HUNTING
Every spring and summer, author Scott Haugen hunts California ground squirrels with his dogs, which create numerous training situations. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
SPRING TRAINING SHOULD INCLUDE HUNTING TOO By Scott Haugen
I
break down my spring dog training sessions into four categories: fixing what needs fixing; staying in shape; having fun; and hunting. Yes, hunting. First and foremost comes fixing what flaws I saw last hunting season. For me, it was cutting down on the aggressiveness of Echo, my female dog, when hunting with other dogs. To do this, I’m training with bird skins
and wings, disciplining her to focus on pleasing me and not getting too wrapped up in the bird. Next, I’m training her alongside my male dog, Kona, that she was most competitive with on retrieves last season, even to the point of taking birds out of Kona’s mouth as he brought them in. It’s taking time and discipline, but it’s working and we’ll be ready for next season.
MY SECOND SPRING TRAINING goal is to keep my dogs in shape. One of the
biggest mistakes hunters make in the off-season is letting their dogs get lazy and out of shape. Nothing cuts a dog’s life shorter than being overweight. My vet once told me that by taking off Echo’s extra 1 1/2 pounds one summer, I added a year to her life; that’s how critical a good diet and exercise are to a dog. To keep my dogs in shape, I run them twice a day, going on hikes at least three times a week. My dogs are pudelpointers and have slender
calsportsmanmag.com | MAY 2022 California Sportsman
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