Taking your gun dog fishing, and associated issues.

[cube01]

Has anyone taught their gun dog how to behave while out flyfishing?
I'd like to start taking my 1 year old golden with me, but he doesn't yet understand to stay away from the fly line.

Has anyone had any successes/failures here?
He's a quick learner, but I'd like to get some input from others before I start training him for it.
My first concern is my dog's safety.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AK Ray]

Obedience is step one. He sits until given another command.

With the distraction of the out of doors that will be hard to deal with.

When you are working the obedience in the yard, work in a few casts and then release him. Then sit, Cast a few times, and Release. It will take time.

 

[cube01]

Obedience is step one. He sits until given another command.

With the distraction of the out of doors that will be hard to deal with.

When you are working the obedience in the yard, work in a few casts and then release him. Then sit, Cast a few times, and Release. It will take time.

Thanks for the input... He does well with the obedience work - He is a golden, after all... I've never met a dog so eager to do what I say.
The only time he gets too distracted to listen is when meeting someone new, then all of it goes out the door... We are working on that with lots of trips to Sportsmans and Home Depot.

I'll try your suggestions... Thanks!!

 

[Wetland Retrievers]

I once had a black lab that was a better fisherman than me. He could catch them quicker than I could. He was real good at reds and silvers but them kings were a bit tougher for him. Oh what memories. I miss that dog.
He didn't mind me fishing when he let me but he always wanted to help me land them.

 

[cube01]

Baxter knows to leave the fish alone - the issue I have is with the line and fly itself... He'll figure it out though.

I couldn't imagine having to "miss" him.

 

[byrd_hntr]

My shorthair goes fishing with me all the time (come one summer!!). She my eyes and ears while I concentrate on the water. She never far away and she only enters the water when I tell her to and we cross together. And believe it or not I trained none of this, it all started with basic obedience. That and she has no interest in fish. I think you will have a hard time convincing a water dog (Goldie) not to get in the water, but I think it can be done. A short leash may be a good starting point in the yard, but sooner or later you have to add the water aspect and then things might go sideways. I think the key is to give the dog a job to do while you fish, in the case of my shorthair I believe that she thinks its her job to watch my back, one low growl and I know it time to lift my head and look at what shes looking at. This has allowed me to completely avoid two bear encounters which is really nice. But again I didn't train this it was mostly instinct and I think it comes from her mothering habit. Good luck! Training a water dog to avoid the water is an uphill battle!

 

[kylemac]

I have taken all of my dogs fishing on multiple occasions -- they behaved as well fishing as at any other time outdoors -- all around pretty good, but the other distractions were always more concerning than my fishing. I have had a St Bernard lie calmly in a canoe for several hours and a lab watch attentively and only curiously paw at caught fish. Baited hooks were my only concern, but never had an issue with flies.
Good luck.

 

[captaindd]

My chessie Dee Dee started last year on my charter boat at 8 weeks old. She really displayed a lot of prey drive by attacking the halibut and ling cod that we had caught. My main concern was for her getting hurt. This year she has been out commerical shrimping with me and so far no real problems. If a spotted shrimp jumps out of the bucket she just picks it up and brings it to me. The small coon shrimp she gets to eat so she really likes them. She gets excided when you throw the boey in as she thinks she should bring it back to you. She loves riding in the raft to shore it makes her whole day to just run up and down the beach.

 

[cube01]

My chessie Dee Dee started last year on my charter boat at 8 weeks old. She really displayed a lot of prey drive by attacking the halibut and ling cod that we had caught. My main concern was for her getting hurt. This year she has been out commerical shrimping with me and so far no real problems. If a spotted shrimp jumps out of the bucket she just picks it up and brings it to me. The small coon shrimp she gets to eat so she really likes them. She gets excided when you throw the boey in as she thinks she should bring it back to you. She loves riding in the raft to shore it makes her whole day to just run up and down the beach.

Aren't dogs great?

 

[AKluvr95]

Our GWPs always go on the boat with us. Early dicipline's the key. I focused on the dogs making sure they didn't ride up on the bow or the edge of the rail...too many birds on the water to trust them not to make an instinctive leap. We've recently found nice "boat" beds for them at Costco. They're called Ruff & Tuff and they roll up for storage and are self-inflating. The dogs like them and they seem to be real durable marterial.