Hunting with a dog is a traditional type of hunting which helped strengthen the bond between humans and dog from many decades ago. Nowadays, it could be considered more of an option. While some people think it is challenging to train your own dogs so that they could be your hunting partners, other still enjoy it as much as before.

SIt is very difficult to hunt turkeys on your own, as you have to shoot them from a very close distance. This is very hard to achieve, as these birds are easily scared and will definitely move to a safer place. The two main aspects to have in consideration when thinking about how to train you dog for turkey hunting are choosing the right breed and teaching the puppy the basic commands.

When choosing the breed, you have to make sure that the dog fits you both during the hunting day and during regular days. Take for example the Appalachian Turkey Dog, which is not an official breed, but presents the best features characteristic to other turkey hunting breeds. However, this dog may prove a bit difficult to handle, especially for inexperienced hunters.

After you have already decided about the puppy, the first thing to do is to teach it the basic commands, such as “Sit” and “Stay”. After he manages to get used to these ones, you should pass on to the ones that are specific to the game you’re hunting. The dog must learn how to make the least noise as possible and how to refrain certain instincts and not to ruin your hunting day.

Most hunting dogs require a lot of exercise, so make sure the puppy gets used to making a lot of effort from its earliest months. Taking it for a walk is not enough, as out there on the field you risk having the dog available only for a few hours. Not having enough stamina will tire it quite quickly. Therefore, you should take it on a hunting day with you as frequent as possible. In this way, he will also become acquainted with various outdoors temptations and with the turkey’s smell. Another efficient idea to make the dog interested in the turkey is hiding turkey feathers for it to find.

Therefore, training your dog for turkey hunting sometimes can be a bit more difficult, but it certainly is rewarding. You may not see the results right away, but if you train your dog continuously and constantly, it will certainly surprise you on a hunting day.