Conserve game – hunt with a trained dog. It’s a bumper sticker for good reason. A crackerjack retriever ensures everything you shoot goes into the fridge.
And if you ask most dog trainers, you get there by force-breaking your dog. It even sounds scary, and for many dogs and humans, it is. Some dogs need it, some don’t, and most young dogs can get pretty far along that path without any force, so let’s start with that. Yep, flip your thinking. We’re going bass-ackwards on this skill.
Any bird dog worth his kibble will chase down prey and pick it up. Watch most puppies. Sticks, balls, and littermates all end up in their mouth. And without any encouragement, they tote ‘em around, prancing like a Kentucky Derby winner. So, let’s agree that part of the equation is pretty well set, at least for a while.
Early on, the gist of the matter is the bringing it back part. It’ll be harder with a fresh live or dead bird, but we’re not gonna go there for a while. First, let’s lob stuff that is, um, less tasty. Paint rollers, bumpers, and almost anything else will work. And at this stage, you’ll want to keep those things soft until he’s got his adult teeth (at least five months of age). Once he sees it, especially if you threw it, he’ll go out and probably pick it up. So the trick is getting him back to you.
If he’s already trained to recall, great. It’s just one more distraction as you “proof” him. If not, but you have a strong bond, he’ll likely want to share that trophy… eventually. And that’s my best piece of advice. Think about it: he’s called a “bird dog.” Yet the first thing we do when he brings us one is take it away. Some reward, huh?
Ball, bumper, bird wing… let him hold it for a while. Savor it. Take a victory lap. What’s the harm?
Do the drills along a fence line or in a hallway, and his escape routes are limited. Add a check cord for escape artists and reel him in if needed. Bend over, sit down, trot away, and he’ll likely come over. And once he’s in front of you, put your hands in your pockets and let him enjoy his trophy. Step on his check cord, and he can’t go away.
Eventually, he’ll probably offer it to you or put it down, if only so you’ll throw it again. And that’s the start of a lifelong career of bringing back all the birds you shoot… unless you shoot like me.
--Scott Linden