For the second time this month my 9-year-old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has taken off after and continued to swim after a flock of geese that hangs out in our yard. Last time he swam half way across the lake before we picked him up and this morning he did the same again. I couldn't believe it, he broke my heel and took off like a rocket into the flock. Ran them into the water and then swam 400 yards out into the lake. Only this time he finally swam in, only a half mile down shore.
I've never had a problem in the field with this dog. He's made hundreds of water retrieves and has always swam back to me on command. He's never gone after live ducks or geese before either. He's really got me concerned. Hunting season is fast approaching (if he doesn't drown before then), but we hunt primarily on a river where a ill trained dog would easily be swept away or could be caught in many types of water hazards.
Obviously I need to do some serious work and I should have addressed this sooner.
My question: Does anyone have any drills in mind that I could implement to try and correct this behavior?
Thanks,
Corey