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Thread: Rushing waters

  1. #1
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Rushing waters

    Aye Mates,
    Some of the best waterfowl hunting experiences I have had over the years are on rivers and that means moving water. Rivers can be especially productive in the late season when other local bodies of water are frozen solid. Moving waters present challenges for retrievers that more placid waters do not. Dogs need to learn how to negotiate in moving waters in making retrieves of downed birds whilst allowing for stream velocity and it's carriage of game down river with the current. A retriever's first experiences with moving waters should be during training sessions specifically designed to address those conditions rather than during a hunt. One can almost guarantee birds will be lost to the current during a hunt over a dog that has not had previous training in the handling of moving waters.

    Photo #1
    MAC a one year old retriever is seen here making the retrieve of a training bumper in this quickly flowing river swollen with the melted runoff from March snows.


    Photo #2

    MAC on return with a canvas training bumper in the frigid March melt waters that rapidly carry marks thrown downstream.

    The training I conduct for retrievers in the handling of moving waters teach the dog how to head off the retrieve by making allowance for stream flow and not letting "birds" get by them in the moving current.

    I also make a point of doing land - water - land retrieves to instruct the dog how to negotiate the current in reaching birds that are dropped on the far shore with a rapidly moving river to cross before making the pick up.

    Time spent training to address moving waters will make for far more effective retrievers and far less potential for precious game birds lost to moving waters.

    Cheers,
    THE DOG WHISTLER ☘️🇮🇪🇺🇸
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    Last edited by IRISHWISTLER; 03-22-2019 at 02:16 AM.
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  2. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to IRISHWISTLER For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (03-22-2019), barry581 (03-22-2019), Jollymolly (03-26-2019), POPTOP (03-21-2019), Snowshoe (03-23-2019), TuMicks (03-25-2019)

  3. #2
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Yet another thing I would never had thought of. Thank goodness there are trainers like you. Mac's looking great.
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  4. #3
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by POPTOP View Post
    Yet another thing I would never had thought of. Thank goodness there are trainers like you. Mac's looking great.
    Thank ye Fran, much appreciated. A competent trainer seeks to make well rounded retrievers, thinks outside the box, and trains for those conditions that will likely be encountered under actual field / hunting conditions. 👍

    Mike ☘️🇮🇪🇺🇸
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    That's great that you train for that! My guys love to swim, but their experience is mostly at our local lake and/or at the beach (bay side of a barrier island). The few times they've been in moving water I've kept them on a long line because it does make me nervous that they are unfamiliar with it and don't necessarily know how to negotiate it.

    I love your training posts - so fun learning about the training for other dog sports!
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
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  6. #5
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    That's great that you train for that! My guys love to swim, but their experience is mostly at our local lake and/or at the beach (bay side of a barrier island). The few times they've been in moving water I've kept them on a long line because it does make me nervous that they are unfamiliar with it and don't necessarily know how to negotiate it.

    I love your training posts - so fun learning about the training for other dog sports!
    ANNETTE,
    Thank ye for ye kind comments and glad ye find the training tips helpful.

    Cheers,
    Mike ☘️🇮🇪🇺🇸
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  7. #6
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
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    Ah, to have water as varied as yours. There is so much to be taught on rivers... if only we had a few. We have the Truckee, of course that goes through downtown Reno, but when it's even moderately high, it can be dangerous. Not a training option. (God forbid we have a sudden warm spell and spring rain at the same time... the melting snow pack plus additional rain will flood the downtown like it always does. After which there will be a bond issue voted upon and they will re-engineer the Truckee again at great expense. But I digress.)

    But the point surely is... you use your terrain and water to maximum advantage, using maximum creativity to produce a well rounded working retriever.

    Love your posts and photos!

  8. #7
    Senior Dog IRISHWISTLER's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TuMicks View Post
    Ah, to have water as varied as yours. There is so much to be taught on rivers... if only we had a few. We have the Truckee, of course that goes through downtown Reno, but when it's even moderately high, it can be dangerous. Not a training option. (God forbid we have a sudden warm spell and spring rain at the same time... the melting snow pack plus additional rain will flood the downtown like it always does. After which there will be a bond issue voted upon and they will re-engineer the Truckee again at great expense. But I digress.)

    But the point surely is... you use your terrain and water to maximum advantage, using maximum creativity to produce a well rounded working retriever.

    Love your posts and photos!
    Aye Mate,
    Thank ye my friend.👍👍👍👍👍

    Mikey ☘️🇮🇪🇺🇸
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