WiskeyJaR said:
Was watching a "duck hunting" show on TV from southern LA the other night, they had labs in boats and blinds, never actually saw a dog in the water, but did see dogs on land with retrieving ducks.
Question is.....how do you keep your dogs out of the water? Do you even allow your dogs to get in the water? As a owner of a Boykin Spaniel who thinks she is more fish then dog, I would think it would be hard keeping dog out of the water and becoming gator bait.
They are taught as pups. We started ours when they were 6 weeks old. They must know "heel", "stay", "come" before they can even begin to work. We train then with fake ducks, just throwing by hand, then on to the sound of a gun. It's a process that takes diligent, patience and a lot of love. By the time they are 3 months old, they will retrieve. Not until they are about 18 mo - 2 do they really work good for you. They are out of the puppy stage by then and pay attention.
The gators? Well, when you shoot a gun off, it scares them. They will usually leave the area. A dog will not go where a gator is, usually. They can smell them. There have been times that a dog is "lunch", but it is usually a house dog, not a hunting dog.
Our dogs: Our old girl is 14 1/2 yrs. old. She does not hunt anymore. She is 1/2 red heeler and 1/2 bird dog. We've had her since she was 5 weeks old; adopted her from the shelter.
We have a set of twins that are 1/2 corgi and 1/2 black lab that are 4 yrs old. We've had them since they were born. They are our hunting dogs. All are spoiled rotten too.
An older gentleman told me years ago, "Gentle hands make a gentle animal". I've never forgotten that.
Watch Bruce Mitchell hunt with his old dog, Tyler. (Swamp People). That dog has been in the bayous of Louisiana all his life. He knows!