Post by FalconryGirl on Mar 29, 2017 1:11:18 GMT -5
Hello all!
I have a one-year-old German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix. She's smart, trainable, obedient (most of the time), and has a good nose. Thus, I'd like to train her as a bird dog. I've begun researching what this entails. However, I was not sure as to whether or not a dog used for falconry would need to know anything other than what is generally required for a gundog. I didn't think so, but being a pre-apprentice and having this be my first time training a hunting dog, I thought I'd ask anyways.
I was also a bit concerned about her ability to discern between the hawk and the game she was supposed to be flushing. She's got drive and chases feathered creatures all the time, but if she went after a hawk...well, I'd imagine that wouldn't go well. At all. Has anyone run into this? If so, how do you deal with it?
Outside of that, are there any thoughts or advice on training that could be useful for a first-timer? Any books/websites found that were particularly outstanding sources when you were getting started?
A bit about the dog, in case it helps: she doesn't have much of a food drive unless it's human food (which is a rare treat for her) but is usually very eager to please. I've actually managed to call her off of the cat right as she was in the middle of starting to give chase- so she listens pretty well. She can a bit shy, though definitely not fearful. She's very trainable and intelligent.
I hope none of these questions are completely obvious and I just need to do more research...well, you've been warned, I'm new to training dogs for anything but basic obedience.
Thanks
FalconryGirl
I have a one-year-old German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix. She's smart, trainable, obedient (most of the time), and has a good nose. Thus, I'd like to train her as a bird dog. I've begun researching what this entails. However, I was not sure as to whether or not a dog used for falconry would need to know anything other than what is generally required for a gundog. I didn't think so, but being a pre-apprentice and having this be my first time training a hunting dog, I thought I'd ask anyways.
I was also a bit concerned about her ability to discern between the hawk and the game she was supposed to be flushing. She's got drive and chases feathered creatures all the time, but if she went after a hawk...well, I'd imagine that wouldn't go well. At all. Has anyone run into this? If so, how do you deal with it?
Outside of that, are there any thoughts or advice on training that could be useful for a first-timer? Any books/websites found that were particularly outstanding sources when you were getting started?
A bit about the dog, in case it helps: she doesn't have much of a food drive unless it's human food (which is a rare treat for her) but is usually very eager to please. I've actually managed to call her off of the cat right as she was in the middle of starting to give chase- so she listens pretty well. She can a bit shy, though definitely not fearful. She's very trainable and intelligent.
I hope none of these questions are completely obvious and I just need to do more research...well, you've been warned, I'm new to training dogs for anything but basic obedience.
Thanks
FalconryGirl