GUN DOG GEAR: OUR MUST HAVES
After a long winter and a dreary spring, It’s finally getting to be summer training season. Make sure you’re ready to work on those oops’ from the hunting season by having the right gear for the job. Here’s a breakdown of what gear we’d suggest:
Electronic Training Collars
To use them or not to use them. There’s a lot of debate regarding e-collars and hey, that’s a personal thing. At Lone Duck, we use them because there is no denying they’re a handy tool to have in your pocket (if needed) for training dogs to understand how to turn off pressure and also for the dogs safety. We use Dogtra E-Collars because they’re rugged, long-lasting, fairly priced and their customer service is incredible.
Gunners Up Wingers
There’s a lot of reasons why people send a dog to us for gun dog training but one main thing is that it’s hard to train a dog while running solo. Common problems occur like the dog gets confused while hunting if the duck falls further than the standard 25 yards that you always throw a bumper to or the dog doesn’t learn to watch the sky because the object to retrieve always comes from you while they’re at heel. These are kinda tough things to fix so how do you do it? Invest in a Gunners Up WInger. They’re a bit pricey, I know, but they’re built to last and are invaluable. The Wingers we use at Lone Duck allow us to stretch a dog out to a few hundred yards, remote launch a bird for perfect timing & practice, shoot a blank while the bird is being catapulted and has a duck quack to help dial in the your dog at the line. If you’re looking to up your game and lengthen your marking abilities this summer, you’re gonna want one… trust me.
Slip Leads
What...a slip lead? Yup. One of the most basic items in your gun dog tool box is often overlooked after your dog can heel properly. We frequently use leather slip leads because it constantly reinforces the dog to be in the training mindset-- oh, and because they’re made in America. One common issue we see with dogs that come to our kennel for training is that they learned the basics but haven’t revisited them in a while. Listen, it’s just like when you were a kid running simple drills at basketball practice. Continuously work on the foundational skills and your dog will be able to transition that obedience and mental drive to the field.
Blind Bumpers
You probably have a whole bunch of white and black bumpers but if you’re looking to up your dogs game for next season, then you need some orange bumpers for blind work. Admit it, you lost a bird this season cause your dog wasn’t snappy on running blinds and it’s the worst feeling ever. I suppose that’s part of the game but let’s fix it. Bring your dog back to the basics of running mini T and then doing some pile work. Prioritize some time each night and dial in your dog so they’re running tight lines, sitting promptly on a whistle and casting like a beast. You’ll retrieve that bird next time and have a story to tell for years.
Bonus Action
Looking to get after some training and really up your game for next season? Subscribe to our podcast, Lone Duck’s Gun Dog Chronicles. You can find us anywhere you typically get your podcasts.