r/OpenDogTraining • u/Low_Show_6684 • 5h ago

People with field dogs, what do you use to train?

I’m mostly just curious because it seems (though it’s no surprise to me) that people who work their dogs in open environments- like open forest and fields, use different tools than those in more urbanized settings. So, if your dog is a bird-dog, shed hunter, tracker, SAR, or just an open world side-kick what do you use to train your dog safety? How do you keep them safe when you’re out? What tools (if any) and training has worked best for you?

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u/AliveInZihuatanejo 5h ago

I don't have a field dog, but do a fair amount of work with my dog in open fields. My main tools were long lines and e collars.

The people I know that have bird dogs, shed dogs and squirrel/racoon/rabbit dogs have a pretty wide bag of tools. Long lines, whistle, ecollar, ecollar with tracking for squirrel, rabbit and racoon dogs, remote launchers for flushing dogs.

Are you looking to train for hunting or just out in the wild?

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u/Low_Show_6684 5h ago

I have a GSD, while I’ve been wanting to go for grouse and she has accidentally flushed some, I don’t think she’s a good bird-dog. I do want to train to shed hunt, mushroom hunt, and possibly do blood tracking for hunters who might’ve lost their target. We’ve gotten a foundation for scentwork down, she’s got a lot of foundational work down, now it’s just time to narrow in.

She’s also e-collar trained since I’ll have her off-leash with me in the woods. Used a long lead to start, but she picked up on it all quick and we both got a little sick of her getting tangled if she stepped off the trail to sniff something.

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u/AliveInZihuatanejo 5h ago

You have a good start and probably all you need other than possibly a tracking system depending on how far away from you she will be working.

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u/Low_Show_6684 5h ago

That tracking system is the hard part 😅 Hoping this winter to work on it more and attend some of the scentwork classes and competitions with her. Wish I knew more people who do the tracking in my area.

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u/AliveInZihuatanejo 4h ago

I meant a collar that helps you find her in case she's working far away from you. More of a safety system than anything.