Jim Boyer
Active member
This was the week for teaching my four dogs the "around" command. It was cool for a couple of days.
I hadn't really planned on any command, but in the process of training my dogs to use a dog ramp on my mud rig, it seemed necessary. My older, smaller Carsten Bluebill had a lower profile which made it easy for a dog to come in over the sides. The present boat is much safer in big water, but too high for the "hook and roll in" method.
Taking each dog out alone seemed the simplest way to approach this training. Kooly was first and when he was at heel up on the extended front deck, a Dokken was tossed out into deep water on the same side. At first he couldn't target the ramp. However, as soon as he realized there was no way to hook his feet over the gunnel, he found the ramp with me at the top calling "here". Soon it was no problem getting back in the boat.
The next step was to gradually work around the front of the boat until we were 180º opposite of the ladder. As soon as we passed the bow, the "target" was no longer visible. That's when "over" eventually transitioned to "around". Each dog had a kind of a frantic time or two getting back to the other side, but "no choice" is a great motivator.
Daisy and then Taffey took their turns. Taffey is 12 years old and never wants to miss a thing. Both learned the "around" command rather quickly.
The last dog was Gunny. I struggled with whether to even ask him to learn. It's been over a year now since his hip issue appeared and was diagnosed. The x-rays were not very pretty. However, he hasn't take a lame step in several months (even when pushed into difficult training situations). His jumps off the extend deck were awkward at first, but his climb back in was actually better than the three older dogs. The real test would be later on. I don't understand it, but he moved perfectly airing that night and the next morning. He's good to go, but I probably won't push him into any heavy situations. There are three others that can handle this type of hunt.
The sessions went well and they all know the "around" command. This will make it much easier during the upcoming waterfowl hunts on the Mississippi near Savanna. Not all ducks are shot on one side of a boat.
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I hadn't really planned on any command, but in the process of training my dogs to use a dog ramp on my mud rig, it seemed necessary. My older, smaller Carsten Bluebill had a lower profile which made it easy for a dog to come in over the sides. The present boat is much safer in big water, but too high for the "hook and roll in" method.
Taking each dog out alone seemed the simplest way to approach this training. Kooly was first and when he was at heel up on the extended front deck, a Dokken was tossed out into deep water on the same side. At first he couldn't target the ramp. However, as soon as he realized there was no way to hook his feet over the gunnel, he found the ramp with me at the top calling "here". Soon it was no problem getting back in the boat.
The next step was to gradually work around the front of the boat until we were 180º opposite of the ladder. As soon as we passed the bow, the "target" was no longer visible. That's when "over" eventually transitioned to "around". Each dog had a kind of a frantic time or two getting back to the other side, but "no choice" is a great motivator.
Daisy and then Taffey took their turns. Taffey is 12 years old and never wants to miss a thing. Both learned the "around" command rather quickly.
The last dog was Gunny. I struggled with whether to even ask him to learn. It's been over a year now since his hip issue appeared and was diagnosed. The x-rays were not very pretty. However, he hasn't take a lame step in several months (even when pushed into difficult training situations). His jumps off the extend deck were awkward at first, but his climb back in was actually better than the three older dogs. The real test would be later on. I don't understand it, but he moved perfectly airing that night and the next morning. He's good to go, but I probably won't push him into any heavy situations. There are three others that can handle this type of hunt.
The sessions went well and they all know the "around" command. This will make it much easier during the upcoming waterfowl hunts on the Mississippi near Savanna. Not all ducks are shot on one side of a boat.
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