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Teaching a gundog to go left and right. Should you?

“I have a 15-month-old Labrador and I want to teach him to go left and right, but my friends tell me it is a waste of time and unnecessary unless I plan to field trial with the dog. Although I have no plans to compete with the dog, I will use him for both driven and some walked-up shooting. So, is it a skill I need to train him in, and if so how is the best way to go about it?”

teaching dog left or right

Teaching your dog left and rights is an invaluable skill if you plan to shoot over your dog

Teaching left and rights

During the steadying process, which is necessary before you should even consider moving your pup on to left and rights, you will also be teaching your dog to look towards your hands. Make sure when dropping dummies that you use both your left and right hand and stand in front of the dog, they will be learning the basics without even knowing it!