Train Your Dog to Hunt

Before you purchase a hunting dog, do your homework! Hunting dogs are found in the American Kennel Club's Sporting Group. They include Spaniels, Pointers, Terriers and Hounds. First, consider what you'd like to hunt. For flushing fowl out of long grass, you'll need a Pointer or Spaniel. For retrieving downed duck or geese in a pond, you need a "water dog" like the Labrador Retriever or Irish Water Spaniel. For hunting small animals like rabbits, try a Terrier like the Cairn Terrier. For hunting badgers and foxes in their underground dens, your best bet is the fearless Dachshund. For deer, elk, boar or bear hunting, you'll need a large, powerful hunter like Irish Wolfhound or the Norwegian Elkhound. In the South, raccoon hunting is more of a religion than a sport! Try the Black and Tan Coonhound. Buy a puppy that suits your hunting needs, and begin training at about three or four months of age. When you puppy correctly follows your command to "Go get it" or "Come back," click and offer a treat. The puppy will learn that the sound of the clicker means he performed well and will be rewarded.

Begin training by putting your puppy into a comfortable collar and long leash that you can shorten or lengthen as needed. At least 3 times a week, take your pup out into the open field and let him get using to being leashed; many hunting dogs are kept on a long leash when trailing game or flushing fowl. Failure to follow this step and allowing some hunting dogs to run free may result in never seeing the dog again! Once on the scent, hounds are difficult to call off.

For your duck or goose hunting dog who has reached six months of age, begin training him with a duck/goose-calling lure. Blow it loudly to introduce the dog to the sound of waterfowl and practice this step often. With your pointer or springer, let him practice running through tall brush and grass to track his prey. With a large game hunting dog, take him frequently into the woods to familiarize him with the smell and tracks of large prey. Keep your large dog and your coon hunter on a long leash until you're sure they're well-trained; an unleashed "beginner" can get into all sorts of trouble in the field!

The last step in training your dog to hunt is to get out there and do it. Start small, and work your way up to expert-level. Work your hunting dog once or twice a week when the game you seek is in hunting season, gradually increasing hunting days. Some breeds, like Beagles, Harriers and Foxhounds, work best in packs; let them not only follow the scent or sight trail, but follow each other as well. If your dog suffers scratches or cuts from brambles or thorns, use your first aid kit to clean and bandage the wound. Don't continue hunting--take your dog home and call it a day.