Training a hunting dog requires a lot of patience and commitment since, unlike a household dog you have to train your dog to become a specialized dog.

 

The most important thing that an owner has to be aware of before he starts training a hunting dog is the breed that the dog comes from. Usually pure bred dogs that have natural instinct for hunting are the best choice if you are looking at training a hunting dog.

 

The main training that every dog needs is to obey basic commands like “sit” “heel” “stay” and “down”. It is thus very important that your dog is trained in these simple obedience skills beforehand.

 

Using the whistle is the most common practice for training a hunting dog. It acts as a signal thus making it easier for the dog to recognize the particular whistle from miles away during a hunting game. The owner will train the dog to associate the dog with a number of signals from the whistle as well as verbal commands so that the dog can effectively hunt.

 

A hunting dog’s main objective during a hunt is to retrieve the object that it was sent to hunt for. During live hunts, it is important that the dog brings back the object without damaging it.  This process will require the dog to clutch the object gently so that there are no bruises or injury to the object. While this is easy to teach in pure bred dogs, it could take a while to train other dogs to retrieve without damage.

 

Sometimes, owners use an electric collar to train a hunting dog. This collar won’t hurt your dog but will just give a slight shock so that your dog does not get distracted by any other sound or object. You can give a command to your dog and press the button so that the dog gets a slight shock from the collar. He will then associate the command with the shock and not get distracted.

 

Keeping a dog focused while hunting is a difficult job. Another method that can be used is by following the smell or scent of the object. For e.g., if you want your hunting dog to go after a bird, you can purchase a small pint of the blood and let the dog smell it. You can then guide him to follow the trail of the scent and when he reaches the object, you can give him a treat as a reward. This way he will learn to track the object using the sense of smell.

 

Training a hunting dog is not an easy task but a long and difficult process. You as an owner should have lots of patience as well as earn the respect of your dog so that he obeys your orders and comes back to you when left out during a hunt.