doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Dog Behavior

Agree with JNW that preserve birds are a good substitute when, for whatever reason, you're unable to shoot many wild birds over a dog. That may help with retrieving issues.

With dogs that don't want to drop a bird, it sometimes works to lift them up off the ground by their hindquarters. Will often cause them to drop.

My oldest shorthair (now 13, hunting career ending this season) has had hundreds of wild birds shot over her. Good retriever, does not have a hard mouth, but sometimes doesn't want to drop the bird. I'll use a low level electronic reminder with her, to reinforce the drop command. Works with her, but you have to know your dog's personality. Excessive pressure can result in a dog that will no longer retrieve. At which point about your only option is force breaking, preferably done by a good pro trainer.

Larry; I can see where electricity might work on an old dog that knows it is supposed to 'give' and won't do it. But shocking a young dog that won't give up a bird and doesn't know the command 'give' might be one of the worst things the handler can do. It might lead to all sorts of problems making the dog afraid of birds just to mention one thing. It could even lead to 'blinking' birds which next to gun shyness is about the worst fault a bird dog can have. Handlers must respect electricity. It can be a great tool when used correctly but in the hands of someone who doesn't know what they are doing, or in the hands of the short-tempered, impatient handler, a young dog can be ruined in an instant.

Buzz, the dog in question--although not as experienced as his age would indicate--is 8. If you know the stimulation level to which your dog responds, I don't think there's much danger. You certainly don't want to fry a dog that refuses to drop. However, trainers regularly use an ecollar "nick" to remind a dog that locks up and then starts to creep in on the bird, and they wouldn't do that if they thought it likely it would cause the dog to blink birds or anything of that nature. But you do need to know when to apply juice, and at what level. A dog's owner should know that if he's trained and hunted with an ecollar.

It might also be possible that a little tug of war took place. I like to hold low hand and take a step back if the dog seems a little excited and maybe a bit misbehaving. They'll usually lower their guard some and take a soft step towards you.

An electric collar is used for correction. Correction can only occur if the dog first understands the command and second knows how to turn off pressure i.e. a nick. Buzz and L. Brown are very correct in what they say.