Can you train a 2 year old lab to track.

[jp 7saum]

Hi guys I’ve been offered a 2 year old lab, it’s trained to retrieve and it’s not gun shy, I do a lot of deer contracting and was wondering you think it would still be possible to train the dog as a tracking dog with it already being 2? It will be my first dog as I’m just starting full time and I’m only 17 so my experience with training dogs is fairly limited.
Thanks for the help.
JP

 

[sh1kar]

Absolutely

 

[User00053]

May well take to the job like duck to water and if steady to shot, will sit and stay and walk to heel should tick the boxs and will look the part. Failing that keep in truck until needed

 

[NullMac]

Take it along, it will pretty much train itself as it works out the scoop.

Stop every now and ask it where the deer are. Very quickly you will have a deer radar.

 

[purdeydog]

Definitely if it’s in him.

 

[slider]

Absolutely, just take it out on a long rein, let it do it's stuff and reward when it finds the deer.

 

[jp 7saum]

Brilliant, thanks so much for the help guys. I’ll probably buy him then, I wanted a pup but with the new job I need a dog that will have to work right away. Hopefully he gets on good. Thanks for the help.

 

[Siggy]

Hi guys I’ve been offered a 2 year old lab, it’s trained to retrieve and it’s not gun shy, I do a lot of deer contracting and was wondering you think it would still be possible to train the dog as a tracking dog with it already being 2? It will be my first dog as I’m just starting full time and I’m only 17 so my experience with training dogs is fairly limited.
Thanks for the help.
JP

If you are contracting it should have no problem switching to stalking at heel - hot tracks are basically a blind retrieve on a leash. Received wisdom is that for cold tracks it's best to start younger but labs are really malleable. Good luck

You may want to think about how the lab indicates a find, if your dog is retrieving, you may want to think about the halving method or even bringsel.

 

[jp 7saum]

If you are contracting it should have no problem switching to stalking at heel - hot tracks are basically a blind retrieve on a leash. Received wisdom is that for cold tracks it's best to start younger but labs are really malleable. Good luck

You may want to think about how the lab indicates a find, if your dog is retrieving, you may want to think about the halving method or even bringsel.

I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet but that’s very true, a friend’s dog comes back with its ears down when it finds one. I’ll look into it, thanks again

 

[Foxyboy43]

At 2 your lab is really just coming out of the teenage years - perfect timing to get the best out of it!

 

[Tyla]

My lurcher bitch was 4 before I took her stalking and 6 by the time I started training her to track. She went on to pass the UKDTR test and did plenty of tracking for me locally and call outs before she retired at 12. You can teach the right old dog new tricks!

 

[tattie]

Shouldn't be a problem for the dog, it is in them.

Just introduce the dog to the scent of the deer whenever you are stalking, just take it a bit at at time and don't over do it.
Watch how the dog reacts to scent, sighting and finding deer. The indicators will be there and a lot of the time it is the owner that needs training

Get it to track in to beasts that have run a bit after you have shot them and that you can see and it will get used to it and always plenty of praise when the dog finds it.

I certainly wouldn't cast a fresh dog off after a beast you thought you might have hit, without looking at the strike/ no strike site for blood and pins, fine but just work the dog not too far in front of you so you can keep an eye on its movements and reactions.
Good recall is important as is heel work, although letting the dog be a little bit in front (12") of you is always the way I have worked my lab to allow you to see in your peripheral vision what the dog is doing.

Another thing is to never be impatient and expecting miracles as the doggy will pick things up and consistently doing things is the way to go.

No use letting the dog take off and losing it in cover if you have no idea where it is, and above all, don't bollock or get on to the dog as more dogs are spoiled by impatient owners than anything else.

I wish you and your dog well.

Cheers

A.M

 

[jp 7saum]

Thanks so much for the tips, I will definitely put them into practice, this has been so helpful. I’m sure I will definitely be in contact in the future for more advice. Thank you very much.
JP

 

[Bowland blades]

Absolutely you can TBF I went from GWP then Labs , first lab trained himself he was my wildfowling dog I just needed to track one down that ran into deep cover one time, i got a certain look as in " you couldn't even find that one look !" The 2nd lab - well i just took him out with the rifle TBF only thing i really helped with was showing where to grab them one , maybe two times ? Oh i do feed spare deer to the dogs and slots replace butchers bones .
Remember the weird bit is actually a dog hunting birds , deer of course are the natural prey of dogs.

 

[LarryLightFoot]

My youngun just turned a year old he’s a BMH x Lab, I’ve been concentrating on basic training wise but take him out everywhere and as some have mentioned I’m watching his signs when he starts indicating on Deer, got a long way to go, perfect recall , sitting under a high seat all to be mastered by both of us , at 12 months he’s still prone to big time zoomies but knows when the Deer rifle is on my shoulder and he’s on the Stalking lead things are a foot .

 

[John.270]

I got a lab at 1 year old and he got the hang of it in no time. If it gets a treat whenever it finds something, it’ll soon get the hang of things.

 

[Bowland blades]

My youngun just turned a year old he’s a BMH x Lab, I’ve been concentrating on basic training wise but take him out everywhere and as some have mentioned I’m watching his signs when he starts indicating on Deer, got a long way to go, perfect recall , sitting under a high seat all to be mastered by both of us , at 12 months he’s still prone to big time zoomies but knows when the Deer rifle is on my shoulder and he’s on the Stalking lead things are a foot .

on the face of it ( its a good cross without any contradictions between the two breeds ). was tempted myself a bit back and i still have a young enough lab who is doing just fine in the field

 

[sikadog]

Shoot deer, walk lab down wind until it picks up the scent. Walk lab to deer open deer, feed lab with liver bits.
Sorted, one trained deer dog.

 

[slider]

If you are contracting it should have no problem switching to stalking at heel - hot tracks are basically a blind retrieve on a leash. Received wisdom is that for cold tracks it's best to start younger but labs are really malleable. Good luck

You may want to think about how the lab indicates a find, if your dog is retrieving, you may want to think about the halving method or even bringsel.

My lab won't bark to mark the find but keeps coming back and looking please so you just need to follow her

 

[wag]

Stick a big bowl of high quality food at the end of a blood track he'll get it in 3 goes.