Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs preparing your gun dog for large birds

While playing fetch with my Airedale today, and with ducks opening on Monday here, a topic crossed my mind.

How do you prepare your dogs for larger birds? Mallards and honkers are significantly larger than doves and teal. Do you have some form of "weightlifting" regimen to strengthen their necks and mouth? I have a mallard in the freezer that I saved specifically for training, but have yet to pull it out. (A failure on my end.

The only experience I have is with my female Golden. She experienced only ducks and grouse for years, and then got a chance for Canadas. Handled them no problem whatsoever.

They amazingly adapt if they have the drive to retrieve. Back in the fall of 1993 I had bought a started 5 month old tri colored Llewellyn strain English setter female pup. She was hell on wheels grouse , roosters , ducks you name it . In late November when she was 7 months old I hit a 7-8# honker that took 200+ yards to finally drop out of the sky, it hit dead and she had marked it so I sent her. She ran right to it mouthed it a couple of times finally settling on base of the neck and brought it back. Dragging on both ends. Sights like that make you a dog man forever..mb

I had a similar event with my pup and her first exposure to live birds. We had been using a pigeon on a teather and she was doing amazing. I though the bird didn't have much life left so un-tethered it. It caught a gust of wind and sailed no less than 100 yards in a mesquite and brush flat.... she retrieved it to hand at a sprint.

Drive overcomes any size difference. Doves to greater Canada geese.

Shes an Airedale, no lack of drive so I am not worried. I've never killed a goose, but my buddy and I are making a trip here in a couple of weeks with the specific goal of bagging some geese. I am sure she will do great. This is her first waterfowl season, but she was retrieving mallards in the backyard at 4 months old last year.

I'd add this to the list of things I wouldn't ever worry about. I'm sure it will work out just fine

What's the limit on geese where you hunt? I doubt 5 or so geese a day would wear out a dog.

Not so much worried about her getting worn out, the idea was more about the strength to carry such a large bird when she hasn't.

Why is this a concern? I must be missing something.

Like I said before
I can assure you that as time goes on, she will surprise you more and more at what she is capable of.

Young dog, first season, not really bred for retrieving ducks/geese.

And, just a topic to be discussed.

Not to open a can of worms but I force fetch my dogs. The idea being that when given the command to “fetch”, the dog will pick up whatever it’s told to. I always use a variety of objects of different sizes and weights. This teaches them to carry and hold the object in the most efficient way. It also will strengthen the neck and jaw muscles. Now I know I’m a little different because I expect my dogs to not only pick up all manner of birds both upland and waterfowl, but they also are expected to pick up large fur game as well, foxes, coyotes, rock chucks, jackrabbits etc.

On the flip side, I’ve also had dogs (mostly labs) that just flat surprised me. If the drive to retrieve is there, and the dog is given the opportunity, he’ll figure it out. Whether by a wing butt, neck, or any way they can get ahold of it. I’d just make good on giving him a chance , but like I said above, you can train for it as well.

Cool pics mbogo,,somewhere I have a pic of my old flat coat retriever with his front legs up on the ribs of a 4.5 year old buffalo cow I shot. he had that I can't believe I did this look on his face. Mb

Had one for years and used it often:

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/Dokken-Dead-Fowl-Trainer-Canada-Goose?ds_e=MICROSOFT&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CSmart%7CHunting%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gclsrc=ds

I have a Dokken goose, it's about 18 years old and absorbs a lot of water so it gets heavier as the day goes on. In my limited experiences when dumping out a pile if stuff to retrieve, the dogs will go out and bring the goose back first; actually it is a toss up between a fox and the Dokken goose. We were water training and even the Teckel (wirehair daschshund) wanted the goose Dokken over smaller stuff. She could get it to the bank but not up on the bank.

Agree on the Dokken Goose. Works great and definitely helped my dog get used to bigger game. I started with wings taped on either side. Good Luck.