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Skills List - Master Hunting Retriever

 

  1. Mastered all the skills of a basic Hunting Retriever
  2. Advanced Obedience- solid obedience skills are the foundation of the Master Hunting Retriever; they include basic commands such as: come (here), heel, sit, stay, hold and leave-it; and, more advanced commands such as:
    • Remote Sit-Stay – place the dog in a remote location like a mutt-hut or platform stand.
    • Ignore Diversions – ignore falling birds, calling & shooting while making a retrieve.
    • Honor another Dog – the ability to hunt with another dog and to watch quietly as it makes a retrieve.
    • Mark off the Gun – the experience and control at a time of heightened excitement to watch where the gun(s) are aimed and to move as necessary to keep falling birds in sight.  
    • Take a Line – the ability to be pointed (lined) in a direction and search that direction for a downed bird.
    • Remote Whistle -Sit – a quick sit following a sharp whistle blast when away from the hunter- used in handling or upland hunting.
    • Casting – the ability of a dog to be redirected from a remote location – used to correct a line on a blind or marked retrieve.
  1. Complex Multiple Marked Retrieves on Land & Water – the Master Hunting Retriever quietly watches where all the birds fall, remembers their location, runs or swims directly to each bird, and retrieves it to the hunter. These can be up to three birds (triple marked retrieve) retrieved from rough cover (thick grass, tall weeds, and brush) and challenging water (cattails, stick-ponds, rough open water).  The Master Hunting Retriever is competent with complex marking problems like: in-line falls, wipe-out birds, shore-line falls, and delayed falls (birds that fall when making another retrieve).
  2. Blind Retrieves on Land & Water – the Master Hunting Retriever can quickly retrieve birds it did not see fall. A blind retrieve includes a series of commands in which the hunter and dog work together to locate and recover a downed bird.
  • The blind retrieve starts with the dog being pointed (lined) in the direction of the bird.
  • The dog is then sent and then runs or swims along the initial line towards the bird.
  • If the dog drifts off-course, the hunter stops the dog with a whistle-sit command.
  • The dog turns and looks towards the hunter for a new direction.
  • The hunter casts (redirects) in a new direction using both hand signals and voice commands.
  • The hunter stops and re-casts the dog as many times as is necessary to locate and retrieve the downed bird.
  1. Steady to Flush, Shot and Fall for Upland Birds – the Master Hunting Retriever will work within gun range of the hunters and is steady (stops quickly) when a bird flushes. He stays steady (sitting or standing) while the bird is shot at and while it falls. A Master Upland Hunting Retriever that is steady to flush, shot, and fall is a pleasure to hunt over because there is no fear of the dog being accidentally shot while chasing a low flushing bird. A dog that is steady to shot and fall will also be able to mark the location of the downed birds more accurately.  
  2. Master Hunting Retriever is a pleasure to hunt with anywhere & the Master Hunting Retriever adds to the quality of the hunt.

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