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Teaching a young dog like this Labrador how to do a long retrieve is a long process. Here
is how top gundog trainer Howard Kirby does it.
Ok so when we did the long retrieve we walked the dog out, we set the bird down, we let
him mark it and then we walked him back on exactly the line I wanted him to take, even
the position I wanted him to jump over the fence. That helps to ensure in future he takes
a straight line. It is very important that when you fire your dog out he goes out like
an arrow, dead straight nice and true. It makes him much easier for you to handle because
you know where you are trying to get him. If you can send him on a straight line, point
and shoot him you get the dog into an area really quick it helps you to pick up injured
game much quicker.
So if you were to go out put the game down, go back, go to the car, get a mars bar.
It is quite likely that he would go back via the car and then out. That is a silly exaggeration,
but if you took a bend as you went quite often over cover he will take that same bend he
will follow the track back exactly as you went.
Now in a real game retrieving situation of course you are not going to walk up to the
game with him.
Quite right.
So why are you teaching him to do this ...
Because this is early stage training. Obviously you are going to drop that. You would get
people to stand at the other end and shoot game for you or throw dummies for you. That
is why it is great to have a training partner with you to throw dummies for you so your
dog is taking a straight line there and back. This is all part of the training we do. It
is called a memory retrieve really.
Just tell me about this particular Labrador.
This fox lead Labrador here is called Brook. He is well bred. He is still young. He is
a young two year old. He has got a lot to learn yet. He is big, he is powerful. He is
still goofy. He is big, tall and goofy. It happens to some people and he is like that.
He is going to be very nice when he is older. He will be very smart. But we are not rushing
him, we are giving him plenty of time. By age he could have been out shooting this season.
We have held him back deliberately, one because we haven't had all the time to train him as
we wanted but two because he has still got a lot to learn. I don't want him out in the
shooting field too early.
Howard runs Mullenscote Gundogs from Lains Shooting School near Andover in Hampshire.
Visit Mullenscote.co.uk. This series on gundog training tips is brought to you by Skinners
Petfoods, maker of the Field & Trial range of gundog feeds. Visit SkinnersPetfoods.co.uk