picture of by dog during today's snapshot, he is also steady on point and will hold to allow me to flush, but needs work to finish him off on his complete steadiness on field game progression. We will have chuckar in a month to begin field steadiness to flush, shot, and fall.
I have been working him on retrieval work for the last 6 months on land and in water. However it has not been done with the duck search in mind. My mistake I believe. I suspect a good progression would include decoys set out on land to move toward water work. Just guessing....
He is steady at the blind and waters edge for the water grouping. I have already practiced "steadiness by the blind" and "remaining by the blind" work and the "duck retrieval" discipline (docken dummy) for the UT test and he's solid on all of these test elements. He has also mastered walking at heel both on and off lead. In fact, I conduct the duck retrieval work by approaching the water with the steadiness at blind work first.
However, the progression for the duck search has me stumped and I have yet to incorporate a training progression for this into his water group training. The main reason, lack of ducks.
Once I find ducks how to I keep them for training purposes? Do I render them flightless by pulling the flight feathers of one wing and then providing them a pen and pool in my backyard? How about feeding them?
Once I obtain ducks, how do you create a training progression for the "duck search" where the dog can be successful right from the start and then increase the three "D's," "difficulty, distance and duration" to ensure a flawless duck search and authentic training progression?
As a new dog handler and trainer, my best buddy and I would be indebted for any advice you could provide to ensure success and less failure from the start. Any suggestions on obtaining ducks? I live in Rapid City, SD.
Let me know if you need more information from me to help with painting a better picture of where by dog and I are at presently. Thanks in advance for your input and time.
In gratitude,
Jeff
- gundogguy
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Try these sites in your locale.
https://www.mynaga.org/find-game-birds/ ... ion=Search
I have had ducks but really dislike rearing them, absolute mess.
https://www.mynaga.org/find-game-birds/ ... ion=Search
I have had ducks but really dislike rearing them, absolute mess.
I'm 100% in favor of LGBT - Liberty, Guns, Bacon and Trump.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Personally ,I don't know what the 'duck search' terminology actually means or indeed regarding any rules regarding it with NAVDHA UT.
What I do know however is that you don't need ducks for any dog to retrieve one better than one who has not . You also don't need ducks to have any breed of dog to be steadier on them than any other dog who has had exposure to ducks.
The process in training would the same if it was a brick or a bumper or a bird .
How you 'transition' to the live flapping and noise experience of the living or shot thing is more important than having ducks at your 'beck and call' . (imo)
What I do know however is that you don't need ducks for any dog to retrieve one better than one who has not . You also don't need ducks to have any breed of dog to be steadier on them than any other dog who has had exposure to ducks.
The process in training would the same if it was a brick or a bumper or a bird .
How you 'transition' to the live flapping and noise experience of the living or shot thing is more important than having ducks at your 'beck and call' . (imo)
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
If you're talking about what I think you're talking about here's my advice. Set up a white five gallon bucket and put a chew toy ,bumper, duck or whatever. Tell your dog search, find, whatever command then let him find the object by the bucket. Do this and add distance over time. Then find a river or canal whatever and set up the bucket with the duck. Every search has to be a success. Make it easy for your dog. Eventually remove the bucket then have him search. Just make sure it's easy and a success every time and you'll be good to go. One more thing if you do it on a small pond and they figure out how to use the bank to move around, no good. That's why a canal creek or river is best.
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Robt., in (Anglicized) "duck search" terminology, what it is, is gamefinding on water. And to paraphrase our old S'African friend, it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog. A retrieve is secondary and not even required, it's more about perseverance and nose. And tractability and cooperation - meaning it's just as important to call your dog off a duck search after the allotted time (usually 10-15 minutes) as it is for the dog to continue searching for a live duck on the water until the judges call time. It's a totally artificial test, and in the scheme of waterfowling, rather inefficient, but great fun nonetheless for dog and handler. I would say to the OP to seek out NAVHDA members in SoDak who've succeeded in the duck search for training help, again with the mantra that it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog...
MG
MG
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
https://www.navhda.org/files/assets/testrule-2-2014.pdf
Above is a link to the test rules for the UT duck search evaluation criteria and test staging. The duck search is part of the water group starting on page 27.
BTW, gundogguy, thanks for the resource link. I
Crackerd, good suggestion on finding a local contact from NAVHDA.
