There’s something really special about taking your dog out for their very first shoot day. It’s the day you’ve probably been dreaming about since you first picked up that puppy — seeing them out in the field, part of the team, doing what they were bred and trained to do.
But your dog’s first shoot day is not the time to rush. It’s a day that should be carefully managed, thought through, and set up for success.
The Calm Before the Chaos
It’s worth remembering that a dog’s first day out will always look good. They’ll sit nicely, behave beautifully, and take everything in their stride — mainly because they don’t yet know what’s going on! The excitement and chaos of a full shoot haven’t really sunk in yet.
That’s why we take things very slowly. Our young dogs won’t pick up a single bird during their first few outings — in fact, for the first five days, they don’t pick anything at all. Instead, they sit with the others, absorb the atmosphere, and learn the rhythm of the day. They watch, listen, and most importantly, start to understand that not every bird is theirs to retrieve.
This steady introduction helps them build calm confidence and self-control in an environment that can otherwise be overwhelming.
Setting Them Up to Succeed
When the time does come for that all-important first retrieve, we make sure it’s a controlled setup. We know the bird is dead, and we can ensure it’s a positive experience. The last thing you want is to send your dog for a “dead” bird that suddenly gets up and runs.
It might seem like a small thing, but retrieving a pricked bird too soon can cause huge issues down the line — from chasing, mouthing, and poor delivery, to a complete breakdown in steadiness.
Every retrieve your dog does at this stage should build confidence, not confusion.
“We’re Not the Fun Police…”
We say it often, and we mean it kindly — we’re not here to be the fun police! But we do see far too many young dogs taken out too early, too often, or in the wrong way. Once a dog has seen a shoot day, they can’t unsee it. The sights, sounds, and smells are incredibly stimulating, and if your dog isn’t mentally ready, it can undo months of careful training.
A shoot day is not a training day.
If your dog isn’t yet:
- Delivering dummies cleanly to hand,
- Stopping reliably on the whistle, and
- Steady to game,
then they’re simply not ready to attend a shoot day.
Taking your time now means you’ll have a reliable, confident, and steady dog for many seasons to come. Rush it, and you could end up spending those seasons trying to fix problems that could have been avoided. The wheels can very quickly come off.
In Summary
Be patient. Go slow. Let your dog learn at their own pace. Their first season should be about soaking it all in, not proving anything.
Because when it’s done right, that first proper retrieve — the one they’ve earned through calm, careful preparation — will be worth every bit of the wait.