Improving Focus From Your Gundog During The Hunt

Written By: Zach Miller

"Having a gundog is a feat upon itself, having one who understands impulse control and understanding how to maintain focus in a stressful environment is a whole other level."

Duck hunting is a popular sport that requires a lot of skill and patience. One of the most important aspects of duck hunting is having a well-trained gundog. A good duck dog can make all the difference in a successful hunt. However, getting your duck dog to focus better during the hunt can be a challenge. Gundogs have gotten a black eye when it comes to bringing them on guided hunts or hunts that we are unsure of the focus and/or impulse control our gundog will have in this new environment. This black eye comes from untrained gundogs or half trained gundogs with zero impulse control during stressful situations. My goal for most of my professional career has been to change that. Here are some tips to help you get your duck dog to focus better during the hunt.

1. Start with Basic Training

As we know, a house cannot be built unless it is upon a solid foundation, the same goes for gundog work. Before you take your duck dog out on a hunt, it is important to start with basic training. This includes obedience training, retrieving, and socialization. A well-trained dog is more likely to focus on the task at hand and less likely to get distracted. If our gundog has no training, they have no place being on the boat or in the blind as we are setting both the hunt and the dog up for failure. Never guess when it comes to dogs, they will typically let impulse take control without proper guidance and training. This fact can be futile in difficult terrain and when there is money involved for successful hunting trips. 

2. Use Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool when it comes to training your duck dog. Reward your dog with treats, praise, and affection when they exhibit good behavior. This will encourage them to focus on the task at hand and make them more eager to please you. While positive reinforcement is not the end all be all cure, it makes life easier when marking behaviors in certain stages of a dog's life. Use this in moderation especially when it comes to anything food based for a reward system. The reason for this is a grown dependency on the food and the dog will then become conditioned to ONLY work if food is on the table. The last thing we want is a beautiful trophy bird to fall out of the sky and our dog refuse us at the water’s edge. When in doubt, verbal and physical praise is always my go-to and you never have to carry it in a treat bag!

3. Practice In Different Environments

Duck hunting can take place in a variety of environments, including water, fields, and marshes. It is important to practice in different environments to help your dog get used to different hunting conditions. This will help them stay focused and alert during the hunt. When this topic gets brought up, the term “desensitize” always appears. To understand this, look at veterans coming home from war, when they are overseas in a combat rich environment, everyday will be something stressful, the mind and body become accustomed to it and it learns to live and even thrive in it, our bodies and minds learn to become numb to these things. Without going down the rabbit hole of PTSD and the after effects, the comparison of desensitizing is very similar. If I bring a dog to a swamp every day for a year and work them in it, he will get accustomed to the bugs, smells, sounds etc, and when we add in the factor of birds, that's all they need to focus on because everything else is old news. See how that works?

4. Use Distractions

Distractions are a common occurrence during a duck hunt. It is important to train your dog to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand. Use distractions such as decoys, other dogs, and loud noises during training to help your dog learn to stay focused. This is a very similar topic to number 3 on this list, when it comes to distractions I focus on the Three-D’s: Duration, Distance and Distractions. They are in that order for a reason, If I am teaching “place” in the swamp with a tree stand, I have already worked the command on dry land X amount of times to build repetition. When I transfer this command to a new environment, the dog will initially become wary but they will typically fall back on what they know from when you did it on dry land. Now we want to focus on duration, will the dog maintain that position with me right next to them? When you get a solid half hour of duration, break the position and re-issue it but now, take a few steps away, see if you can still maintain the same duration. After you do this a fair distance away, start incorporating different levels of distractions, this will help build and proof your Three-D’s. 

5. Be Patient

Training a duck dog takes time and patience. It is important to be patient and consistent with your training. Don't expect your dog to be perfect right away. It takes time and practice to develop the skills needed for a successful hunt. One of the toughest things to teach trainers at any skill level is patience, the dog does not understand this concept and it will be foolish to try and force it upon them. Be patient with dogs of all ages, you will have them test you and you will have them try to escape working at times; however, a patient but bold trainer will understand that the dog will not win a stubborn-ness battle, plain and simple. You will find that when working a gundog, there will be moments where they do nothing but frustrate you, but when the lightbulb clicks on, you will understand why so many trainers make a living working these amazing dogs.

In conclusion, getting your duck dog to focus better during the hunt requires patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. Start with basic training, use positive reinforcement, practice in different environments, use distractions, keep training sessions short, and be patient. With these tips, you can help your duck dog become a successful hunting companion.