ROADHUNTER: SUMMER GUN DOG TRAINING TIPS

ROAD HUNTER

Hunting dogs need continual mental and physical stimulation, and changing workout locations, as well as training dummies, is a good place to start. Here, author Scott Haugen took one of his pudelpointers to the beach for a saltwater workout with a goose dummy.

SUMMER GUN DOG TRAINING TIPS

With fall coming up fast, here’s how to get your four-legged hunting partner in shape for bird seasons.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT HAUGEN

As we continue pushing through a global pandemic, many of us have discovered that not all things stemming from this disaster have been bad. For instance, last year marked a national high in gun dog sales. That means more people across the country are looking to hunt for their food, and they’ve invested in a canine companion to help.

But just because you bought a dog doesn’t mean hunting success will be automatic. The fact that you have invested in a hunting dog shows you’ve made the commitment to change the next 12 or so years of your life. It means you’re devoted to year-round training and changing your lifestyle.

Whether you’re a new gun dog owner or a veteran, you have two months to get that dog in shape, as hunting season is fast approaching. Summer conditioning and reinforcement training are key to building a productive and healthy hunting dog and you want to take advantage of every moment.

During the summer months I work my pudelpointers, Echo and Kona, in a range of habitats, at least twice a day. My objective is to condition and train them in a variety of landscapes so they’re dialed in come hunting season. I work hard to keep them in top physical condition, and the change of habitat and ever-increasing demands I place on them keeps both dogs mentally sharp, too.

HIT THE ROAD Jess Spradley, owner of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs (cabincreekgundogs.com)

Noted gun dog trainer Jess Spradley of Cabin Creek Gun Dogs trains and tests dogs throughout the West, and for him, there is no offseason. There shouldn’t be for hunters and their dogs, either.

in Lakeview, Oregon, is one of the country’s most noted and respected gun dog trainers, as well as a dedicated upland bird hunter. He trains dogs for hunters throughout the West, his area of expertise.

“This is the time of year I start roading my dogs,” shares Spradley. “There are a couple ways to road dogs, and for hunters the most efficient is getting on a secluded logging road or remote country road with no traffic and drive an ATV or ride a mountain bike, and let your dogs range in front of you. If you have fast dogs, you can even drive your truck while they run, just be careful not to get too close.” More hunters are using electric bikes for this type of training, largely because they’re quiet and it makes it easy to communicate with a dog.

Spradley emphasizes the goal of road running is to let your dogs run loose, at their own pace.

“To be beneficial for your dogs, you want to reach 6 to 10 mph; if they want to go faster, that’s great. I like running them up a gentle incline, too, as that builds great strength in their back ends,” he says.

Another way to condition your dog when running roads is to tether it to a quad or bike on a long lead, and let it pull you. Here, you control the amount of resistance.

Spradley even roads dogs in front of his horse, which not only gets the horse in shape, but also gets the dogs used to being around it, as he does a lot of chukar hunting from horseback.

“With a 20-foot rope, I let the dog run in front, and control both it and the speed of the horse together. It’s a great workout and both animals love it,” he says.

Be sure to give your dog water during these roading sessions, but not too much.

“I give them water every 15 minutes,” shares Spradley. “A goal of this training is to condition them to perform without constantly needing water, so if they ask for it every few minutes, keep working them and make them wait; this will pay off come hunting season.”

LET ’EM RUN! I love running my dogs in hills, mountains and expansive fields because it gets them in shape, toughens their feet and engages their minds. Hardwoods, creek bottoms, big timber, steep hills, sagebrush flats and even snow at high elevations this time of year are all good workout settings.

“If I’m on an old logging road I’ll often let my dogs run in the woods or sagebrush,” points out Spradley. “Here, they go at their own speed, running, jumping and exploring. Let ’em go as fast as they want, and if you have two dogs that’s even better, as they push one another and feed off each other’s energy. This is great for endurance training and all the sights, smells and sounds they come across really stimulates the mind. The more settings you can do this in, the better.”

Through time, I’ve learned to let my dogs be the judge of their speed and duration when free-running.

“I want to build up to an hour of free-running by hunting season, but if you hit that 30- to 45-minute mark, that’s still a great way to maintain cardio and muscle-building work for your dog,” Spradley points out. “Do that every day and your dog will be in excellent hunting shape.”

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In the spring I shed hunt with my pudelpointers and during these freeruns I’ll often take deer and elk antlers for them to pack around. Carrying a shed antler gets them used to navigating brushy terrain, and a heavy elk shed will build neck, jaw and body strength. Oftentimes they’ll even find sheds on their own, from both this year and prior years, while on free-runs.

“Remember, hunting dogs are very smart, and they get bored doing the same thing in the same places each and every day,” confirms Spradley. “They’re like a teenager and their mind and body needs stimulation and continual change in order to optimize their happiness and performance levels, so free-run in as many different places as you can.”

HEAD FOR THE WATER If I had one setting in which to condition my dogs during these summer months, it would be water. Nothing gets a dog in better shape than swimming, and Spradley agrees.

“Long swims work every muscle in a dog, even its toes and tail, and the more water situations you can get them in, the better. Lots of folks swim their dogs 30 to 40 minutes (when the water is warm) while they paddle alongside in a canoe or kayak, even a paddle board. It’s one of the best, low-impact workouts a dog can have. If you can’t swim them, get them to do long-distance water retrieves, up to 100 yards or more,” Spradley says.

I spend a lot of time swimming my dogs in deep lakes, open ponds, small ponds with edges laden with reeds, grass, rushes, downed trees and thick weeds, as well as in creeks. I also get them in the open ocean, bays and estuaries. I’ll mix up the bumpers and training dummies I offer in all of these habitats in order to motivate the dogs and keep going. The greater variety of water and physical barriers they encounter when training, the better prepared they’ll be to meet challenges that arise when retrieving birds come hunting season.

I often split my daily workout sessions into two 45-minute blocks; one in the morning and one in the evening, seven days a week. On hot days I’ll run them hard for 30 minutes early in the morning, before breakfast, then let them rest two hours after eating, followed by another 30-minute workout in water.

“If you can devote 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, that’s better than nothing this time of year,” Spradley says. “But I’d rather go twice a day for 30 to 45 minutes, and work them hard.”

In every scenario I’m also training my dogs to obey verbal commands and hand signals. The teaching aspect of dog training never stops, even when conditioning, and instilling basic commands is important for effective learning to be accomplished.

“My commands never vary,” concludes Spradley. “No matter where I am, I’m teaching my dogs the same commands under all conditions. No matter what distractions there are, you want your dog to obey your commands

Swimming is one of the best things you can do to keep your dog in shape, and now is the time to develop a regular routine

Some dogs are great at finding and retrieving elk sheds, but it might take some training to get them used to carrying the heavy, cumbersome package at ground level through the woods.

Spradley works with one of his pudelpointers on water entry. Working in shallow water is a good place to start a dog that’s young or reluctant to enter the water. at all times, and this is developed through consistent communication during conditioning training, even family walks in the evenings. If they do one thing wrong, it needs to be corrected immediately. Conditioning sessions are the time to train your dog and get them to do what you want.”

With summer upon us, now is the time to get your dog in hunting shape. Be sure to feed your dog a healthy diet and maintain its overall health. Routinely check its teeth and gums, toenails and pads, and when training in fields, cover every inch of its body, including the ears and eyes, looking for grass seeds. You’ve already made the commitment of investing in a dog, now it’s up to you to make it the best hunting partner possible.  Editor’s note: Check out Scott Haugen’s series of short puppy training videos at scotthaugen.com. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook.