Bird Dog Training 

Clay Moose Training our Golden Retriever

PBG Kennels offers bird dog training in North Carolina at their facility in Stoneville, North Carolina. Clay Moose has been training and breeding Retrievers and Pointing dogs for more than 20 years. He’s the Past President of the United Field Trailers Association. Everything that your dog needs to become a great bird dog is provided by PBG Kennels. Phone (828) 270-5028

PBG Kennels hunting dogs are categorized as pointers, flushers, and retrievers, according to Clay Moose.

The traits, instincts, and personalities of the breeds can differ too, so it is important before committing to being a hunting dog owner to understand your wants and hunting needs with a gun dog.

PBG Kennels specializes in training gun dog breeds. A great gun dog doesn’t develop based on its pedigree alone-it’s owner must have patience, desire, and a love for dogs. If you are looking for a new hunting dog, PBG Kennels has one for you.

PBG Kennels has a reputation built on its dogs and customer satisfaction. There is nothing more satisfying than being in the field, with a dog from PBG Kennels.

Pointing, lightning-fast flushes, and memorable retrieves are very exciting to the owner of a gun dog from PBG Kennels.

A great gun dog requires attention, training, and playing time every day. It benefits both the gun dog and the gun dog owner.

The bond that develops between a gun dog owner and a great hunting dog is unique, and it is truly a relationship that all gun dog hunters should experience.

Tips on Training a Bird Dog

Hunting Dog Training Tips
If you plan on training a hunting dog yourself, there are several things you can do to make your training sessions more productive:

1. Don’t raise your pup outdoors.
You are indoors most of the time. Your puppy needs to be with you to bond, learn to communicate, and develop the desire to please.

2. Don’t throw countless retrieves.
A puppy’s energy goes mostly to growing. Too many retrieves can cause pain and exhaustion and lead to a loss of interest in retrieving.

3. Limit marked retrieves.
A marked retrieve is when the dog sees the bird (or dummy) fall. He knows where it is. When the dog doesn’t see the bird fall, it’s a blind retrieve. He needs you to show him. The more marked retrieves you give the dog, the more you teach him to find birds without help. When you try to guide the dog to blind retrieves, he won’t believe that you know where the bird is. Start blind retrieves as soon as he’s good at marked retrieves.

4. Don’t repeat commands.
You want your dog to respond to one order, not repetition. If he didn’t respond, it doesn’t mean that he didn’t hear you. He chose not to. Instead of repeating, use a dominance technique such as a threatening stare or looming over the dog. Trigger the response and reinforce your dominance.

5. Don’t shout or plead.
Dogs respond to body language and tones of voice, not words.

Shouting scares or excites your puppy and makes it harder for him to respond. An “asking” tone tells a dog to disobey. Lack of response is a choice. A commanding tone, dominant body language, and mild rebuke now will save harsher corrections later, after you’ve taught him to respond to yells or ignore pleading. Always act like you are in control.

6. Don’t let your dog run off energy.
You need your dog to be under control when he’s energetic, not when he’s tired. Letting him run teaches him to be out of control. Imagine letting him out of the car and watching him run into traffic.

7. Don’t test when you should train.
Don’t test your dog to find out what he can do. Teach him to do what you want. For example, don’t start with long retrieves. Gradually increase the distance.

8. Don’t experiment with introductions.
Introducing new things to find out how your puppy will respond is like testing to train. Your dog may react favorably or may be frightened.

If you walk up to him and fire a shotgun to find out if he’s gun-shy, you may make him gun-shy. Gunshots should be distant at first and gradually closer.

9. Be patient and sensible in gun training.
Start with a .22 at some distance and gradually work closer, eventually adding a shotgun. Don’t surprise your dog with follow-up shots while you are hunting. In training, teach him to expect them.

10. Don’t change rules in the field.
If you train with a leash, use a leash in the field. Don’t invest in training and then ignore the rules during the hunt.

11. Be careful when introducing hunting involving water.
For waterfowl hunting, start on dry land with a few decoys on the lawn, adding more as training progresses. Let your dog examine the decoys. Heel him around and through them while discouraging him from picking them up. When you throw dummies, start by throwing them far from the decoys and slowly closer. The decoys will become more attractive, testing progress and requiring you to discourage the dog from showing interest in them.

12. If you hunt with a boat, you will need to add it to the training.
Don’t expect a dog to know how to act on a boat. Start with a flat-bottomed boat on dry land and later move to water. At first, have a few decoys, then more, starting close, then further away. Anchor your decoys without much excess line that your dog could get tangled in.

13. Don’t force your dog to swim.
Let him get into the water when he is ready. Don’t push him in, and don’t start with cold or deep water. Begin in a warm, shallow lake and coax your dog into the water, where he can stand. Help him build confidence before he goes past belly-deep.

14. Don’t allow him to break.
Your dog must be steady. Steadiness training occurs every day. Make him wait for your command to eat, to enter a door, or anything else. He should break when you release him.