tune him up

[wingnut]

did anybody ever use the duck scent that you inject into the dokken ducks from cabelas .and do you think it will help with getting the dog to use his nose more.any info would be great .thanks

[OneShotWilly]

I think its a gimmick to be honest with you. I dont think the dog really cares what the scent of the bumper smells like. What I did to help my dog learn to use her nose to find things is hide a real pheasant wing. Have the dog smell it and get pumped up about it. Hide it on them, start off with simple easy places you hide it, then gradually get tougher but dont TEST the dog, set them up for success. Once you hide it then tell um to Hunt it up, or find the bird. Praise when they find it. My dog loves this game.

[pahunter1]

+1

only I use a goose wing...

I did (and still have) a bottle of that stuff... I did not notice ANY difference, it her retrieves nor her "marking and or hide and seek" skills. She only would lick the bumper prior to retrieving...

like OneShot said, start slow and easy, and work up to harder marks/hides. don't make them impossible, and reward the accomplishment along the way...
I have some folded and some open, the folded ones can be hand thrown 20 yards, open ones are for teaching the pup a "larger mark"...
one suggestion is not to use "fresh" wings though... the fresh blood and etc at the shoulder can make them "blood thirsty" and want to chew. a buddy of mine has a pup that if you don't take the bird as soon as she heels, she starts to pluck the bird (thinking she is supposed to), we found out the hard way Thursday on her first live retrieve... I use dried wings he used fresh the end of last season & late snow conservation...and slacked off the summer months, she now even tries to pluck the dried ones (may be a "fluke", but IMO its the reasoning...

If it doesn't get mounted, they are de-winged, at the shoulder, and dried in the basement... (you can dehydrate them in the oven (very low temp for a few hours) or with a dehydrator)... you'd be surprised how well they work and how easy it is to get quite a few "saved up" from the early season alone... 1 bird = 2 training aides... you will have enough for year round training for $0

[timmy3131]

+1

only I use a goose wing...

I did (and still have) a bottle of that stuff... I did not notice ANY difference, it her retrieves nor her "marking and or hide and seek" skills. She only would lick the bumper prior to retrieving...

like OneShot said, start slow and easy, and work up to harder marks/hides. don't make them impossible, and reward the accomplishment along the way...
I have some folded and some open, the folded ones can be hand thrown 20 yards, open ones are for teaching the pup a "larger mark"...
one suggestion is not to use "fresh" wings though... the fresh blood and etc at the shoulder can make them "blood thirsty" and want to chew. a buddy of mine has a pup that if you don't take the bird as soon as she heels, she starts to pluck the bird (thinking she is supposed to), we found out the hard way Thursday on her first live retrieve... I use dried wings he used fresh the end of last season & late snow conservation...and slacked off the summer months, she now even tries to pluck the dried ones (may be a "fluke", but IMO its the reasoning...

If it doesn't get mounted, they are de-winged, at the shoulder, and dried in the basement... (you can dehydrate them in the oven (very low temp for a few hours) or with a dehydrator)... you'd be surprised how well they work and how easy it is to get quite a few "saved up" from the early season alone... 1 bird = 2 training aides... you will have enough for year round training for $0

what do you use to dry the wings. I took the wings off from my snow goose i shot in the spring and threw them for my pup who was 2 and a half months old then, but then i put them in the freezer and havent got them out since. I would like to dry them, or be able to use them

[pahunter1]

what do you use to dry the wings. I took the wings off from my snow goose i shot in the spring and threw them for my pup who was 2 and a half months old then, but then i put them in the freezer and havent got them out since. I would like to dry them, or be able to use them

i simply "nail them" to a board and let them sit... a few week later they are useable... (my unfinished basement is heated and there is no moisture "issues". remember to trim the "fat / muscle and tissues as much as you can. don't cut it at the actual shoulder joint, i simply take the butcher knife (or hatchet will work) and take it off about 1/4 up the first long bone of the wing to avoid much muscular tissue. this will avoid rotting. I have also tried dehydrating them in the dehydrator / smoker and even the oven (the last 2 very low temp 125 for a few hours at least){kind of like doing jerkey, just drying all the way...}
summer is bad if natural dry is used... rotting & fly maggots are easily a result, hence good trimming is needed...
I am still using the same one for the past two weeks with every other day training... once completely dry, they withstand water / slobber pretty well, but do get roughed up quite a bit esp when first training...