Above is a link to the test rules for the UT duck search evaluation criteria and test staging. The duck search is part of the water group starting on page 27.
BTW, gundogguy, thanks for the resource link. I
Crackerd, good suggestion on finding a local contact from NAVHDA.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Thanks for the 'Intel' Michael.crackerd wrote:Robt., in (Anglicized) "duck search" terminology, what it is, is gamefinding on water. And to paraphrase our old S'African friend, it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog. A retrieve is secondary and not even required, it's more about perseverance and nose. And tractability and cooperation - meaning it's just as important to call your dog off a duck search after the allotted time (usually 10-15 minutes) as it is for the dog to continue searching for a live duck on the water until the judges call time. It's a totally artificial test, and in the scheme of waterfowling, rather inefficient, but great fun nonetheless for dog and handler. I would say to the OP to seek out NAVHDA members in SoDak who've succeeded in the duck search for training help, again with the mantra that it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog...
MG
You guys do some weird stuff
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Hey, don't blame us (or US) - comes from the Jerries and their testing system. Oh, and did we mention the duck that doesn't have to be retrieved is "shackled" so it cannae fly away? That right there would get you in the UK klink, thus never to be "adopted" for your HPR trials...though Our Bill has proposed a "'Nessie" search despite shackling being rather problematic. A shackled haggis, maybe...polmaise wrote:Thanks for the 'Intel' Michael.crackerd wrote:Robt., in (Anglicized) "duck search" terminology, what it is, is gamefinding on water. And to paraphrase our old S'African friend, it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog. A retrieve is secondary and not even required, it's more about perseverance and nose. And tractability and cooperation - meaning it's just as important to call your dog off a duck search after the allotted time (usually 10-15 minutes) as it is for the dog to continue searching for a live duck on the water until the judges call time. It's a totally artificial test, and in the scheme of waterfowling, rather inefficient, but great fun nonetheless for dog and handler. I would say to the OP to seek out NAVHDA members in SoDak who've succeeded in the duck search for training help, again with the mantra that it takes a lot of ducks to make a NAVHDA duck search dog...
MG
You guys do some weird stuff
MG
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I've done it and been successful but it's a lot to type.
Train without a gunshot to start the search, it will help you in the long run. In the event your dog returns with a duck in a short time, they may need to be resent without a shot to search more. Hence training without a shot. I had a very eager dog when I trained, so I was able to train and test with a half dozen ducks. If you don't just Willy nilly your training but have purpose behind it, you'll be successful. He had a strong drive for birds so that helped me.
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Train without a gunshot to start the search, it will help you in the long run. In the event your dog returns with a duck in a short time, they may need to be resent without a shot to search more. Hence training without a shot. I had a very eager dog when I trained, so I was able to train and test with a half dozen ducks. If you don't just Willy nilly your training but have purpose behind it, you'll be successful. He had a strong drive for birds so that helped me.
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Where was the water you used for your duck search "success?"Gooseman07 wrote:I've done it and been successful but it's a lot to type.
MG
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Delaware, tidal pond the first time. Western Michigan the second time
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Tidal pond sounds great, if there was enough vegetation to offer a good search opportunity - not familiar with anything fitting that description in Delaware. Did you test in both places and if so, why the long journey to Mich., when the best duck search water on the planet was next door in Jersey at Colliers Mills?
MG
MG
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Well, I tested in 2012 for the first time, obtained a UTI, went to the invitational in 2013 and failed, then found a new job in NW Ohio and Western Michigan was the closest open test in 2014. My plan was to go back to the invitational but kids cost a lot!crackerd wrote:Tidal pond sounds great, if there was enough vegetation to offer a good search opportunity - not familiar with anything fitting that description in Delaware. Did you test in both places and if so, why the long journey to Mich., when the best duck search water on the planet was next door in Jersey at Colliers Mills?
MG
The test water in DE was very good. It was covered in Lilly pads. It was also off a private property at a club members house.
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
In that case, I can probably spit into it from my own "pad." No access back then when I was running NAVHDA, thus the hike over to Jersey on a weekly basis.
Thanks for the explanation - hope you're still working versatiles in your new haunts, even though the only birds we've got for them to play with (and retrieve) are big 'uns black or white.
