All week you work hard and look forward to the weekend. You can then spend your mornings on the weekend stealthily walking through nature on the hunt. You’ve got your rifle on your back, the sun is out and the air is still. You love being out in it. However, you’re getting to a stage where you think it might be nice to have some company. Fortunately, you have an energetic German Shepherd waiting for you at home who naturally has many of the attributes needed to be an effective hunter already.
Training your Shepherd to hunt comes with several advantages. Firstly, you’ll have some company on those hunting trips. Secondly, you’ll have an effective hunter who can help you track and catch prey. This means ultimately, your dog may help improve your hunting results. Finally, you’ll have a brilliant way to bond with your favorite canine.
Training a German Shepherd to hunt does come with its challenges. You will need to use strict obedience training to ensure they follow your every instruction when out hunting. You will also need to get them familiar with their future prey from an early age as possible. You will then need to use positive reinforcements to teach them how to hunt.
Training your dog to hunt could take as little as a month or two if they are eager to please. However, if they are older and more interested in lying around than hunting, then you may need several months. If you stick with training you’ll have a fantastic degree of control that you can use to teach your German Shepherd a wide range of commands and behaviors. But most importantly, locating and tracking prey may be far easier with your Shepherd's powerful nose at your disposal.
Before you start training, you will need to gather a few items. Stock up on tasty treats or break Fido's favorite food into small pieces. You will also need some decoy toys of their future prey and some scent spray.
A training leash will also be required, as will a place to train, such as a yard or a local park or field. Set aside 15 minutes or so each day for training. The more often you train, the sooner you will see results.
Once you have the above, just bring patience and a proactive attitude, then work can begin!