Water retrieves,how far is too far???

R

Rich Audiano

Member
My pup, Luke the Wonder Pooch, has always had a real strong drive on geese.To the point that I think they just infuriate him at times. He loves fetching up ducks,but when a goose goes down he just seems to have that extra spring in his launch into the water after them and if on land, he just loves to pounce on them when he reaches them, alive or dead.

We hunt a lot of big water and I am always cautious about wearing Luke out and making sure his needs are tended to. Shooting limits with 4 guys over one dog can add up to a pile of swimming. Well last week, my brother stretched a shot out on a goose and cripped it. It started off close but that damn goose was paddling for it's life and covered some serious ground on Luke in a hurry. By the time we got the boat launched they had made it darn near a quarter mile and Luke put it on that goose. He flat wore it out. As we got out there in the boat, I pulled him in and he was not even breathing heavy!!!!!

Same thing happens today, only it was me that wing shot the goose and could not get a second shot in him quick enough before he started heading for the horizon with Luke in hot pursuit. I did not have the fear today that I did last week, but got the boat ready just the same. Waves were less than a foot and he never for a second lost sight of that goose, so I just let him go betting he would close the gap. And close it he did. After about an 8 minute chase he ran that goose down.8 minutes one way!!!OFF SHORE!!As near as we could tell that dog went damn near 3/4 mile this time round trip. And again, he was not even panting or winded a bit.

As he swam back, my buddy John said to me,"Don't get your hopes up that you will ever have another dog like Luke."

I have seen him make some great long retrieves on birds,but never anything close to these last couple of geese.

Never for a minute would I put him in danger, but am I nuts for letting him have his head and running these geese down??He has always pulled himself off a bird if he had a problem,he is clever that way.I am certainly proud of his abilities,but could never live with myself if something went wrong. He is an extremely healthy 6 year old 90 pound of raw muscle black lab.
 
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My labs are the same way and it scares the hell out of me. I won't hunt big water off the shore any more unless I have a boat with me just in case. My problem is my male, he won't pull off the bird no matter what the collar is set on. He actually swam out of site on me one time. I ran back to my truck and was ready to drive around to the opposite shore when my buddy spotted him heading back with the Brant. I would make sure they wear the best vest that money can buy. An other thing that scares me is when they are way out there and the bird starts diving on them and they start swimming in circles,after they finally get it what if they get disoriented and start swimming to the wrong shore? That's where a white tee shirt comes in handy.If the wind is blowing in your face a whistle won.t be enough to get his attention.
 
Sounds like an awsome pup to have and work with.

As for your question, you have his interests at heart. Just remember that the water is still warm and he's still young(?). Then when things change, water temp, wind, air temp, and with good training you can call him off. Having an eyeball on him helps too it would seem.

Oh yeah, and keep up the protein!!.
 
My lab was competeing I think with my partners lab last weekend. A goose took off across the river and it was a good 30+ minutes before mine caught it. Then it seemed to take forever for him to get back. And like was mentioned, he didn't even seem winded by it. I know he swam at least a mile out, chase, and back. He just wouldn't break off to the whistle.
 
"And like was mentioned, he didn't even seem winded by it. I know he swam at least a mile out, chase, and back."
kEVIN:ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE IT WAS YOUR DOG THAT CAME BACK? :) :)

All kidding aside,on a very serious matter:THE LIFE OF YOU DOG.
ESPECIALLY ON BIG/TIDAL WATER ,WHEN IT'S COLD:
Always keep on eye on your dog and if he is starting to tire.
The very first time you see this,start up that motor and go to your dog!!!!!
 
I had a yellow lab that was on hyper drive for downed birds. I hit a bird that made it about halfway out into a large bay before it went down. As soon as the bird hit the water she was off after it. The dog swam out of sight and I was concerned if it got all the way across the bay to the next patch of bullrushes it would get lost. We started to get the boat out and as soon as we got it free from the muck we saw something white flash across the bay in the direction the dog had gone. I watched for awhile and saw the flash again and it was getting closer. Finally I saw the white bottom of the birds wing flash as the wind flopped it up as she swam back with it. This bay was almost a mile across and when the dog got back, she just shook it off as if it was a trip to the end of the decoys and back. I had trained the dog with a come back whistle for when the dog gets out of sight and hoped she had heard it from down wind. I credit the preseason training and conditioning I had given my lab.

After the area farmers cut the wheat it get permission to use a field for training. I used long memory marks that I placed a half mile from the starting point. The dog would easily do an under 4 minute mile round trip. I would do this after bumper training and then swims in the pond. I also used the white cone method to place a memory mark across a large pond for longer swims.


