What's the longest retrieve your dog ever made?

[brian ziegler]

I have the best dang dog I've ever seen in person. (emphasis on the in person part). Shes a great dog and loves what she does. The other day she got a retreive that was well over 200 yards. And to me that is amazing. Our old dog woud go so far and just turn around as if there was this imaginary boundary. But Jakie (my pup) has so dedicated to her job. I love looking at her when we're in the boat because shes always watching the sky. So i was just curious what is the longest, unassisted retreive your dog ever made?

 

[Brad Bortner]

Land or water? Mark or blind?

more than 400 yards on a marked land retrieve for a crippled goose, about 300 yards for a blind retrieve on a dead goose (dang skybusters dropped it and left it in the field)
more than 250 yards on a swimming crippled scaup that couldn't stay down for more than 10 seconds.

 

[Howard]

Luv made several 200+ and she never weighed more than 54 lbs. Tiny for a Bay dog. Don't remember Sneeds longest but she did 100+ on her first hunt at 7 months old.

 

[Mike]

At the end of last season, my 2 year old BLF awed us with a 1 way 150+ yard 1 water retrieve in some decent current across open water. I thought the mallard was dead in the water @ about 40 yards and drifting, but it lifted it's head and swam off as she approached. She chased him down and headed back to us. She did have her Avery boater's vest on with the floatation inserts. I don't think I'll hunt without a good retriever anymore. For me, it really makes the hunt complete watching my dog work.

 

[CraigS]

I've watched Belle finish retrieves several times with binoculars. Its kind of impressive to be standing on the bow of your boat for every one to see and your dog is a 1/4 mile away and your giving her hand signals to the cripple.

Its even more impressive when she follows your hand signals !! LOL

 

[brian ziegler]

i meant in water. but any long retrieve is impressive. 400 yards? thats nuts. This is Jackies' second season out and she seems more determined every trip out. Can't imagine not having a dog with me. I'd almost be worthless with out her. I've seen her spin around in circles for 5 minutes while ducks dove up and down trying to get away from her. She doesnt know how to give up. Having a good dog makes the hunt that much better. Thank god for mans best friend.

 

[Jon Yenulonis]

My "Old Dog", probably 250 or so yards in a straight water retrieve. One time however, she chased a cripple for over 20 minutes and never went more than 75 yarsd from me. The silly bird kept swimming back and forth in front of us, too close to the dog to shoot, yet just out of her reach. She finally out lasted it and brought it back. I remember that was a funny retrieve. When she finally did snag it, the bird's wing drapped over her head covering her eyes but she wouldn't dare let go of it. I had to whistle her all the way back to me. Made me proud.

 

[Jeff Reardon]

Well, we had this untrained lap dog Springer when I was a kid. He was never hunted, but he sure had desire. He once leaped out of the front of a boat that was running on plane to chase a loon on Sebago Lake. He'd have chased it to the far shore, about 3 miles away, if we let him.


Another time he jumped into the surf off the rocky shore near Two Lights (state park in Maine) and latched onto a lobster pot. He pulled the two trap trawl to shore, and had the rig dragged most of the way to the high tide line before we called him away.

Properly trained, he'd have been amazing.

 

[David L]

I'm kind of embarassed to admit this, because I think it was extremely foolish and not to mention unsafe.....But last year on raritan bay my dog made a "guessitmated" 600+ yd retrieve of a crippled honker. that was being sucked out by swift current of the out going tide.... and in a small snow squal! What allowed this to happen, was, due to the aforementioned tide swing I found my boat high and dry! It took 2 of us several minutes to get it out and mobile and by that time my dog was spot in the horizon...He got the goose but lost his bearings and was actually swimming with the wing covering his eyes parallel to the shore out to sea! Obviously I didn't let him swim back and pulled him in the boat...In hind sight I had a chance to stop him about 200yds out but "thought" he was gaining on the goose...Well the next time I looked up he was just a speck.....I've whatched several dogs some my own some my friends routinely make 200yd retrieves on crippled divers and many much longer blinds on wing clipped honkers when guiding


Here is the pic from that day

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[BillS]

I have DD's so its a bit different than running a typical retriever. We expect dogs you use their search, drive, nose and independence in recovering game. In training we release a wing clip duck and unseen to dog throw it into a pond and then bring the dog up. Depending on the water body size, its not uncommon to have dogs recover the birds hundereds of yards away.

But in a more typical retreiver manner, I have worked with my male on lines, 300yd plus on land and to cross a body of water to the other shore (200-250yds) I put that training to test last year and we downed a couple of geese, one landed about 100yd the other sailed about 300+ yards. I sent him on the close bird that he marked and afterwords I sent him on the sailed bird. He got to the first birds scent and I gave him one back command and he stayed on the line and kept swimming, this being on the chesapeake there wasn't any opposte shoreline, I started to regret my descison to send him and began getting ready to pull the anchor when I noticed him get on the scent trail of the wounded goose. The goose had now swam out to about 400 yards, he got to within 50 yards and sighted the goose and went loud (barking) so I new the chase was on and in short order he grabbed the goose and began to come back. The other guys in the boat didn't even know what a DD was when we left the ramp and told me in 40 plus years of hunting that was one of the best retrieves they had seen. I was happy and to cement that retrieve in my head, when the dog came onto shore and sat in front of me, we noticed a shiny metal band on its leg. As we didn't know who hit that bird, being in my boat and the dogs retrieve the band was given to me, my only band.