MG
Thanks for the explanation - hope you're still working versatiles in your new haunts, even though the only birds we've got for them to play with (and retrieve) are big 'uns black or white.
MG
- gundogguy
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Gooseman07 wrote:Delaware, tidal pond the first time. Western Michigan the second time
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Crackerd the West. Mich. test is held at this time about 8 miles north of me house. Ken Youngs, I know is in process off digging more Technical water at or near that site.
Hal
I'm 100% in favor of LGBT - Liberty, Guns, Bacon and Trump.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
gundogguy, funny thing is technical water most often makes lousy duck search water, because there's usually no cover so it becomes a sight rather than scent search - a duck chase, if you will. (That will compute when you realize that retriever trainers need to see their dogs every step of the way to a mark or even more so a blind retrieve in case the dogs need to be handled.) I've hosted a number of NAVHDA handlers at the technical water I use locally for retriever field trials - all their dogs got out of it was a good swim (and if I could still post from PhotoBucket you'd see why immediately) . However, it did prove conclusively to me that V***la (at least all of the several dozen I've encountered) do not like retrieving ducks in any way, shape or fashion...though the upside was they got even better swims by chasing the ducks around the technical water for a half-hour at a time...
MG
MG
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I don't know what duck search means ? I hunt English pointers broke for grouse/woodcock but also preserve hunt pheasant/chuckar, steady waterfowl hunt (ducks/geese) and use the same English pointers to find canines and bobcats that are trapped and are tangled on drags. Again, not sure if I can help but, Don't let the dog ever not find the bird during training, build their trust. If you send for a right retrieve make sure the dog finds it pretty quick, same goes for left retrieve make it fast, if you command back and the dog goes back make sure it finds it fast and never fails, you can always complicate the situation. Its all how you train. I road my dogs and send them on retrieves in ponds and creeks for bumpers, keeping them steady and using blank guns and hand signals, they transition great to frozen birds as pups and finally shot birds in the field. Its my main goal not to leave any birds in the fields, ducks in the marsh or cats in the ledges. Don't let a dog ever fail while training, sometimes certain situations are worth avoiding and some birds not worth pursuing...
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Bonasa you're right on. Real easy thing to train here.
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Jeff,
I hate to be this guy on here but use the search function, there is a great step by step process on this forum. The highlights of the process are using a bird boy to toss a live clip wing duck on the water and letting the dog chase it. Then in a series of progressions add more ducks and distance, and removing the visual of the bird boy. I would also add start with small swims at first then move to bigger water. As for keeping ducks alive I use a rabbit hutch that can hold 3 or 4 ducks, provide plenty of water and food from a local farm and ranch store. Good luck
I hate to be this guy on here but use the search function, there is a great step by step process on this forum. The highlights of the process are using a bird boy to toss a live clip wing duck on the water and letting the dog chase it. Then in a series of progressions add more ducks and distance, and removing the visual of the bird boy. I would also add start with small swims at first then move to bigger water. As for keeping ducks alive I use a rabbit hutch that can hold 3 or 4 ducks, provide plenty of water and food from a local farm and ranch store. Good luck
- gundogguy
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Very good MG Duck Chasing is much different from Duck Searching!crackerd wrote:gundogguy, funny thing is technical water most often makes lousy duck search water, because there's usually no cover so it becomes a sight rather than scent search - a duck chase, if you will. (That will compute when you realize that retriever trainers need to see their dogs every step of the way to a mark or even more so a blind retrieve in case the dogs need to be handled.) I've hosted a number of NAVHDA handlers at the technical water I use locally for retriever field trials - all their dogs got out of it was a good swim (and if I could still post from PhotoBucket you'd see why immediately) . However, it did prove conclusively to me that V***la (at least all of the several dozen I've encountered) do not like retrieving ducks in any way, shape or fashion...though the upside was they got even better swims by chasing the ducks around the technical water for a half-hour at a time...
