My Australian [s]Cattle[/s] Duck Dog

[curtdiesel]

My Australian Cattle Duck Dog.

It's taken a lot of work to get him this far.  I wish this season wasn't so slow.  Dog is 1.5 years old.  he doesn't love the water but it is awesome that he will go in and bring back a duck just because I want him to.

[actionshooter]

I've got one that looks just like him.........how the hell do you get him to set still in a blind?!?

[curtdiesel]

At first I had to put him on a corkscrew leash tether.  Any time he is leashed he lies down still and very calm.  Take him off and he is ready to go.  This last hunt on Tuesday I didn't need it though.  Dog is starting to figure things out.  As we were packing up getting ready to leave, two ducks start coming our way.  My buddy and I hunker down and dog lies down quiet right next to me and waits silently while my buddy calls at them.  Ducks check us out fly away circle back 3 times before they are in gun range and I take the drake.  I was very impressed with the dogs progress.

[fisheral87]

I have a Cattledog/Golden Retriever.

How did you get him in the water?

How did you introduce him to birds?

TIA,

Al

[dreamunelk]

Get that dog a neoprene coat.  He will be warmer.

[curtdiesel]

It took me 8 weeks to get him to swim.  My cousin has a nice little shallow pond that I waded out into and coaxed my dog farther and farther out into.  I did this once a week for the 8 weeks.  The first two weeks I didn't even bring retrieving dummies and loved him up real good when he was in the water.  I tried hard not to make it a bad experience for him because it was obvious right away that he didn't like it.  I have seen pictures of other cattle dog dock jumpers and was sad that mine didn't want anything to do with the water.  It took a lot of patients but I am really happy that it paid off.  After the first couple weeks I would have him retrieve a dummy from very close to shore.  later I finally got him swimming by wading out with him and keeping myself between him and the shallowest parts of the pond.  Once he was able to swim I was finally able to coax him into going out and retrieving dummies from the middle deep parts of the pond.

He is always happy to follow me into the water and has gone in himself some even on cold days just to play in the shallow parts.  I will order him a neoprene coat.  Do you really think it will help?  I believed that those were really more for pulling the dog out by the handle on the coat or just gimmicks.  ACD's have double coats or I wouldn't even ask him to go into the water when it is in the 20's & 30's out.  Please advise if I am hurting him or asking too much of him because that is the very last thing that I want to do.

As for birds. I have chickens and he never killed one.  He is a cattle dog and loves to herd/chase them.  I taught him to pin them down for me when they escape their corral.  Makes catching chickens much easier.  I used duck and pheasant feathers hiding them and having him fetch them for me.  I read and followed instructions from the Game Dog books by Richard A. Wolters.  He still has a long ways to go.  My cousins labs and GSP's would beat him to every retrieve.  I haven't taken him out when I go with them and am regretting that decision.  I think seeing a true bird dog work would be really good for him.  He loves to Fetch though and I have thrown bumpers for him almost every day since he was a pup.  I did throw them for him twice a day for a good full year.  He doesn't really like the ducks in his mouth and it is funny to watch him get them.  This is great though; I thought he was going to be very hard mouthed.  So far that has not been the case.

He is only 1.5 and with a lot more work and a ton of luck I will have him swimming out into water I cannot go into and bringing back downed ducks by the time he is 3.  He has no real hunting drive.  He just retrieves because I want him to and because fetching is the primary game we play.  He is way happier and faster herding my goats from one corral to another or chasing the neighbors cats out of my yard for me.

[rasbo]

gotta laugh I have a heeler that loves to fetch in the water,and she minds very well,i was thinking using her for the same

[actionshooter]

 I had one Heeler (red) that was good in the water but it took a long time to convince her it was ok.  The blue I have right now, its just not going to happen, that dog HATES water, but she is a frizzbe catching machine

[rasbo]

I had one Heeler (red) that was good in the water but it took a long time to convince her it was ok.  The blue I have right now, its just not going to happen, that dog HATES water, but she is a frizzbe catching machine

mine that loves the water is red,every other heeler Ive had didnt like water at all