Having been the owner of DuckDogTrainer.com for over 20 years, it is fair to say that I have spent plenty of time training young dogs.

Most of the dogs that we train come to us with little or no obedience and various levels of retrieving desire.  Over a four- to five-month period the majority of the dogs (80 to 90 percent) will complete our basic duck dog training and be ready to go on their first hunt.

Although I have trained countless started dogs for clients, it has been a long time since I have personally been on a dog’s first hunt.  A long time that is … until last weekend.

If you spend anytime outside in SETX then you are probably aware of the warm weather that we have been experiencing.  While this weather is great for my golf game, it has proven to be less than ideal for duck hunting.  The mosquitoes are out in full force with a vengeance, and I am seeing alligators doing the back stroke every time I go near water.  Apparently the snakes are trying to sneak in a final meal or two until the cooler weather sets in as well. In fact, one tried to eat my dog “Penny” on a hunt last Friday.  Ok, I might be exaggerating a bit … but I can tell you that a cotton mouth bit her right beside the nose and put her on the injured reserve list for a few days.

With Penny’s face all swollen, and me not wanting her to get an infection, I decided it was time to pull a dog up from the practice squad. Yeti, a young yellow Labrador female, would be the next to take the reigns. The next morning, I found myself in the duck blind with a dog who had never hunted and found myself wondering what to expect. It was at this moment that I began to realize how my clients must feel when they take their dogs hunting for the first time.  In fact this feeling is not limited to my clients but to everyone who hunts with a newbie retriever.

Here are five things that helped make Yeti’s hunt successful that I believe could help you and your dogs as well.

• 1. Manage your expectations. This is a huge deal!  In fact most people find it very difficult to accept it when expectations and reality don’t match.  As far as your dog’s first hunt goes you should have a few simple goals in mind. Even though Yeti is advancing quickly in training, I did not expect her to be a “rock star”.  In fact all I was hoping for was that she would stay calm enough to not ruin the hunt, and retrieve at least one duck on her own.  Once she met these simple goals, I could consider our first outing a victory.

• 2. Choose your friends wisely!  Surely you have heard this one before.  The saying applies not only to how you live your life but also to how you hunt your dog.  On your dog’s first hunt keep in mind that you and the dog will be nervous. Having a friend in the blind to encourage you will go a long way at helping. On the contrary, a wise guy giving you grief can turn the trip south in a hurry!  I was fortunate and had my son as well as a close friend, and they both encouraged me and the dog.

• 3. Keep it comfortable. Remember that most all of our duck hunting takes place in or near water.  Just because a lab has a water repellent coat doesn’t mean he should stand in the water all day. With a little advance preparation, you can make sure your dog has a nice dry place or “perch” to serve at his home base. This will not only protect him from the elements but it will serve as a good vantage point to watch the birds as they begin to fall from the sky.

• 4. Keep it simple.  The best way that I can think of to ruin a first time hunting dog is to put it in a blind with a half dozen hunters who all unload there guns on a flock of ducks at day light and expect him to flawlessly retrieve 14 birds in record time.  A better approach would be for you to sit next to the dog and help him to watch in the decoy direction. Have your hunting partner shoot a single bird that your dog can easily see fall. Once the bird splashes, release the dog and praise him profusely if he makes the retrieve.  If he fails, don’t panic, simply walk to the bird and play fetch with your dog.  Once the dog seems to catch on, repeat the process several more times.

Gradually increase the difficulty of the retrieves over a period of several hunts.

• 5. Have fun!  If you have fun the chances are your dog will also. Remember that hunting is a great privilege and we should enjoy it every chance we get. Your dog is your hunting partner so be nice and speak in encouraging tones. No dog wants to hunt with a screaming and yelling taskmaster who never seems happy. Life is short…. savor every moment.

• 6. At the end of the hunt make a note of the areas that you felt needed improvement. These will be the things you train for until your next hunt.  Remember you can’t make a dog great in one training session, but you can ruin one in a session, so train accordingly.

As Yeti’s inaugural hunt came an end, I smiled and thanked God for giving me such a special dog and great friends to share the morning together in a duck blind. We had 18 ducks on the strap and she had retrieved almost every one! Life doesn’t get much better.