MG
I'm 100% in favor of LGBT - Liberty, Guns, Bacon and Trump.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Then You add 'Tolling' . A whole new gamegundogguy wrote:Very good MG Duck Chasing is much different from Duck Searching!crackerd wrote:gundogguy, funny thing is technical water most often makes lousy duck search water, because there's usually no cover so it becomes a sight rather than scent search - a duck chase, if you will. (That will compute when you realize that retriever trainers need to see their dogs every step of the way to a mark or even more so a blind retrieve in case the dogs need to be handled.) I've hosted a number of NAVHDA handlers at the technical water I use locally for retriever field trials - all their dogs got out of it was a good swim (and if I could still post from PhotoBucket you'd see why immediately) . However, it did prove conclusively to me that V***la (at least all of the several dozen I've encountered) do not like retrieving ducks in any way, shape or fashion...though the upside was they got even better swims by chasing the ducks around the technical water for a half-hour at a time...
MG
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I'm still a bit confused about how this water search for a duck works. Is the dog supposed to find a duck hiding among reeds and retrieve it or does it just have to find the bird in the reeds, flush it out and then swim in pursuit after it before being recalled ? When the word "shackled" is used does this mean the ducks legs are tied to prevent it from diving and swimming ? Sorry , I just don't understand what the duck is capable of doing.
I've done quite a lot of duck searches here and lightly hit live ducks dive and swim off underwater when found by a dog....it takes a really good dog to collect those ducks ! Very often in Britain the duck searches are done at night after a flight pond shoot. The dog (or dogs) are just sent off into the darkness to search for dead or pricked ducks , handling is impossible .....unless the dog has been trained like a poachers lurcher to follow a beam from a hand held lamp towards a "target."
Shooting crippled ducks in the dark out on a pond used to worry the poo out of me. It was possible that an unseen dog was in pursuit of the duck and could be in the line of fire.
Bill T.
I've done quite a lot of duck searches here and lightly hit live ducks dive and swim off underwater when found by a dog....it takes a really good dog to collect those ducks ! Very often in Britain the duck searches are done at night after a flight pond shoot. The dog (or dogs) are just sent off into the darkness to search for dead or pricked ducks , handling is impossible .....unless the dog has been trained like a poachers lurcher to follow a beam from a hand held lamp towards a "target."
Shooting crippled ducks in the dark out on a pond used to worry the poo out of me. It was possible that an unseen dog was in pursuit of the duck and could be in the line of fire.
Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Ha! Is Tolling anything like searching for well water with a divining rod. :roll:polmaise wrote:Then You add 'Tolling' . A whole new gamegundogguy wrote:Very good MG Duck Chasing is much different from Duck Searching!crackerd wrote:gundogguy, funny thing is technical water most often makes lousy duck search water, because there's usually no cover so it becomes a sight rather than scent search - a duck chase, if you will. (That will compute when you realize that retriever trainers need to see their dogs every step of the way to a mark or even more so a blind retrieve in case the dogs need to be handled.) I've hosted a number of NAVHDA handlers at the technical water I use locally for retriever field trials - all their dogs got out of it was a good swim (and if I could still post from PhotoBucket you'd see why immediately) . However, it did prove conclusively to me that V***la (at least all of the several dozen I've encountered) do not like retrieving ducks in any way, shape or fashion...though the upside was they got even better swims by chasing the ducks around the technical water for a half-hour at a time...
MG
I'm 100% in favor of LGBT - Liberty, Guns, Bacon and Trump.
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Bill,Trekmoor wrote:I'm still a bit confused about how this water search for a duck works. Is the dog supposed to find a duck hiding among reeds and retrieve it or does it just have to find the bird in the reeds, flush it out and then swim in pursuit after it before being recalled ? When the word "shackled" is used does this mean the ducks legs are tied to prevent it from diving and swimming ? Sorry , I just don't understand what the duck is capable of doing.
I've done quite a lot of duck searches here and lightly hit live ducks dive and swim off underwater when found by a dog....it takes a really good dog to collect those ducks ! Very often in Britain the duck searches are done at night after a flight pond shoot. The dog (or dogs) are just sent off into the darkness to search for dead or pricked ducks , handling is impossible .....unless the dog has been trained like a poachers lurcher to follow a beam from a hand held lamp towards a "target."
Shooting crippled ducks in the dark out on a pond used to worry the poo out of me. It was possible that an unseen dog was in pursuit of the duck and could be in the line of fire.
Bill T.
