Hunting with a Rescue/Adopted dog

[Hookhunter20]

Hey everyone,

 Follow up to last years post on the chessie vs golden debate me and the girlfriend had. We did decide to get separate dogs for the two of us which I think is a win win. The next part of the search is the hardest. Ideally I would have had gotten the dog and have began grooming it for the upcoming seasons but life has a funny way of getting in the way of our plans. Long story short, a career change and lack of work recently has landed me less than ideal living arrangements to bring another life into the picture, but everything is starting to swing back to normal. That being said my work schedule doesn't leave me with ample time to properly train a young pup through the house breaking stages, so I have been looking into started dogs but a 3,000+ dollar price tag is a hard pill to swallow. I have come across a 1 year old female chessie ( I have expirence with the breed), who is up for owner placement through a rescue that deals exclusively with the breed. Everything sounds hopeful with her as she prefers a male handler, is not gun shy, loves the water and as the owner puts it very "birdy" and marks and tracks very well. My concern is shes never been hunted and apparently does not give after a retrieve. I think getting her to give to the hand shouldn't be a hard thing to break with proper patience and her younger age. My question is in your opinions should I take a leap of faith on her and has anyone had experience starting an older or rescue dog on a hunt training program?

[Uncle Nicky]

Just my $.02, but it sounds to me like the potential recruit is a winner, you will just need to break her of a bad habit or two.

 

I tried training a rescue dog to hunt turkeys, it didn't work out so well, but that is my fault. I got her as a pup, and was told she was a Golden Retriever/Spaniel mix, I took their word for it, and once she got a little older it was obvious she was mostly a terrier. I should have known by the size of her feet, lesson learned.  She actually was able to find birds and flush them, but she wore out after an hour or so in the woods.She's a great little house pet, and very low maintenance. The next dog I got was from a reputable breeder, and she is everything I ever wanted in a bird dog.

 

Good luck with your decision!

 

 

 

[Skillet]

Props to you for adopting a rescue. I'd never buy from a breeder.

[diplomat019]

How do they know the dog is birdy, tracks, not gun shy etc, yet never hunted her? Here's my 2 cents. If you adopt that dog And it turns out to be un-huntable/un-trainable you probably will end uo giving the dog away since u desire a hunting dog. Int he end you will do the dog a bigger disservice. On the flip side if you pay a reputable breeder you know what your getting and can train the way you please. If money is anconcern you still can find well bred dogs fkr a fair price. U just need tk search. 3000 for a started dog is ridiculous, but that seems to he the market price. Not my market tho lol. Maybe spend the money since this will be with you for the next 10 years at least.

[Hookhunter20]

Late check in. Have had internet issues as of late. Update on the dog I talked to the rescue and she was originally fostered to the present owner from an older gentleman who purchased her with the intent of making her a hunting dog, but sadly passed away just three months later. The wife a non hunter did not have the time or energy to handle her. According to the rescue she has some clicker training on top of what the foster told me. I will be taking the long trek to Maine next weekend to pick her up for a "foster run". Hoping all works out 

[dgram36]

How'd it work out? I should think that at one year old, any force fetch program would work to break her of most if not all of those issues. Just grab a program (fowl dogs, smart works), join a retriever club and give it a try. I mean, if you thought you could argue with a woman and win you should be willing to take on this challenge;)

I wouldn't jump into FF until you've gone through OB and the dog has settled into your family without any temperament issues.

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[dgram36]

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[Hookhunter20]

4 hours ago, dgram36 said:

How'd it work out? I should think that at one year old, any force fetch program would work to break her of most if not all of those issues. Just grab a program (fowl dogs, smart works), join a retriever club and give it a try. I mean, if you thought you could argue with a woman and win you should be willing to take on this challenge;)

I wouldn't jump into FF until you've gone through OB and the dog has settled into your family without any temperament issues.

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It's worked out great. She passed gun testing without a hiccup worked from .22 to 12 gauge in one session. She's your typical Chessie stubborn at times and a little sensitive but I have her retrieving and giving without fail. She's a water nut and her water retrieves are great. Steadiness and containing her excitement is the big thing she has a little trouble with but we are working through it now. She's picked up on everything way faster than I could have ever imagined. So far seems like I got lucky with her

[eagle rider]

that's great news.  As she gets a little more old hat she will settle in more and more especially over water.  She's a natural with that trainer in her face!