Labrador retriever
Golden retriever
British retriever
一直没有搞明白这个的特点。。。
To carry out the duties of a gun dog, a retriever should be trained to
perform these tasks:
Remain under control: Retrievers are typically used for waterfowl
hunting. Since a majority of waterfowl hunting employs the use of small
boats in winter conditions, retrievers are trained to remain under control
sitting calmly and quietly until sent to retrieve.[1] This is often referred
to as "steadiness". Steadiness helps to avoid an accidental capsizing,
disrupting the hunter's aim or the possible accidental discharge of a
firearm which could cause serious harm or death to others in the hunting
party or to the dog itself. A steady dog is also better able to “mark”
downed game.
Mark downed game: Marking is the process of watching for a falling bird
or multiple birds. When the command "mark" is given, the dog should look up
for incoming birds and remember where each bird falls. Well-trained
retrievers are taught to follow the direction the gun barrel is pointing to
mark where the birds fall. Once the game is downed, the handler will command
the dog to retrieve the game. The dog’s ability to remember multiple “
marks” is extremely important, and trainers use techniques to improve a dog
’s marking and memory ability.
Perform a blind retrieve: When hunting waterfowl, a retriever's primary
job is to retrieve downed birds. At times, a dog will not see the game fall,
so retrievers are trained to take hand, voice, and whistle commands from
the handler directing the dog to the downed game for retrieval. This is
called a “blind retrieve”. Precision between the dog and handler is
extremely useful and desired so as to minimize retrieval time and limit the
disturbance of surrounding cover. The majority of blind retrieves in the
field are made within 30-80 yards of the gun, but a good retriever/handler
team can perform precise blind retrieves out to 100+ yards and more.
Retrieve to hand: Although some hunters prefer to have a bird dropped at
their feet, the majority of handlers require the dog to deliver the game to
hand, meaning once the dog has completed the retrieve, it will gently but
firmly hold the bird until commanded to release it to the handler’s hand.
Delivery to hand reduces the risk of a crippled bird escaping, as the bird
remains in the dog's mouth until the handler takes hold of it.
Honoring: When hunting with multiple dogs, a retriever should remain
under control while other dogs work, and wait its turn. This is important
because having multiple dogs retrieving game simultaneously can cause
confusion. This is one reason why many handlers use the dog's name as the
command to retrieve.
Shake on command: Following a retrieve, a well-trained dog will not
shake off excess water from its fur until after the delivery is complete. A
dog shaking water from its fur in a small boat at worst risks capsizing the
craft in cold winter conditions and at best will most likely shower hunters
and equipment. Also, a dog shaking while still holding the game in its mouth
could damage the bird to the point of making it unfit for the table. To
avoid these mishaps, trainers use a distinct command releasing a dog to
shake.
Quarter: Retrievers are often used in a secondary role as an upland
flushing dog. Dogs must work in a pattern in front of the hunter seeking
upland game birds. The retriever must be taught to stay within gun range to
avoid flushing a bird outside of shooting distance.
Remain steady to wing and shot: When hunting upland birds, the flushing
dog should be steady to wing and shot, meaning it sits when a bird rises or
a gun is fired. It does this to mark the fall and to avoid flushing other
birds by unnecessarily pursuing a missed bird.
Although most individual retrievers have the raw capacity to be trained to
perform as a gun dog, a significant amount of thought and effort is given to
breeding in specific desired traits into dogs from field bred lines that
greatly enhance the training process. When breeding retrievers for field
work, extensive consideration is given to:
Biddableness: Because producing a well-trained retriever capable of
performing the tasks outlined above requires a significant amount of time
and effort, an intelligent, controllable, and open-to-learning (biddable)
retriever is of utmost importance.
Desire and drive: These traits covers a broad range of behaviors
exhibited by the “good retriever”. Most notably, they demonstrate the
desire to retrieve almost to the point of manic behavior and take on
significant obstacles to make a retrieve. They also demonstrate an
exceptional interest in birds, bird feathers, and bird scent, which is
termed “birdiness”.
Marking and memory: Eyesight and depth perception are of paramount
importance to a dog's ability to mark downed game. Remembering each fall is
also critical. While retriever trainers use special techniques to help a dog
to mark and remember downed game, a good retriever is born with these “raw
tools”.
Nose: Dogs are led primarily by their nose. A good retriever uses its
nose to find downed game in heavy cover and while quartering a field to
locate and flush upland game birds.
Soft mouth: A soft-mouthed dog is needed to ensure retrieved game is fit
for the table. A soft-mouthed dog picks up and holds game softly but firmly
on the retrieve. Dogs that unnecessarily drop birds, crunch on, chew, or
even eat the bird before delivery to the handler are considered “hard-
mouthed” or are described as having “mouth problems”. While training can
overcome most “mouth problems”, a dog with an inherently soft mouth is
more desirable when starting the training process.
Hardiness: Waterfowl hunting is a cold-weather sport undertaken across a
wide variety of locations and conditions, from thick, flooded timber in the
south US, to icy and ice-covered ponds in the Midwest to frigid seas along
upper the New England coast. A good retriever willingly re-enters the water
and makes multiple retrieves under these and other extreme conditions.
