You can buy special equipment that will make the task of training hunting dogs easier. These may include:

* Electronic collars which are designed to punish the dog when they behave inappropriately. (Most trainers, however, feel these collars are cruel and excessive and prefer better and more humane methods.)
* Retrieving dummies which are designed to be roughly the shape and weight of the animal to be retrieved.
* Long leashes.
* Whistles to which the dog can be trained to respond.
* Dog treats for reward purposes.

Teaching the Dog to Track

One of the best ways to teach your dog to track is by using blood that may be purchased from the butcher. Leave a trail of blood for your dog to follow with a treat at the end. Start with short tracks and gradually make them longer. Supervise your dog at first and then let your dog track unsupervised while you observe from a distance.

Teach the Dog to Point and Retrieve

Teaching the dog to point or retrieve is a fairly complicated and lengthy process. You may need to seek special training courses or materials in order to learn the best way of training your dog to point and retrieve.

One method of teaching a dog to retrieve usually starts at the “wrong” end, getting the dog to spit out the retrieved item. Put something like a wooden dowel in your dog’s mouth and praise him and reward him when he spits it out. Gradually work backwards to the stage where the dog retrieves the item.

Dogs that are bred specifically for pointing will naturally start to point when they have reached the right age. Praise your dog

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 2:38 pm and is filed under Hunting and Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.