How to Train a Golden Retriever to Hunt

The first thing to do is take your Golden retriever to group obedience classes. This is a great place for him to pick up useful commands he will need later on, such as ‘wait’ and ‘down’. It will also socialize him with other pets, as you don’t want Marley to become overly aggressive.

Spend a few minutes each day playing tug of war and fetch with decoy toys. Firstly, this will get your dog familiar with their future prey. Secondly, it will help naturally develop the skills he will need later on when he's bringing down prey.

Secure your Golden retriever to a leash and take him out into his future hunting environment. Get him used to quietly walking through fields. You also want to get him used to the sounds and sights he will experience. For example, you don’t want him bolting if he hears a gunshot.

Make sure you always reward Marley when he does chase prey. Hand over a tasty treat, play with a toy and give him some verbal praise. Reward him even if he doesn’t catch anything to start. If you don’t, he may quickly give up trying.

Avoid using punishment techniques to train your Golden retriever to hunt. This may make him aggressive and potentially dangerous. Instead, focus on positive reinforcements. This is the most effective way to teach Marley.

This method is built around the idea that Golden retrievers learn from their owners. You will soon realise Marley will mirror some of your behaviour and look to you to see how to react in situations. So it’s your job to get him worked up by his prey. Start with regularly going out looking for it. Then when you do see it, point, whisper and do everything you can to draw his attention.

As soon as he has caught on, you need to take it to the next level. Run towards the prey with your arms outstretched, shouting as you go. You may look bizarre, but if Marley sees you constantly getting animated by the prey, he soon will too.

When he does run after the prey with you, make sure he gets a decent reward. This could be his favorite food or playing around with a toy. If you use a clicker when you train, now is the time to click. Do this every time he gives chase.

The hard part of this technique is consistency on your part. It may be tiring, but you need to draw his attention and give chase every time you see the prey until he starts doing it of his own accord. As soon as you lose interest, he may as well. So stay strong and stick with it.

Once he starts chasing prey without you prompting him, you can relax and stay put. However, you do need to be patient. Your Golden retriever won’t be successful every time to begin with. But that’s fine, give him time to fine-tune his hunting technique. He will learn quickly, just be there to reward him at the end.

Spray the decoy toy in scent spray and then play around at home for a few minutes each day. Play tug of war, talk in a high-pitched voice and get him as animated as possible by the toy. You can also leave them in Marley’s bed over night. You want him jumping up and down at the mere sight of them.

Now head out into your yard with the decoy and spray. Wipe the scent-covered decoy along the ground and around your yard. Then hide it somewhere at the end. You’re going to teach Marley to sniff out his future prey.

Secure your Golden retriever to a leash and take him to the beginning of the trail. Point, whisper, and encourage him to follow the trail. If he gets distracted, gently pull him back and encourage him again.

Make sure Marley gets to the end of the trail and finds the decoy. It’s important your Golden retriever learns that there is always something waiting for him at the end if he perseveres. Once he has found it, spend a minute or two playing around as a reward and giving him praise.

Now you simply need to make scent trails a few times a week. However, gradually make them harder and further apart. When Marley gets good, start making them in fields nearby too where there are more distractions. Keep creating trails until your Golden retriever starts sniffing out prey on his own. At which point, just be ready to give him a reward when he returns. You want to ensure it always feels like a game to him.