How To Train Your Dog To Find Antler Sheds

Dogs called mans best friend for a number of reasons; they are loyal, loving, and trained to do amazing things. Police departments and law officials use them to find narcotics, firearms, and explosives with their keen sense of smell. But did you know that dogs can help you find antler sheds as well? If you're interested in training your dog to find antlers, continue reading and I'll tell you how you can train them to become your new favorite shed hunting buddy.

Benefits of Using a Dog To Find Antlers

• The sense of smell a dog has is far superior to that of a humans. Using their smell, they can find shed antlers that you and me would otherwise never be able to find.
• Dogs are able to get into thick, dense brush to retrieve antlers.
• It's a heck of a lot more fun taking a dog with you to hunt for sheds than doing it alone!

My Antler-Hunting Dog

Let me first start off by saying that I'm not a professional dog trainer and when I got my Golden Labrador Retriever, Jesse, I had no intentions on training her to become a shed hunting dog. In fact, I wasn't even aware people trained their dogs to find antlers. Not long after getting her, one of my hunting buddies saw my dog and was telling me about how he had seen someone train their Lab to sniff out sheds in the woods. When this knowledge, I thought I might as well train Jeese.

After talking with some people who trained their dogs to find antlers, and scouring the internet for advice on training Labrador's, I had a good idea on how train her. What I didn't know, though, was just how quickly she would catch on. Now, Jesse goes on every antler hunt I go on and is almost certain to find more sheds than I do.

go get it" or "get the antlers". If your dog obeys your command and retrieves the antler, give them a treat followed by lots of petting and praise. Positive reinforcement goes a long ways when it comes to dog training.

Don't worry if your dog wont immediately go after the antler. You may need to get them used to playing with it by putting it under their nose and almost teasing them with it. This isn't hard, though, as most dogs will grow fond of playing antlers pretty quickly.

Step Two

Once you've got your dog accustomed to antlers, try going into the woods and hiding them throughout. Place them underneath some leaves about 30 to 40 yards apart and tell your dog the fetch command that you've trained them with. If they don't immediately go after the antlers, which they probably won't on their first try, just walk over to the areas with the antlers and see if your dog can sense it. When they've found it, them a treat and lots of praise. Keep doing this once a day and you should see start to see improvements in how fast your dog is able to uncover the antlers.

Step Three

Once your dog has some training under their belt, it's time to take them out on a real antler hunt with you. Just go about your search as you normally would, walking down trails and scanning your surroundings. Hopefully, your dog will pick up on a scent and follow it. If they find an antler, continue with the rewarding and praise. If you see an antler that your dog doesn't, say the fetch command and let them uncover it.

That's really all there is to training your dog to find antlers. Just keep taking your dog out there on your hunts and give them the time and chance to find the sheds. Keep rewarding your dog when they make a find and before you know it, your dog will be uncovering sheds left and right.

Tips For Training Your Dog To Find Antlers

• Always be positive and reward your dog with a treat and praise when they find an antler. If they don't find anything, don't punish or scold them.
• Keep your training sessions short. Typically, 20 to 30 minute sessions per day is more than enough needed to train.
• Let your dog play with antlers and use them as chew toys. Not only will this allow them to get used to the antlers, but antlers contain beneficial nutrients like calcium.
• Always keep your dog in sight and if they run too far away, call them back. It's dangerous for your dog to chase after animals in the woods.
• If you haven't already, you may want to train your dog basic commands, such as sit, stay, and come. This will help make sure your dog is obedient and will obey your commands when you're out in the woods.