For the NAVHDA test, it's a search for a duck in some sort of cover. The pond has to have cover to be a "duck search" pond, whether it be lillies, algae, other aquatic weeds. Basically, for the test, the flight feathers get pulled and the bird dropped in the cover. It can free swim wherever it wants to. The dog is brought to the line at the edge of the pond, a shot is fired and the dog sent. If the dog finds the duck, it is to pursue it to attempt to catch for about 10 min. If the duck dives and disappears, the dog is to return to the search. If the dog retrieves the bird, it is to return to handler and potentially resent without a shot to continue searching for more ducks.
My first test, my dog searched, found the bird, lost the bird, continued searching, found the bird again and chased in about 8 minutes. The judge had seen enough and told me to call my dog. He had passed with a max score for that portion.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Thanks Gooseman. It does sound like a pretty stiff test, many dogs won't search in water for up to 10 minutes without quite a lot of encouragement.
How much difference do you find between the various dog breeds during this test ? My worst water dogs were the brittanies I've had, they would swim and they would search and retrieve but after a few minutes they always needed encouragement if I wanted the search to continue. My best dogs at the job were a couple of labs and one crazy GSP who never seemed to feel the cold or to get bored with searching.
In his case his enthusiasm for water and duck searches started when he was about 8 months old. I took him picking-up to a shoot on an estate where the total bag for the day was usually about 400 birds and nearly half of those birds were mallard ducks that often fell into ponds and a small loch .
Finding and retrieving about 20 ducks every Saturday made him into a duck finding and catching machine !
Bill T.
How much difference do you find between the various dog breeds during this test ? My worst water dogs were the brittanies I've had, they would swim and they would search and retrieve but after a few minutes they always needed encouragement if I wanted the search to continue. My best dogs at the job were a couple of labs and one crazy GSP who never seemed to feel the cold or to get bored with searching.
In his case his enthusiasm for water and duck searches started when he was about 8 months old. I took him picking-up to a shoot on an estate where the total bag for the day was usually about 400 birds and nearly half of those birds were mallard ducks that often fell into ponds and a small loch .
Finding and retrieving about 20 ducks every Saturday made him into a duck finding and catching machine !
Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I haven't seen a ton of different breeds but it also depends on the temperament. If a dog isn't interested or too much pressure was put on them, they'll quit. When I was training, I'd make sure there was a handful of birds and allow my dog to search for 30 minutes. He wouldn't quit! When I can find mallards again, I want to train my younger dog for it. Bird flu had them locked up last year.
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Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Yes, sorta..., the toller's tail acts as the divining rod - it's called "sparking." Not to be confused with the kind of sparking my great aunt, who was a water witch or dowser, once did on the road to getting hitched.gundogguy wrote:Ha! Is Tolling anything like searching for well water with a divining rod. :roll:polmaise wrote:Then You add 'Tolling' . A whole new gamegundogguy wrote: Very good MG Duck Chasing is much different from Duck Searching!
Gooseman, is your location still the same as it appears on your posts? If so, have you contacted any FFA or 4-H kids about raising some ducks for you? Or...you could offer to work at (or run) some of the nearby (AKC) retriever hunt tests and work that angle for taking home a few ducks with you.Goosman07 wrote:When I can find mallards again, I want to train my younger dog for it. Bird flu had them locked up last year.
MG
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Never ever , known this to happen .! In Forty years of wild fowling.Trekmoor wrote:
Shooting crippled ducks in the dark out on a pond used to worry the poo out of me. It was possible that an unseen dog was in pursuit of the duck and could be in the line of fire.
Bill T.
I must have been lucky ,or in the right circles.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I've seen it and done it. Doing that was better than leaving a wounded duck behind. Even good dogs can't always catch lightly pricked ducks on ponds especially in the dark.
You must have moved in different circles !
Bill T.
You must have moved in different circles !
Bill T.
The older I get, the better I was !
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Perhaps! .
Safety was always on , The dog either got it or the duck lived or died.
Shooting in the dark is in the air',not what you should have killed.
We have Gun Dogs to retrieve them ,or not.
Safety was always on , The dog either got it or the duck lived or died.
Shooting in the dark is in the air',not what you should have killed.
We have Gun Dogs to retrieve them ,or not.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I'm also in the beginning stages of teaching UT duck search, but behind the curve compared to you.
We started (with a NAVHDA Judge and a professional trainer donating his time) throwing dead frozen ducks out there into the reeds as far as we could.
