Having a hunting dog with you during your hunting trips can be very helpful. In fact, it even makes the hunting experience more fun.

Before you decide to have a hunting dog, you should know that hunting dog training will take time. It’s always best to start training a hunting dog as a puppy. The only problem is that it would be hard if you would want the puppy to be a family pet and at the same time, a hunting dog.

At first, the basic commands of sit, stay, come, and down should be taught. Make sure that the dog learns to respect the owner at a young age. To do this, you should be kind and gentle in treating the dog.

You also have to be prepared for longer distances command. When hunting, there are times when the hunting dog is quite far from the owner. That’s why you shouldn’t purely rely on verbal commands. You can make use of other cues such as a whistle or specific hand signals.

The command to retrieve something is also important in hunting dog training. This should be done as early as you can. Start teaching retrieve as a puppy. To attract him to do the command, you should make him retrieve something that he likes, let’s say a ball.

Let’s admit that it’s really hard sometimes to train a hunting dog to listen to commands. Electric collars are designed to help you in that process. It’s a collar that you let your dog wear. Every time that the dog is not following your commands, you can press the remote of the collar to give the dog a little shock. You might think that this is a cruel approach but don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. There’s no actual harm being done to the dog. Besides, an electric collar would also be useful when you’re out hunting and your dog suddenly chases something you that don’t want him to chase.

A sign of a well trained hunting dog should be always aware of the whereabouts of his owner. Also, a good hunting dog hunts through scent and not by sight.

When the hunting season is over, you should make sure that your hunting dog will still get regular exercise. This is important if you want him to stay fit and able to hunt. Control his meals as well. If you feed him too much, he might get obese. This will make him slow.

These are just some things to consider when you decide to have a hunting dog. Training won’t be easy, but if you really give it your best shot, you’ll have a great partner in your hunting trips.

Related posts:

1. Dont Forget The Basics Of Hunting Dog Training
2. Why Won’t My Hunting Dog Listen To Me?
3. Training Your Hunting Dog To Avoid Snakes