Sounds to me like you have a good lab and with more training conditioning it should be able to do longer water retrieves you will feel comfortable with. It is your judgment call as to what you think the limits should be for your hunting conditions. What I feared the most was going for a cripple in the boat with the dog. If the cripple got next to the boat and the dog went in after it, she could get cut-up by the prop.

Dogs and ducks, you have got to love it!
 
Dennis just wrote:"What I feared the most was going for a cripple in the boat with the dog. If the cripple got next to the boat and the dog went in after it, she could get cut-up by the prop. "

He makes a great(and easily forgotten) point especially
"in the heat of the chase" when hunting for divers!!!

So as you approach an area that has a wounded diver,
make sure you kick the motor into neutral,as you scan
the water.

Othrwise your dog may see that bird pop up and go for it
 
Rich, sounds like you have a great dog there. I too have had my pup go too far for cripples. In essance it's my fault for not killing the bird in the first place.

My dog is always on an e-callar while hunting. I will not let him go too far anymore. I will call him back, get him in the boat, and then go for the bird. Once the bird is dead I will let him make the retrieve from the boat. I owe him that much.

I have a friend who's dog nearly drown after getting caught on a submerged net. By the time we got to him his nose was the only thing above the water line. We never got the bird either. This took place in open water on a salt marsh. Be careful with those long retrieves...............Best of luck............Kevin
 
The two things you need to think about before sending the dog are Hypothermia and Exhaustion. You and only you can decide if the dog can / should make the retrieve.

Good luck!

NR
 
Otto never gets more than about 300 yards before I get the boat out. We hunt in rivers with some hefty current at times and I'm always worried that something will happen and I can't get to him in time.

I've heard him scream when he was in trouble and couldn't make it back up on shelf ice near shore (but he couldn't touch bottom) and I never want to hear that again - scary, and I was only 20 yards away. I finally got his attention and directed him to a shallower spot so he could jump up and out.

There is no retrieve or any duck/goose that is worth putting my dog at risk. I can't imagine having to go home with an empty kennel because he got in trouble and I wasn't near enough to help him.
 
Rich,

I think you have found out just what these wonderful animals can do. The problems start when we become over-confident in their abilities. Things that would concern me are several long retrieves in cold weather back-to-back without the dog getting a chance to warm up and dry off. What is more likely to get the dog is hypothermia than exhaustion from the retrieve. These wonderful animals we hunt with will give everything they have for us. Most hunters don't realize their dog is in trouble until the dog is about to die. Most dogs get in trouble when they are in the water for long periods of time. That can be making retrieves, hunting in flooded conditions or sitting in water in a boat or blind. Neoprene vests for your dog will help keep them warmer but will not completely compensate for long exposure to cold water.

I don't know how much you hunt but some dogs tend to lose weight when hunted hard a lot. A dog that is going to hunt a lot in cold wet condtions should probably be fed a higher energy diet to keep weight on them. You may also want to consider a contrasting color collar to help you see your dog at longer distances. You also might consider having a large white t-shirt or something to quickly put on to help your dog see you on the way back from a long retrieve.

Tom
 
A follow up to what Nick said; you are fortunate to own a wonderful animal whose drive and heart make a very impressive hunting partner, but you as his owner and handler are responsible for his health and well being. You are the one with the brains, and like having a small child who doesn't understand all the ramifications of their actions, your dog is only drivin by one thing, I must get that bird, there is no reasoning or logic yet. Later as the dog ages he will temper that drive with some prior experiences but I don't think a dog like the one you have will ever give up on trying to get that bird at all cost.

I have been fortunate to have one or two dogs like that. One thing I have always done is use a tight fitting neoprene hunting vest. Not only does the vest ward off hypothermia but it adds a little boyancy. Like a lot of guys have already suggested, I hop in the boat when I think things are getting out of hand, ie my dog isn't gaining on a fast swimming duck, or he's heading for some danger. One of the biggest dangers around here is hunting on ice, there have been more than a few hunters who have drown going in to save their dog who had broken through thin ice. The last thing is training, he should always stop on a whistle and return to a come-in whistle, training your dog to handle is also very helpful. I have had many situations where my dog didn't see that the duck was a cripple and had swam into the cattails across the pond, being able to stop him on a whistle and cast him into the cattails where he was able to pick up the scent of the cripple has recovered a lot of what would certainly be lost birds, and saved your dog a lot of energy.

I don't mean for this to come across as a lecture, I can tell that you really love your dog and are asking this question out of a desire to keep him safe at all cost, I just wanted to offer my 2cents.
John
 
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