8 Important Tips For Hunting With A Dog First

Hunting can be a fun and exciting exercise for you – especially if you bring your dog along. But for you and your dog to enjoy this moment to the fullest, you need to make sure you’re doing everything correctly.

You’ll need to prepare your dog for the action before the hunting season kicks in. You’ll want to train him so that he doesn’t disappoint you in the woods. There’s indeed so much to do for successful dog hunting.

If you’re ready to start hunting with your dog, check out our list of powerful tips for hunting with a dog below.

Here Are The Top 8 Tips for Hunting with a Dog:

1. Make Sure Your Dog Is Well Trained

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This is the first and the MOST important tip you ought to observe for successful hunting with a dog. A well-trained dog performs the best during hunting excursions, so make sure you invest enough time and resources in training your hunting companion

If you don’t have a clue how to train your dog for hunting, these steps will be helpful to you:

  • Start by teaching your dog the basic obedient skills-like come, sit, whoa, stay. Be consistent. And when you feel he has learned well, you can move on to teaching him other skill such as:
  • Teach him to sniff out the game you’ll be hunting so that he can rely on his smell senses. Dogs are great at sniffing out specific scents, and it would be great if you grabbed this advantage.
  • ​Start bringing your dog to the woods at a young age. It is true – you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The younger your dog is, the more easily it will get used to hunting.
  • Train your dog to chase the targets. Use decoys while training your dog to do this.

2. Use Electric Collar While In The Woods

Let’s face it: silence is necessary when hunting. Therefore, using an E-color to correct/punish your dog when it does not obey a command will go a long way in maintaining the silence.

An electric color will be a convenient way to stop your dog from chasing the unwanted game, to stop aggressiveness, to control your dog in risky situations (e.g. a busy highway), and to correct serious disobediences to the known commands.

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3. Make Your Dog Comfortable Around People…

…so that it does not become uncomfortable when other hunts come along in the woods. Some dogs will give their best if they’re just hanging in the forest with their owners. However, if you intend to bring other people alongside you in future, it’s imperative that you consider this step.

The best way of doing this is by making your dog stay around people most of the time. This makes it easy for him to remain comfortable when multiple people are present.

4. Your Dog Should Be Familiar With The Sound of A Gun!

If your dog cannot withstand noise of a gun, it will be almost pointless to take him to your hunting zone. There might be other hunters using their rifles for hunting.

So, make sure your dog is used to loud noises. And you can make this possible by causing loud noises to occur (e.g. clapping your hands) and making sure your dog associates them with enjoyable experiences.

For example, you can clap your hands loudly when the dog is eating. With time, it will get used to loud sounds, and handling gun shots in the woods will be easier and fun.

5. Keep His Wait On Check

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A grave mistake many hunters make is letting their dogs gain weight before the start of hunting season.

Experts recommend you to adjust your dog diet during the off-season. This will make him physically fit for the hunting activities in the woods.

Also, be sure to allow them enough time to exercise while at home. This will prepare them for the running they’ll need to do in the woods. Keep in your mind that your dog can be as swift and stronger as you can imagine.

You don’t want to venture into the woods with a dog that has sat in your backyards for over six months – he’ll totally disappoint you!

6. Pay Your Vet a Visit

Why is this important? Are you asking yourself already? Well, your hunting dog needs to undergo a psychical checkup by a professional veterinarian to make sure he is fit for the task ahead (i.e. hunting). The vet might also find it safe to vaccinate your hunting buddy to protect him against diseases such as Lyme disease.

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7. Buy Your Dog A Safety Gear

As much as you don’t want to lose your dog in the name of hunting, you ought to consider buying him a safety gear. You might have heard tales of dogs being mistaken for the game, resulting in untold consequences. What’s more, your dog might roam into the path of a nearby hunter.

To keep him safe, buy him a safety gear before the hunting season begins. A blaze orange vest and a reflective color with proper identification will do. Besides, consider equipping your dog with an identification microchip for easy identification in case the ID collar falls off.

8. Does The Law Allow You To Hunt With Dogs?

Lastly, you need to understand what the law says abut hunting with a dog. Believe it or not, hunting with a dog is illegal in many states. You can easily get yourself into troubles – you might be slapped with a hefty fine or even end in jail.

To avoid such complications, I advise you to carefully go through the hunting laws in your region and see what they say about hunting with a dog.

Final Thoughts

If you follow our dog hunting tips discussed above, you’ll have an easy time in the woods. Your hunting game will improve overall; your hunting success rates will go up as well. And bagging that monster buck will be easier than you can figure out. Just make sure you invest time in preparing your dog for the task ahead.

Follow the expert tips we’ve offered you above, and you’ll be smiling all the way back home (with your dog, of course) from your hunting trips.

With bow hunting, remember to equip it with a single pin bow sight; this is the best tool to help you take down down your target with the first shot!

Author Bio:

Jennifer is the founder of BuckWithBow, a great blog that focuses on helping you learn how to hunt a deer with a bow. As an experienced bow hunter, she will guide you through the Do’s and Don’ts of the bowhunting world and transform you into a better hunter. Whether you are an experienced bow hunter or an absolute beginner, you will find BuckWithBow a gem!

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