Training A Successful Hunting Retriever

Fast Pup Dog Training client, Dennis White and his dog Colby went hunting at their property near Ocean Shores, WA yesterday.  Dennis writes:

Colby and I went to Ocosta yesterday hunting and it turned into a good day. If it were not for all the retriever training it would not have been so good.

I shot 1 duck which flew a long way before dropping across the water and into some thick cover. Colby was out of sight of the fall and I only had a idea were it was so I lined him up and sent him for the blind retrieve. Within a few casts he was in the heavy cover about 90 yards out and found the duck.

The second blind retrieve was when 2 geese came in and 1 dropped them right in front of us, but was still alive and swimming, the other 50 yards across the water and behind some reeds. I first sent him to the live bird as not to loose it and them to the one behind the reeds. I could not go in a straight line because of the reeds so I sent him to the left ant then a right cast were he retrieved the goose from the bank.

I am very happy to have a trained dog and it sure makes hunting a pleasure. Thanks for all your help getting us to this point.

Dennis & Colby

Lower Columbia Hunting Retriever Club Fall Festival

Greetings friends of the Lower Columbia Hunting Retriever Club

Join us on Sunday, September 26th, for the 2nd annual LCHRC Fall
Festival. This fun filled day is a mix of testing, training, social
activities, great food, and giving dogs of all ages and breeds an
opportunity for having success in the field.

Location: Parkdale Kennels, Rainier, Oregon

Time: Registration begins at 8:00 am inside the kennel office.
Complementary coffee, fruit, and pasties will be available in the
registration area. Activities begin at 9:00 am.

Activities: A hunt test scenario for dogs of all skill and training
levels will be set up for you to run your dog. If you are new to HRC
hunt tests, this will be an opportunity to handle a shotgun and
poppers along with your dog. Experts will be there to help and assist
in introducing gun safety and handling during a hunt test. And of
course, you are more than welcome to skip this all together or just
ask for a designated shooter.

For handlers age 16 and under, you can enter for free. And if you
don't have a dog, we can supply a trained dog to assist you in
experiencing the delight of working with a trained hunting dog. We can
match up dogs of all temperaments and sizes to work with young handlers.

And for young dogs, there will be a chance to introduce them to birds
in a casual, low stress environment.

There will be a demonstration of an HRC Upland test as well. Watch a
dog/handler team work their way through the field looking for and
flushing live birds. Afterwards, our expert trainers will answer
questions and demonstate a few methods in upland-training for this
specific type of hunt test. (and great for your dog that hunts
pheasants and chukars as well)

Food: A lunch time burger bar will be set up with all the fixin's.
Home made potato and pasta salad and multiple deserts will abound. The
LCHRC is known for its food, and we don't intend to disappoint. There
will complementary drinks available throughout the day.

Cost: $30 per dog and $10 for lunch. $5 for the puppies and
introduction to birds. Young handlers 16 and under - FREE.

If you are interested in joining us for a day of dogs, fun, and food,
just reply to this email so we can plan to have enough food and birds
for you and your dogs.

We will have some tents to provide some moderate protection from the
weather, but this is the end of September so we can have a mix of
sunny days and driving rain. Dress accordingly and bring rain gear and
boots as needed. In the world of retriever training and hunting, there
is no bad weather, just bad clothing choices.

Feel free to forward this email on to anybody that may be interested
or send them the link below to the webpage that shares the same
content of this email.

http://www.lowercolumbiahrc.org/page3/page3.html

Russ Dodd
Lower Columbia HRC

Get your gun dog ready for 2010 hunting season

Photo by Mary Burlingame

Summer is here and before we know it we will be looking at opening day for both upland and waterfowl hunting here in Washington State. Your dog can't wait!

Whether you have a new pup or a seasoned hunter, be sure you have your dog (and yourself) in shape for the coming season. Make sure that your dog gets plenty of regular exercise by taking your hunting partner on long walks where he can practice quartering. Keep your dog safe by watching that he or she does not get overheated. Try to exercise your dog near access to water and be sure to keep water with you when training.

If you have never hunted your dog, but would like to try it, now is the time to get your dog into training. There is still time to introduce your dog to birds and retrieving. There is still time to have your dog trained to deliver a bird to hand, sit to a whistle and take casts. There is great satisfaction in having a well trained dog.

Fast Pup Retriever Training of Tacoma can help you get your dog ready for the upcoming season.