Taking the dog for his first duck hunt in N. Dakota this weekend. Any tips for working with a first time dog. He listens pretty good, but at 15 months, hes still very much a puppy! We've been out for grouse, but hadn't had any luck. Thanks fellas!

I would recommend putting some rocks in your pocket to help with marks instead of using shells (too expensive). I also would recommend taking something with to tie the dog down. you would hate for your dog to jump in the water or go out in the field to retrieve a bird and another big flock starts to come in but the dog scares them away running or swimming through your decoys.

I'm not far from you. Email me, I have everything you and the dog need for a crash coarse.

Thanks Surface Tension, what kind of stuff are you talking about. I'm leaving friday and thursday is my day off before we leave. My email is: fireguy3080@yahoo.com
Thanks!

Thanks Jaymack, Those are the same thoughts I had!

Don't let him get away with any bad habits that you wouldn't allow during training. Obedience in my mind is by far the most important thing to work on. You can do all the training in the world, but experience is what will make a good dog great. As long as you have an obedient dog that knows the basics, the rest will come much easier.

Where is ND are you going? Will you be field hunting, hunting over water with decoys or puddle jumping? Maybe all three?

ND has so many ducks that if the dog scares a few away, its no big deal. Let the dog have fun! Throw a party when it brings back the first ducks and keep the praise going all day for each job well done.

Since this is the dogs first hunt, don't put alot of pressure on it and don't get too stressed out if some things do go wrong. Enjoy watching the pup learn more with each retrieve!

Wow, just thinking about this hunt is getting me pump! Thanks for the replies fellas! We plan on paddling out into a swamp, so we will be in water most of the time. My dog listens pretty well, Heel, sit, not bad on stay. Only problem is he LOVES water. I can hardly keep him in the boat while fishing. I'm thinking I won't be using my gun much, I will just work with the dog alot. I'll let the other guy do some shooting. I"ll report once I get back! Thanks again!