“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?”
Once the dog is ready for proper directional training, the method is fairly straightforward. Sit the dog up against a hedge or fence line, at this stage only walk back a short distance and throw a dummy to the right or left side of the dog. It’s important the dummy lands level with the dog’s position.