So I'm heading out on a dove hunt in September, and I was thinking about taking my 10-month-old English cocker along for his first hunt. Is a dove hunt the best place to introduce him to hunting? It'll be large groups of us hunting over fields. My dog is completely gun broken, and does a good job on retrieves, but he's also young and struggles with steadiness and some obedience. I'm of the opinion that he has to start somewhere, but I'm a little worried if a large-scale dove hunt is the place to do it.

I'd love to hear some thoughts! This is my first bird dog, so I'm pretty new to all of this.

As a Dove Outfitter my issue has been a few times that some dogs that are not trained very well will spoil a hunt for the whole field. Running all around the field and bugging other hunters. I allow folks to bring their dogs, but they better be well trained, or they're going in the kennel and staying there.

You would do your pup a great favor by putting your gun down, and focus on your pup, keeping him steady and send him on retrieves and watching him.

I agree. With a young dog as long as he’s excited when multiple guns go off take him. It’s tough with a big group. I had a pair of dogs in the late 90’s that could handle 10 hunters. I had them trained the first year to be steady and handled them. We dove hunted and guided every day of the season back then and everyone killed a limit every evening. It was a special spot. A milo field next to a golf course in San Angelo with the only water around, 5 minutes from where I lived. The second year and after I never handled the dogs. They would just retrieve every bird shot, drop it in a pile in front of me and jump back in the cooler and watch for the next ones. But that’s what I wanted them to do. I never even had to communicate with them unless they started getting too hot. Have fun with the new pup!

Take your dog, and shoot a couple. Try to talk with the hunters around you, and offer to let your dog fetch birds. While this will result in you not shooting as much, it will give your dog a great introduction and let you get to work with the dog in a live field!

I say no, way to much going on with other hunters and a young dog.

I'd take the pup somewhere were its just yall, you can shoot some birds and be able to concentrate on just the pup with limited distractions.

HE77 NO !!!!!!!!!!!

But, I like the idea of taking pup on a long lead, let him/her get used to shooting, other dogs, other hunters BUT don't plan on hunting. It's all about the dog

This being said, make sure pup is used to gun fire, letting her out around all the blasting could do lasting damage.

Almost EVERYONE who owns a dog, thinks it's a field trial champion. Seen it SO many times, dog runs wild, hunter screams till he's hoarse, then whips the dog cuz he's embarrassed. just not a good time for anyone.

After reading these responses, I think I'll give it some more one-on-one time in the field before a big group hunt. He's great around me, but completely untested around anything else. I'm thinking next year. Thanks for all the great advice!

Everything negative said above is sometimes true, but not all the time of course. Ships weren't made for harbors. IF he is trained as well as you originally said, then take him. After he retrieves a few that others have shot, you'll know if you can start shooting too. (I assume some of these guys will be friends and let him learn with their help.) If not put him up and learn from it. Unless it is too hot, I love starting young dogs on a good dove shoot.

Flyfish and Buzzsaw are correct. If you do take him, then find a spot where people aren't burning their barrels and focus on one bird at a time. The potential to creat some real issues is grand.

I recommended best if you do not shoot, so you can watch and work your pup. But if you want to shoot, as said above, just make it you and your pup. And you want to keep your pup from breaking, so put a lead on your pup and lock him down to a stake, with something like pic below... You also might want a "hammer" stake, sometimes the ground is too hard for a "screw" stake, hammer stake probably better...

If the obedience and steadiness are not there yet you need to square that up before you take him among a bunch of other paid hunters that will not be amused by a dog rodeo.

I’d take him in a heartbeat. A cocker should do great on a dove hunt. You might try to locate an area away from the others a bit but take him. Let him get some experience.

I took a Brit on his first quail hunt at 16 weeks. He pointed and fetched 17 quail.

The best way to make a bird dog is get them in birds.

Good luck and enjoy it.

