Been wanting to take my yellow lab shed hunting but she has NO experience with this do they need to be trained or do antlers smell like bone so she may just take up on this?Heard some guys just start throwing antlers during fetch. Thought it would make finding them alot easier.
Shed hunting with the lab?
- Thread starter streamer
- Start date
BirdDogWebb
Member
How old is your lab ?
IMO- If she will retrieve on command , I would start her on retrieveing antlers probably start with close retrieves and work in to distance. You may want to wear rubber glove so she isn't retrieving on your sent. After she is retrieving antlers on command start her on blind retrieves- place the antler with out her seeing you and then take her too the area and command her to retrieve, She will soon understand what you are wanting.
Never set your dog up for failure. Don't take her out and expect her to find a load of sheds if she has no idea what you are wanting her to do.
Make sure you grind or cut the sharp points off - on the antler you are training her with, less of a chance for injury.
Good Luck !
IMO- If she will retrieve on command , I would start her on retrieveing antlers probably start with close retrieves and work in to distance. You may want to wear rubber glove so she isn't retrieving on your sent. After she is retrieving antlers on command start her on blind retrieves- place the antler with out her seeing you and then take her too the area and command her to retrieve, She will soon understand what you are wanting.
Never set your dog up for failure. Don't take her out and expect her to find a load of sheds if she has no idea what you are wanting her to do.
Make sure you grind or cut the sharp points off - on the antler you are training her with, less of a chance for injury.
Good Luck !
Last edited:
AZ Ron
Member
I've taken my lab with me several times. Never really did any formal training until after he actually brought me a couple of antlers on his own. I've used him to retrieve elk sheds out of creeks and he's found several sheds on his own. He's even found me a couple of decent pickup heads. I've always given him older chalky antlers to chew on and have done some 'find it' drills with him, kind of a cross between trailing and blind retrieves. I'm not sure if he's just been getting lazy or is more interested in actual bones, but he finds and brings me more actual bones than antlers by far.
This picture is from a few years ago. He found this one and brought it to me all on his own...
This picture is from a few years ago. He found this one and brought it to me all on his own...
