Sporting Life Kennels
Sporting Life Kennels (SLK) is a premier retriever training and breeding operation. Located on a 42-acre farm in Oxford, Mississippi, SLK has the expertise and ideal environment to develop highly effective waterfowl dogs. Owner, Marty Roberts, has nearly 40 years’ experience training, breeding, and raising waterfowl dogs and loves what he does. Marty also started Retriever University, which is holistic training process that takes from Marty’s extensive retriever training background.
Also, be sure to check out SLK’s website and Instagram, if you’re interested in puppies or training information! Follow along for Marty’s tips on getting your dog ready for the quickly approaching hunting season!
After lounging around all summer, many hunters are starting to get the itch for the upcoming season. For those with retrievers, getting your dog ready should start as soon as possible, and what a great way to get those juices flowing for both you and your best buddy.
Here are some tips we use here at Sporting Life Kennels when getting back into the swing of things.
1. Remember to start slow!
A lot of these pups have had an easy summer and need to get back into physical shape. Dogs, just like humans, might need to shake some rust off from being out of practice for a period of time. With that being said, be aware of the heat as you get back outside training. Fall isn’t here yet so remember, for those early goose and dove hunts the heat is still a factor as well. So be careful out there. I like to train early in the morning and in the evening as the sun is going down.
2. Speaking of the heat, our second tip is to work in and around water.
We like to begin with lots of water work, as it helps get them back in shape quickly while being easy on their body and joints. Not to mention it also helps keep their body temperature down.
3. Our third tip is one of our favorite things to do year-round, especially before the season opens up: working on steadiness.
We like to work with a single dog or pup and then slowly incorporate other dogs into the mix to work on honoring. I love to work delayed retrieves as well as denials (meaning you walk out and pick up the bumper or bird instead of sending the dog). These techniques can work wonders, especially if you train alone, and are easily doable in your backyard. However, you need to get out and train in as many different places as you can before the season, because dogs can be place specific. Meaning they get comfortable working in one location then once they are put in a new and different location their training breaks down, especially when gunfire is introduced.
4. Our fourth tip also has to do with getting your dogs and pups comfortable in all kinds of situations.
Try to get out and simulate actual hunts—use decoys, dog stands, duck calls, spinning wing decoys, etc. the more the better. This is also a great time to grab a few friends and work on honoring with a few dogs.
5. "Slow Is Fast" when training your pup, especially when getting back into the rhythm of things.
I like to start with obedience and move forward as they progress to refresh everything. Just like us they get out of shape and have to be reminded of learned skills that might need to be refreshed. Finally, don't forget to be patient and have fun.
We wish everyone the best of luck this season,