There are a number of myths surrounding hunting dogs and children.  In fact, one perpetual myth is that a hunting dog should never be kept in the home because they have gotten a taste of blood from being trained to hunt.  This is simply untrue and has no basis in reality.  Hunting dogs can make a great family pet in addition to their jobs in the field.  It’s important that we all remember that dogs are not vicious by nature. Only their training can make them that way. Hunting dogs by nature have an instinct to hunt. However, not everyone who purchases (or adopts) a hunting dog is going to train them to be hunters.  Like all other dogs, a hunting dog wants to be loved, accepted and praised.  A hunting dog makes a great pet especially retrievers, as they have naturally a soft mouth approach to retrieving and hence will not bite down when playing.

America’s favorite dog is the Golden Retriever.  Their unique traits make them wildly popular – they’re natural swimmers, are calm and gentle, are very intelligent, and are generally content.  Plus, they’re just beautiful to look at.  They’re also large enough that children can play and roughhouse with them and they never seem to run out of energy or patience for this.  These things also make them ideal service dogs.  And yet, most people that own one don’t realize that all of these things were bred into them so that they would be great bird dogs.  They’re so common that most people don’t even think of them as being hunting dogs. 

If you’re nervous of how a hunting dog will interact with your children, remember their instict to follow the “alpha” dog – you.  As long as you’re a strong leader in his mind, he will think of your children as his litter-mates.    As your children get older and they learn to be pack leaders themselves, your dog will learn to follow them too.

Not only are most hunting dogs very docile, but they are usually very sturdy dogs. Because of this, they are more likely to stand up to the less than gentle playing that children are so prone to.  Always monitor what is going on so that your children don’t hurt the dog, especially when he’s a puppy since they do not always understand their own boundaries.  Knowing what your children and dog are doing when playing will help make your hunting breed a beloved family pet and keep both children and dog safe. 

Training a hunting dog to be a pet isn’t much different than training any other dog. Setting up boundaries of what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior including table food, begging and other behaviors that should be discouraged from the time they are puppies.  Even though your children may be amused when the puppy is begging for food or trying to get food off the table, you won’t be so amused when you have a full grown dog sitting begging during a large holiday meal with friend and family. Educating your children is as important as training your dog – perhaps even more so.  While your dog is a member of your family, he is none the less a dog and shouldn’t be treated like another child.  Dogs have to be trained to do things in a totally different manner than children and you should teach your child how you are training your dog.  This will allow for consistency which is so important in training your dog.

There is no price that can be set on owning a dog.  Their unconditional love will be remembered forever in your children’s hearts.  Every dog is unique.  Think about your first dog – can you remember the special tricks he did, what treats he loved to eat, the little quirks of his personality?  Who would not want that for their own children?  Dogs help us remember that the little things in life are what’s most important, and they give us an appreciation for nature.  In this respect, hunting dogs are no different than other breeds. 

To help you train your hunting dog you should make sure you have the proper hunting dog supplies. Some of the more popular supplies include: Tracker Maxima 5000 Tracking Collars and  Innotek ADV 300P Dog Training Collars.