Winter Training Drills

Winter Training Drills

By Ryan Eder

Do not let the winter season be an excuse to not train your dog. Are you catching onto my theme this year? There are several things we can do with our dogs during the winter months (aside from hunting) to not only keep our dogs sharp, but continue to advance our training and work towards getting our dogs better in the field. Yes, it is cold outside. Yes, it gets dark much earlier this time of year. I’m the first to admit that training outside in the cold is nowhere near as enjoyable, but I’m also the first to tell you that putting in quality training work during the winter months will pay off.

I do realize that a good portion of the winter season is hunting season. Most anywhere in the Midwest we can shoot ducks into December, and geese into January. The same applies to pheasants, and preserves are often open until April. Believe it or not, training should still take place during hunting season with any hunting dog; flusher or pointer, waterfowl or upland. It is important to take a break from the field every so often and just train your dog. For younger dogs, this is critical to continue advancing their training and building good habits. For older or seasoned dogs, it is a great opportunity to refresh good habits and keep our dogs sharp in the field. I personally feel it is a mistake to just hunt your dog all season with no regard for training. Even Michael Jordan (arguably the best basketball player ever) shot free throws every day. Staying sharp and touching up on the basics is a good idea for anybody and any hunting dog.

Basic Obedience
The first area of training that should always be reviewed every so often is obedience. Again, this is for any type of sporting breed. The nice part about obedience is that it can be done indoors or in the garage. Now before you say to yourself “my dog is way beyond basic obedience training” keep in mind that obedience is the foundation to everything our dogs do in the field. Does your pointer hold point steady like a statue on every bird? Do you find yourself saying (loudly, and frustrated) “WHOA!”? If so, then basic lead or check chord work with focus on recall commands (“here” or “come”, also the whistle), as well as “heel” and “whoa” will go a long way. Even the most advanced and seasoned dogs can use a refresher on the basics.

For you waterfowl hunters, you know that “SIT” is probably the most important command you will ever give your dog. Make them sit in one place for an extended period of time. Get out the dog blind and have your dog load in, sit and stay, throw marks in the yard making them steady in the blind. I do this with my dog regularly, because regardless of his AKC hunt test titles, I notice him creeping and wanting to break once guns are fired in the blind. This simple drill can reinforce the idea that the dog needs to sit patiently, and only leave that sit when instructed to.

Regardless of what kind of dog you have, or what kind of hunting you do, revisiting your basic obedience commands and challenging your dogs with them is a great idea. Keep these sessions short, and do not overdue it. This is review, and can be done anywhere. You will appreciate this when your dog is very crisp and sharp in the field.

Simulate the Hunt
One of my favorite parts about training during the winter is that it is in fact hunting season. This means that we can “practice how we play”. This is a great time to get out the decoys, the dog blind, put on the dog vest and run drills as if you are hunting. If you have friends or training partners to throw marks, use dead ducks. Anything you can do to simulate a real hunt, but focus on training is a great chance to get quality work in during the season. Keep in mind; I am not suggesting that you train instead of hunt. We all know it can be hard to find hunting time, so take advantage anytime you can! I am referring to days where you cannot make it out to the field, or during slow times of the season when you’re hunting spots appear to be empty.

That being said, one of the best training drills in my opinion is to bring some Avery training duck dummies or bumpers with me to the blind (bring a couple orange bumpers too, for blind retrieves). If you happen to shoot your limit early, take advantage of having your dog out in a live hunting situation. Have your hunting buddies shoot live rounds while you throw short, hunt-like marks. Focus on steadiness for your dog and have them mark multiple falls in the decoys. This type of training can be very effective and as “realistic” as possible and can teach a dog to watch and anticipate. You can also put some orange bumpers out in the area for blind retrieves (as mentioned a few months ago, orange bumpers are used because they cannot be easily seen by the dogs; making them ideal for blind retrieves). That is about as close to a real hunt simulation as you can get! I’ll admit, I’ve had days where I do this because it was such slow hunting I wanted to get my dog some work. You can also do this during that “mid-day lull”, when nothing flies in the middle of the day. I do not recommend this drill if you’re hunting a hot spot, no need to flare birds!

On a side note, if you are working towards advanced level hunt tests with your waterfowl dog the winter months are great times to “stretch your dog out”. What I mean by this is to run longer marks and longer blinds. Start by using large open fields with very short cover. If there is no snow, then parks or soccer fields work nicely. I also like harvested bean fields as there is minimal cover and the dog can see the three inch white bumpers nicely. We want the dog to see the bumpers at this stage to give them higher chances of success. The idea is to run very long marks and get your dog accustomed to going further distances for marks and blinds.

You will need a thrower that understands how to help your dog. You may need to throw the first bumper, then throw another bumper or two as the dog is on its way out to make the retrieve. This is very important, as the dog starts to get a feel for the distance and learns to mark that far away. Have your thrower wear white (easier to be seen), and use a loud duck call and blank pistol to help the dog locate the thrower. Once your dog is running these marks with no help bumpers thrown, you can start to run multiple marks, mixing in shorter marks as well (a dog that only runs long marks will overrun short marks, which is not the goal).

You can do the same with blind retrieves. These blinds will start out tough, and your dog may struggle. Be patient and walk towards your dog as they run the blind. Whenever they need to be handled, blow your sit whistle, get a good cast, and just work them to the blind. Over time, they will start running better lines, and taking crisper casts (do not do this if your dog is not through all the necessary training to run blind retrieves). The idea here is that a dog that can stretch out and run long marks and blinds will especially run nice marks and blind at shorter distances. This will be extremely helpful in hunt tests, where you may face complex situations that require really good line-running by your dog.

The same philosophy applies to our upland hunting dogs, pointers or flushers. I realize that most of us are hunting during this time, but take a day to plant birds for your dogs. Isolate the situation to work on steadiness, or put them in situations to retrieve shot birds. Younger dogs need a lot of birds, so buy birds from a game farm and simulate some upland hunting situations.

Most of us hunt at clubs where they plant birds anyway, but there is an advantage to planting birds with just you and your dog in the field. The major difference here is that waterfowl situations can utilize bumpers and training dummies. With upland this is not the case. Simply put, “bird dogs need birds”. Consider investing in a box launcher or two, as it helps guarantee a bird not to run, and you get a flush when and where you want it. These types of drills are great confidence boosters, and guarantee that your dog sees birds in the field. Slowly, start incorporating more hunters in the field, and possibly other dogs when it is time to work on honoring another dog. The concept is still the same; isolate your dog in hunting situations, train your dog and start making it more and more realistic as they improve.

Trust me when I tell you, taking the time to train your dog during the season and the winter months will pay large dividends. Over time, the dog (and you the handler) gets more comfortable and confident in live hunting situations. The result is high level performance in the field and several cherished memories with your hunting partner.