[birdgunner04]

Does anyone have a good way to train a dog to hunt dead? I can't figure out how to make mine keep looking when I know a bird is down.

 

[SteveInTN]

Use dead/shot ducks or birds. If the dog is birdy enough they will hunt until they find it. The scent will help with that too and scenting/tracking is an important part of a complete training regiment.

Beyond that, I used the command "Find It" when my dog goes into hunt mode. If it is a mark in thick cover then I goad him with the "Find It" command. If it is a blind HUNTING retrieve and I get him in the immediate area, I use "Find It" to let him know that I've gotten him as close as I can get him and he needs to take over at that point. I also use "Find It" to get him to start searching under other circumstances. Several times we've had ducks swim off into tall grass around our hole during a hunt, usually when there were other birds still working or other dead birds out. One time we knew a drake was down in the tall grass and we just waited until after the hunt and I took my dog over there, commanded "Find It", and he knew to go into sniffing mode. It was two hours after the duck was shot.

 

[Keith S.]

I started my dog when I first got her at 9 weeks old. She showed alot of intrest in a pheasant wing, I would just play fetch in the yard. When she was 12 weeks I moved to taller grass. As she progressed, I switched to a canvas dummy and soaked it with pheasant scent. Eventually I used a cheap $60 dummy launcher with a little bit of scent on the dummy. That launcher would fire the dummy 60-70 yards. As she got older, her nose became better and she doesn't have too much trouble anymore.

I don't know your dog or how old it is, but that worked for me. Good luck.

 

[canhunter]

Does anyone have a good way to train a dog to hunt dead? I can't figure out how to make mine keep looking when I know a bird is down.

same here 'cept hes only 6 weeks