Hunting Forum

I have a 4 yr old chocolate lab. I started to train him for pheasant hunting last year. When I throw the training dummy he gets it and brings it back to me and drops it at my feet. He does not go further than 25 yards from me. When I hid the pheasant dummy he will find it but he will not pick it up. When I give him a pheasant wing he is hesitant to take it and when he does he drops it right away. I took him to a pheasant hunting club and they put out chukars. He found them but he would not flush them. Any suggestions on how to get him to flush the birds and pick up the dummy/bird after the shot?

FORCE FETCH train him to pick up.
Staying close is good for pheasant and chukar! If you can read that he has found them, go in and flush yourself and praise him!

Find a training program that fits your needs and use it.  There are plenty of DVD's and books on the subject.http://www.gundogsupply.com/books---videos.html

I'm no pro, I've had 2 labs. A yellow for 14yrs, and now a black who's 2.5. I'm working my black just like my yellow.Doves, ducks, geese, pheasant, and grouse. Each one when given a new wing, dropped it. Didn't want nothing to do with the wing. I just pick them up and sit there and play around with it myself. Eventually they get interested in them. Don't force the wing on them, if it's not interested in it, give it them as a toy. But don't let them destroy it, that causes a dog with a hard mouth. Had my 2.5 yr old out tonight on her first dove hunt, with 2 good retrieves. Really pleased with her.

Ol Abe was 13 months old when exposed to Dove for first time....never seen or picked up one or field hunted....trained on waterfowl.
First dove I shot went into honeysuckle and briar covered fence row....Abe went in when I sent him but had not seen the dove fall....yelped a little from briars and came out with nothing....about five minutes later he saw the dove I put down in cornfield, marked, went and came back with it. Gave him great praise.....just as I was about to tell him to sit, he ran back to fence row, fought his way threw briars and came back with first dove...ome of them AH HA moments I guess....damn fine dawg, he is!