As the summer heat drags on and we enter into the Dog Days of Summer, many waterfowl hunters have their focus set on retriever training in anticipation of the coming season. With early goose seasons, Canada waterfowl season, and early teal right around the corner it’s important for many dog owners to capitalize on the long days that summer offers. When we think about summer dog training, we often envision early mornings working marks, reinforcing basic obedience, and of course plenty of water retrieves. As important as it is to continually put in the ‘reps’ with your dog, it is equally important that you as their trainer are putting in the work to keep your dog healthy, happy, and well-rounded. In turn, they can perform their best season after season. Earlier this summer we were able to spend some time and gain some insight from Andrew Barbouche, one of the owners and the head trainer at Next Generation Gundog Training, here are his top 5 tips for summer retriever training.
#1. Keeping Dogs Cool
Chances are if you’re feeling the summer heat so is your dog. Summertime training is a good time to get an early start on the season and work on fundamentals for a productive year. That said, do not forget to keep them cool throughout training. Our first tip is to keep your dog in the water as much as possible. This will naturally help cool them off while simultaneously getting them in shape for retrieves. When your dog isn’t in the water be sure to towel them dry and find shade. Make sure your dog always has access to cool, clean water. During training, if your dog is excessively panting, lying down, or looking for shade it’s time to stop and cool your dog off.
#2. Use Dog Ramps
All too often we see retrievers retired from the field early because of bad hips and joints, so take the proactive step and use dog ramps when loading and unloading your furry friend. Utilizing dog ramps during training days, and in your dog’s day-to-day routine, is a simple and effective way to help ensure that you are protecting your dog’s joints. One of the more important things to pay attention to is how your dog unloads out of the truck or kennel. When we think about dogs jumping out of–or off of–truck beds and kennels without a ramp, that impact with the ground can be very hard on their joints, especially long term. So take the time to find a dog ramp that works for you and make sure your dogs learn to come down nice and easy off of it. Years down the road you’ll be glad you made the switch.
#3. Hydration
Making sure your dog has access to cool, clean water should already be an intuitive practice but during the summer especially this becomes very important. Before, during, and after training, making sure your dog has access to good, cool water is imperative not only for your dog’s overall health but in their performance during training. Would you train for a marathon in the summer without any water? Didn’t think so.
#4. Exposure To New Locations
Training is inherently repetitive. In doing so your dog will be able to perform in the field. However, it is important to mix up training locations to develop a well-rounded dog. Your dog can quickly become accustomed to your home training environment. When the season rolls around this can hinder your dog’s ability in the field. Say you always train on a small pond but you hunt sloughs, fields, and timber. It is important to vary the training environments so your dog is prepared and adaptable to any hunting conditions.
#5. Patience
Although this is our fifth tip, patience should always be number one. You need to remember that your dog is not a machine. Dogs are living things that are trying to learn human commands, so have patience. Your dog can very easily read your tone and energy so staying calm and collected while focusing on the progression you have made will make your summer training session more worthwhile in the end. If you’re getting frustrated, take a break, and never take your frustration out on your dog.
For more dog training tips, help with training your puppy, and anything retriever-related be sure to check out Next Generation Gundog Training.
