Originally Posted by
Palmetto Bug
This is my favorite book:
http://navhdastore.org/thetrainingan...untingdog.aspx
There a are a lot of supposed do's/don't's that are merely suggestions and not hard fast rules. I have always taught my dogs to sit. I've never had it conflict with pointing. However, I had to teach one dog a "stand" command to correct his propensity to drop or set on point when over-pressured. The "whoa" command is not only "stop where you are" but a specific posture. I use "sit" or "lay down" and "stay" on a dove field. Whoa is useful in a dove field when you want your dog to freeze and not flair incoming birds while out on a retrieve.
I've heard that you should never play tug-o-war with a retrieving dog and it makes good sense but I've never had much issue with a dog refusing to give up retrieved game. In fact, it's often harder to get them to hold game until you take it instead of dropping it at your feet. In AKC Hunt Tests, a dog must "retrieve to hand" and they are quite strict about not letting them drop a bird at your feet in Master Hunter. Outside of Hunt Tests, it is still a good thing to train so a dog doesn't drop a stunned or slightly wounded bird that might getaway. It also helps to keep them from getting sloppier and sloppier about how close they get before they drop a bird.
This. I used the navhda book, also join the local chapter of navhda, I believe there are 2 in South Carolina. I taught my wirehair sit and he has never had a problem. He would occasionally sit on woah but 10 minutes of training fixed that. He waterfowl, Upland, and tracks wounded game
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“… duckhunting stands alone as an outdoor discipline. It has a tang and spirit shared by no other sport—a philosophy compounded of sleet, the winnow of unseen wings, and the reeks of marsh mud and wet wool. No other sport has so many theories, legends, casehardened disciples and treasured memories.”
--John Madson, The Mallard, 1960
"Never trust a duck hunter who cares more about his success than his dog's."
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