Hunting Up

Hunting up is an important skill for a working gundog. It teaches your dog to use their natural ability to search an area thoroughly while still listening to and working with you.

This skill can be useful in many situations, whether you want to keep your dog close on a walk, develop their hunting ability for the shooting field or simply give them an outlet for their natural instincts.

Introducing The Hunt

For this exercise, you will need either someone to help you or somewhere safe where your dog can wait while you set up the exercise.

Start by sitting your dog up and asking your helper to place balls or dummies in a small area. Your dog should see the items being placed.

Once the items are in position, cover your dog’s eyes and ask your helper to remove the items. The aim is that your dog believes there is an area to search, but the items are no longer there.

Sit your dog facing you and use your hand low to the ground to cast your dog into the search area.

We use the cue “hi-lost” for this exercise.

Make sure you are positioned close to the area you want your dog to hunt. You do not want your dog running forwards away from the search area — the aim is for them to work the area you have indicated.

Allow your dog to hold the area and search. Avoid walking forwards while your dog is hunting, as your movement can push your dog out of the area and encourage them to move away from where you want them working.

When your dog leaves the search area, quietly place a ball or dummy into the area without them seeing. This allows your dog to have a successful find and reinforces that searching the area is rewarding.

Repeat this exercise until your dog understands that when they are sent to hunt, they should stay within the area and work methodically.

Progressing The Hunt

Once your dog is confidently hunting, you can begin to introduce searches in new areas. Place finds down for your dog as you move through different environments and allow them to develop their searching ability.

However, always return to the original exercise regularly. Revisiting the basics keeps the behaviour strong and prevents your dog from becoming too independent.

Remember, in the field a dog’s natural instinct may be to pull on and range further. During training, we want to encourage control and keep your dog working at a sensible distance.

A good hunting dog is not just one that searches — it is one that searches the area you ask, stays connected with you and remains under control.