SportDOG: Good Reasons to Crate-Train Your Hunting Dog

by
posted on August 11, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
dogs_ah2015_fs.jpg (53)

As we've discussed here, crate-training your puppy should be one of his first obedience lessons. It lays the foundation for more advanced training, it aids greatly in house-breaking and it just plain keeps him safer when you aren't around. It's not mean—it's the right thing to do.

More recently I came across a blog post on the subject by professional retriever trainer Rick Grant on the SportDOG Brand website. It's well worth the full read, as it delves into four hunting-dog specific reasons to crate-train your dog.

My favorite point Grant makes is one I had not considered: One day you'll have to send your duck dog ahead of you for retrieves or your upland dog—be it a pointer or flusher—ahead of you to hunt.

"With those concepts in mind, what better way to reinforce the concept than sending [your dog] to his kennel?" Grant writes. "Once your dog knows what 'Kennel' means, you should be able to send him there from 10 feet, 30 feet, or really almost any distance."

Do you crate-train your dogs? Why or why not?

Latest

10 Most Versatile Long Range Hunting Cartridges Lead
10 Most Versatile Long Range Hunting Cartridges Lead

10 Most Versatile Long-Range Hunting Cartridges

Here’s a look at 10 of the most flexible long-range hunting cartridges.

First Look: Auto-Ordnance "Land of the Free" 250th Anniversary 1911

Auto-Ordnance, in collaboration with the artisans at Koted Arms, has announced the release of the "Land of the Free" 1911, a striking custom stainless pistol honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States.

#SundayGunday: Daniel Defense DD PCC 916

Whenever possible, take a new shooter and introduce them to America’s Rifle, the AR-15, because you never know where that first experience might lead. For Marty Daniel, it illuminated a path that would soon create Daniel Defense, one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of semi-automatic rifles. And for this range session, we’re diving into a carbine derived from Stoner’s AR-15 yet configured for pistol-caliber cartridges: the Daniel Defense DD PCC 916.

Screwworm Invasion Stalling at the Southern Border

The New World Screwworm (NWS) invasion, and the potentially devastating impact it could have on wildlife populations and the ranching industry has stalled, at least temporarily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is confident enough in its defenses—coupled with the cooperation of officials in Mexico—that livestock from Mexico is scheduled to resume entry through the Douglas, Ariz., port on Aug. 24.

First Look: Apex Ammunition Dove Stratified Loads

Apex Ammunition has introduced dove loads in its Stratified line of shotshells. Featuring layered shot sizes of either L3 high-antimony lead or S3 steel pellets, the Dove Stratified series is designed to perform at variable ranges, with dense close- and mid-range patterns and increased terminal energy at longer distance.

Lightweight AR-10: Building a Hunt-Focused Backcountry Rifle (Part 2)

Welcome to Part 2 of the quest to build the lightest AR-10 possible. This section focuses on the upper (Part 1 featured the lower; Part 3 will focus on tuning the gun). No need to keep you waiting; if you want to see the premise or any qualifiers, check out Part 1. Let’s start the upper build.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.