For a dog that was more "intermediate" than mine, he went out in a canoe to get them further out, and released a mallard with a plucked wing.
While its great to have live mallards whenever you can, you can use frozen ones for training just as well. You just want to progressively set them further out.
The whole point is for the dog to search independently and expand the search til he finds the duck. In some respects, you want the dog to search out of sight from the judges, and not find the duck, since finding the duck and botching the retrieve can cost you points (compared to a dog that searched diligently the whole 10 minutes or so and didn't find one.) If the dog finds the duck in 90 seconds, he will be sent back to continue searching.
We started (with a NAVHDA Judge and a professional trainer donating his time) throwing dead frozen ducks out there into the reeds as far as we could.
For a dog that was more "intermediate" than mine, he went out in a canoe to get them further out, and released a mallard with a plucked wing.
While its great to have live mallards whenever you can, you can use frozen ones for training just as well. You just want to progressively set them further out.
The whole point is for the dog to search independently and expand the search til he finds the duck. In some respects, you want the dog to search out of sight from the judges, and not find the duck, since finding the duck and botching the retrieve can cost you points (compared to a dog that searched diligently the whole 10 minutes or so and didn't find one.) If the dog finds the duck in 90 seconds, he will be sent back to continue searching.
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- Rank: Master Hunter
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
I honestly don't know what my location is listed at. I live in NW Ohio. I actually ran a retriever test with my GSP last weekend but had to leave before they got rid of any ducks. Maybe next time. I am also hoping to get to the local bird supplier maybe this weekend so I can get some birds and keep them at my new house. My wife doesn't know it yet but I'm bringing something home!!crackerd wrote:Yes, sorta..., the toller's tail acts as the divining rod - it's called "sparking." Not to be confused with the kind of sparking my great aunt, who was a water witch or dowser, once did on the road to getting hitched.gundogguy wrote:Ha! Is Tolling anything like searching for well water with a divining rod. :roll:polmaise wrote: Then You add 'Tolling' . A whole new game
Gooseman, is your location still the same as it appears on your posts? If so, have you contacted any FFA or 4-H kids about raising some ducks for you? Or...you could offer to work at (or run) some of the nearby (AKC) retriever hunt tests and work that angle for taking home a few ducks with you.Goosman07 wrote:When I can find mallards again, I want to train my younger dog for it. Bird flu had them locked up last year.
MG
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- Rank: Master Hunter
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Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
The dog doesn't HAVE to retrieve in this portion of the test. He has to make an attempt but if he doesn't, he won't lose points. My first dog found the duck, chased it, lost the duck and went back to searching. He received a 4 which is max score for this portion.JONOV wrote:I'm also in the beginning stages of teaching UT duck search, but behind the curve compared to you.
We started (with a NAVHDA Judge and a professional trainer donating his time) throwing dead frozen ducks out there into the reeds as far as we could.
For a dog that was more "intermediate" than mine, he went out in a canoe to get them further out, and released a mallard with a plucked wing.
While its great to have live mallards whenever you can, you can use frozen ones for training just as well. You just want to progressively set them further out.
The whole point is for the dog to search independently and expand the search til he finds the duck. In some respects, you want the dog to search out of sight from the judges, and not find the duck, since finding the duck and botching the retrieve can cost you points (compared to a dog that searched diligently the whole 10 minutes or so and didn't find one.) If the dog finds the duck in 90 seconds, he will be sent back to continue searching.
Re: Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Gooseman, this is how it reads next to your posts:
MG
Were this still the case, you'd be in "tall cotton" at getting yourself ducks aplenty for training.Gooseman07
Rank: Master Hunter
Posts: 201
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:38 pm
Location: Middletown, DE
MG
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- Rank: Master Hunter
- Posts: 200
- Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:38 pm
- Location: Middletown, DE
Training Progression NAVDHA UT Duck Search
Yeah, I don't live there any more. Guess I need to fix that. I didn't have issues getting ducks when I lived there!crackerd wrote:Gooseman, this is how it reads next to your posts:Were this still the case, you'd be in "tall cotton" at getting yourself ducks aplenty for training.Gooseman07
Rank: Master Hunter
Posts: 201
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:38 pm
Location: Middletown, DE
MG