Getting dog to hunt cover

Jimy1971

Hi lads,



Was wondering if you could give me a few pointers on how to get my 7 month old lab to hunt cover/ditches. She will go in a small bit now and then but not all the time. I know she is still young,does it come with time or is it taught?



Thanks

Jim

deano2882

a good thick ditch with rabbits in it...

One shot on kill

Make sure she is going in after something that interests her and she wants. Plenty of encouragement and plenty of direction.

dicky82

as above, rabbits rabbits and more rabbits. dogs will go through fire for them. but the dog has to go into cover in its own time, force the dog and the experience will put them off, if you could run her with other dogs that will make her confident in cover.

Tawny Owl

As Dicky82 says Rabbits, but another Dog along with you does help even a dog going into water they watch and learn. Best of look but above all dont push be patient and the results will come mine was the same.

deeksofdoom

Rabbits, they're not going to go into briars, nettles and ****e if there's nothing there. You'ld be surprised how smart they are.

Rosahane

My Lab is 18 months old and only started going through cover at the beginning of the summer. Previously he would follow a path but not push through the undergrowth.
Then he discovered rabbits!
Now he will power through anything, yesterday on a walk in very overgrown woods he put up a hen and two cock pheasants and caught his first rabbit, a young one.
The thing is to let him do it in his own time, seven months is very young and any bad experiences now will lave a long term effect.

charlie10

Rosahane wrote: »

My Lab is 18 months old and only started going through cover at the beginning of the summer. Previously he would follow a path but not push through the undergrowth.
Then he discovered rabbits!
Now he will power through anything, yesterday on a walk in very overgrown woods he put up a hen and two cock pheasants and caught his first rabbit, a young one.
The thing is to let him do it in his own time, seven months is very young and any bad experiences now will lave a long term effect.

very good advice in my opinion !

Jimy1971

I've tried running her with my 3 year old springer bitch but most of the time she keeps trying to play with her, biting and toppling her over. She did follow the springer into light cover this evening. Happy days

Tawny Owl

Don't be worrying as your Dog is still a pup, and just wants to play, you have loads of time to get the dog working, mine is only starting to realize what it is all about and she is going into her second season, enjoy the dog and let the dog enjoy you;)

snipe02

Jimy1971 wrote: »

I've tried running her with my 3 year old springer bitch but most of the time she keeps trying to play with her, biting and toppling her over. She did follow the springer into light cover this evening. Happy days

Shes obviously not ready yet so let her be a pup the best stuff I found is the garden hedge that grows low and out its good cover and no thorns id bd happy if the pupwould enter light cover for a retrieve at that age no panic good luck

charlie10

i think if a young dog will take a line/scent of a bird at 7 months id know his nose is up to scratch,his nose will pull him into cover in time . experience and getting him out in the field as much as possible is what builds experience and confidence. some days i would be out with the older dog and a bird might run into cover in front of us and id be thinking what a perfect scenario for young dog ,so keep taking him out and im sure it will fall into place . my last springer hit cover well when he was young then i started sending him in and every thing went arse ways and id be the first to say i ****ed up with him .