Beautiful looking and intelligent breeds, those specialized in retrieving are easy to train both privately and with the help of a professional. Among the most popular are the Labrador and the Golden retriever.
This is an attitude that should be specific to every dog, but it is indisputable that some hunting breeds are more apt to retrieve than others. Among these the most used are certainly the labrador, the chesapeake bay and the golden retriever. Of course, they are not the only ones able to easily bring game back to their owner, since the American water spaniel or the Irish water spaniel are also particularly gifted.
In common these breeds possess the innate ability to bring back intact game, whether dead, dying, or simply stunned, into the hands of their master. Specialized mainly in marsh game, it is true that in recent decades some of these breeds have been used with excellent results even when it was a question of bringing back other types of game.
The Labrador Retriever, for example, has proven to be a versatile retriever dog. Ideal for retrieving marsh game, it is a resistant and robust hunting dog, particularly intelligent and capable of learning faster than many other breeds. Often a professional is preferred for his training, but rest assured, he will give satisfaction even if trained by the owner. The only difference will be relative to the time it will take; what really matters is the result. Equipped with a black or yellowish white down, in some rarer cases it has a chocolate color and has an indisputable friendly and sociable character. Its weight is between 25 and 34 kg and the short coat protects it very well from the cold. A peculiarity not to be forgotten is that relating to the oiliness of its hair; that's why it stays dry even when swimming.
No less desirable is the golden retriever, beloved by swamp hunters and land savages. It is strong and powerful yet less resistant than the Labrador in retrieving marsh game. Instead, it shines in the carry-over of land savages. Its weight does not exceed 34 kg and its hair normally tends to golden. The best training for a Golden is repetition, sweetness and affection.
Another truly exceptional breed is that of the chesapeake bay retriever. Its coat is oily, short and slightly curled: in short, to put it in an impenetrable word. Brown with dark shades, the chesapeake proves to be more aggressive than the previous two with strangers and this cannot always be considered a defect. Swamp hunters love it, literally, as it proves capable of finding and returning even that game to water covered with a layer of ice. On the other hand, it is rarely used when hunting land game.
Although the American and Irish water spaniel are not up to par with the three previous breeds, they do quite well. The first does not exceed 18 kg while the second also reaches 29 and both have a dark and warm coat.
The American proves to be a truly docile and easy to train dog, furthermore given its size, it can be treated with extreme simplicity. Created in the North Western States, it was initially used in small canoes or boats by lake or swamp hunters.
The Irish, on the other hand, was created in Ireland and quickly spread to England and Europe, especially in particularly cold regions given its ability to react positively to the worst atmospheric conditions. It cannot be used in any other hunting except in swamp retrieval, and perhaps for this reason its fame has diminished in recent years.
That said, how do you train a retriever without having to go to a specialist?
The method exists, this is little but sure. What the owner must ask himself first is rather how much patience he has available, because he will really need a lot of it. Right away you can guess whether or not the puppy is in possession of the instinct that will make him a great retriever; in that case it is essential to insist.
There are roughly two ways to teach the dog to retrieve: play or force.
Both give good results, but obviously each hunter and owner will choose the one that best suits their personality and that of the dog.
The first is particularly repetitive but fun for the dog, at least during the initial stages and normally, especially in the case of amateur trainers, gives excellent results.
The second is instead used by professional trainers, it could prove to be boring but highly effective.
Let's briefly deal with the training with play: this can begin when the dog is between seven and twelve weeks old. What will you need? A room in which to be alone with your pet and a handkerchief, a sock filled with feathers, any soft object or perhaps an old leather glove. Move the object in front of the puppy to begin with and then throw it. The puppy will follow him and take him. The exercise is to be repeated several times a day and slowly you will have to increase the throwing distance. Immediately use the Earth and Go commands to stop its run and make it resume as you wish.
The instinct of the dog with the "prey" in its mouth will be to hide it in some safe place. Stand in front of him and he will slowly learn to run to you whenever he has something precious in his mouth. The command to use is Door and Give for release. If he does not let go, grab the glove with one hand and insert a thumb of the other into the mouth, forcing him carefully, sweetly but still decisively, to open his mouth. Never ever start a push and pull with your dog, think about what would happen to your game. Do not forget to praise him constantly and to play with him whenever possible, including training in the moment of leisure.
If, on the other hand, your dog abandons the grip immediately you could resort to forced retrieval, forcing the animal in this way to keep the prey glove - sock in the mouth as much as possible.
Based on the breed you have chosen and therefore on its size and speed of growth you will have to build new objects for the retrieval. Normally at six months a retriever is capable of grasping a puppet of medium sized rags. If after six months the animal does not intend to bring back what it grabs, it is better to consult a professional. If, on the other hand, everything goes well, between eight and ten months, use a dead game for the launch to hide in the final stages of training, among the dense vegetation. The carry command to use, and which you should have mastered by now, is Port.
Obviously, a fundamental part of the training will be the habit of shooting, which must be considered an integral part of the game.