Dove Hunting + Dog = More fun

But, there is nothing worse than an untrained dog, running around messing up other hunters hunt, worse yet some bonehead dog owner yelling at his dog for not listening to him when he has not trained him in the first place.

^^^ x1000

I hunted a lake and all morning all I heard was “Drake, NO” “NO Drake” Damnit Drake” “Drake…Drake…Drake…etc”. I swore that day I would never be one of the guys who yells all morning at my dog (for others to hear) and I’ll never name a dog Drake

To the OP…there’s been several duck dogs ruined in a dove field and I’ll say none were the dogs fault. I wouldn’t take it if it was my dog but if you do, pay attention to the dog way more than shooting or hunting.

It sounds like your dog is ready. Like others said, I'd have a tether handy and just work your dog at first. I know cockers can get a bit amped up. Once you know he has a handle on it, hunt for yourself. Take your time and don't rush it, it'll work out if you use common sense.

Just don't be that guy with the dog that repeatedly goes wheels off.

Be very aware of heat stroke while Dove hunting, and just remember that a stock tank can have water over 90 degrees which is no help to a dog that is overheated. Dogs especially young dogs can overheat easily. Have fun with your dog they are wonderful !!!

If you have a good foundation then yes. I have had Buster for 7 years and have not lost a bird yet. He also helps find lost birds for others. He's been a natural in everyway. I just taught him obedience. He doesn't mark well but you head him in the right direction and he will find the bird. He does get restless and paces around when birds are thin, but never out of a 10 yard circle at the most. Any shotgun firing puts him on full alert. He didn't learn it all in the backyard, so take him. You always kennel him if he gets out of hand. I bet he don't. Take a big water bucket and place it in the shade to stay cool for him to dip in when he gets back from a retrieve. This year I may take a bag of ice to put in the water for him.

I think those bird dogs are great for dove. Both my labs mark very well, but both not good using their nose. Tara gets so amped up, she runs around "looking" instead of using her nose. I got some whole dove in the freezer, I been using them to train her not to chomp on them, but I'm going to hide them and let her "hunt them up", force her to use her nose.

We used to use froze birds for our English Pointers from when I was a kid on up. My Cockers are soft mouthed from the womb. Lucky I guess. Buster is too interested in what I'm gonna do that to watch the sky. The times he has marked he is on a bee line there and back. I really like it when he gets after cripples. He has tons of prey drive.

I remember once taking my lab, who was a very seasoned duck and dove retrieving machine on his first pheasant hunt.

I didn't think for one second it would have been the cluster eff it was. He had no idea how to handle 10-12 guys walking a field, hens and roosters flushing, people at the end of the line shooting, hens getting the pass, he took off after a low flying hen, seemed he ran a mile off chasing that bird.......

It wasn't his best showing.

Yeah thats what the dog trainer I sent Rosie to did, then moved her over to thawed birds. Poor girl doesn't like a fresh bird in the mouth, but she is only 9 months so I am going to work on it with her slowly.

I'm not a big dove hunter, but I thought half the fun of a dove season opener is having a guy there that almost gives himself a heart attack screaming at his dog.

(Of course, the more expensive the dog, the better.)

Guilty... Buster's first year. Ran the middle of the field from one end to the other after a low flier that had been shot at. I was yelling here at the top of my lungs. He got a hearing aid put on as soon as I got him back. After that hunt, he has not failed to come back when called. Never has had an electric collar on since...but that one day.

Most of the guys that I know never work their dogs. Ever. Some maybe a time or two before season.

To develop real rapport with your dog, you're going to need to spend time with him or her working - not laying on the couch. This starts with basic commands in the backyard. Here, sit, stay, fetch, etc.

I'm down to one Pointer but she gets the same treatment that they all did - training collar on, four to five times a week for about an hour and we work on understanding what is expected of her and what she's allowed to do on her own.

Get in that habit with your dog and you'll never be disappointed by his or her performance in the field or anywhere else.