Training a dog in an suburban enviroment?

[surferdave]

My labrador pup Raglan is pushing close to 4 months now. He's becoming an amazing dog, he has a lot of his basic obedience down. He comes on whistle, stays, heels, and is working on down and place. I have him retrieving doubles down my side yard, and he is getting better at those, and he stays until commanded to retrieve. One thing that is difficult is working on bird work and gun work. I live in the SF bay area, and well, it's not like there's open fields and plenty of land to work with. I'm fairly certain that firing off blanks will have a patrol car in the area within minutes. Also it's hard to get access to birds. Any advice for a novice looking to train his dog to be a gun dog in a more urban environment?

[postoakshorthairs]

I don't know if you have them around your area, but there are preserves/hunt clubs around my area that you pay (either by usage or a membership fee) to use their grounds and/or birds for training.

[Sharon]

I live in the city. My backyards work fine for yard work. I get my birds where I can - small bird auctions, exterminators etc. I buy them every couple weeks as I can't keep homers. I keep them in the garage - you have to clean up every day.( My husband loves it.) :roll: I've found 3 areas big enough to let a big running dog work out and hunt. They are a little drive but that's o-kay.
It can be done. You just have to be creative.

[surferdave]

Sharon, thanks for the advice. It's nice to know that it can be done. Sometimes I get discouraged because it seems like everyone training a gun dog has access to lots of land, and I'm throwing dummies at elementary school fields. A friend of mine has access to land where I can probably get some gun work done, so hopefully that pans out. I guess I'll just have to get my hands on some birds and work in my backyard. Thanks again.

[Sharon]

I've had two dogs who were Derby Dog of the Year in ON. It can be done. It's nice if your dog can learn to handle birds on a plantation but not necessary and the dog doesn't care where he finds his birds.

[mcbosco]

I live in NJ and if there is room here there is room in California. Look for county and state parks that are "passive" recreation areas. You can't shoot at these places but no one will ever know you brought a few quail with you.

[RayGubernat]

surferdave -

Sharon is very right. Actually you have it relatively easy with a lab. You don't need the kind of open spaces she or I do to develop a dog.

I trained a number of big running hunting dogs and three competitive horseback shooting dogs when I lived in NJ. My home was on a 100 X 125' lot and my fenced backyard was about 40 X 50. Pretty much everything else was ashalt and concrete. It was illegal to let dogs run free in arks and school yards. I roaded them on foot on sidewalks to condition them. Early moring in the summer and late at night, when the pavement was cool. The only time my dogs got to run free, with me on foot, was on the weekends(maybe) and the nearest WMA was an hour away.

To run my dogs off horseback required a 45 minute ride to the stable(after I loaded the dogs and training gear into the truck) and a half hour to hook up the trailer and catch the horse. Then there was the 1 1/2 hour ride to the grounds with an extra half hour if I had to stop off and pick up pre paid birds.

You can do it if you put your mind to it.

RayG

[FLocker]

While your pup will need a place for gun condition and live bird work, but i do a lot of training in city and state parks. I imagine training pointers like this is tougher, as they are not really hunting companions, but kenneled, bird finding machines. I have known some really great Labs that did almost all of their training on empty baseball fields. This may sound strange, but when i am working on non-slip stuff, i shoot a cap gun from inside my pants or jacket, just to simulate the pop, but not bring added attention from passerbys

I actually think it's great that San Franciscians get to see you a handling a hunting dog. Get a Dokken Dead Fowl for added effect.

[Sharon]

LOL I'm glad you put that winkie in there. Some places I use, I have a little look around before I fire the blank gun too but I'll pass on shooting it in my pants. Ow... You realize of course that when you think of the things we city folk have to do to train a dog , that we are all crazy.

[surferdave]

It's so funny that you mention the dokken trainers, I currently have 2 of them and people give me the strangest looks at the school yards and parks. It really blows their minds when my 3.5 month lab holds steady on retrieve doing multiples while their adult dogs are jumping all over them for tennis balls. It kind of cracks me up. Thanks for all the positive feedback. I guess you just have to work with what you got. Encouraging news though for sure.

[Scott Linden]

Go here, buy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Urban-Gun-Dogs-Tr ... 1594110506

As far as blank guns, the author recommended a "slapstick" as being more P.C. ... a couple foot-long 1" x 2" boards hinged together (the smoother they are planed/sanded, the louder) ... we used them in the music business ... they make a pretty good boom!

[FLocker]

I own and like Urban Gun Dogs, but i woudnt recommend it to a Lab owner. It is pretty spaniel specific, and the "urban" aspect of it was mostly common sense, IMO.