Host of the Canadian Wingshooter TV Show
canadianwingshooter.com
FLYWAY
What was the first duck or goose you ever shot, where did you shoot it, and what kind of gun did you shoot it with?
GOODISON
I cannot recall the first duck that I shot, however, I am sure it was a Teal or Mallard. Having grown up in Ireland my hunting experiences were mostly pheasant hunting and we never did go duck hunting. Upon arrival to Canada I met a work friend who was also an avid hunter and he was the first person to take me water fowling, I am thankful that he did because the experience was remarkable, even though I did not shoot a duck that day. It did not take long after that first hunt for me to get focused on duck hunting, a focus that has only intensified over the years, especially now that I live in a water fowl mecca in the great lakes region. Goose hunting came later for me and my first goose kill was in a field in Saskatchewan, Canada. We had scouted geese all morning and at that time people used to “back shoot” geese, to back shoot geese you would find the feeding geese and already know where their roost pond was, you would then find a fence row between the feeding area and the pond and shoot the geese as they made their way back to the roost. The memory of that first goose was made even better because I hade a well trained lab named Sam. Sam had never retrieved a goose but he was aggressive, big and strong. As the geese flew over the fence I shouldered my pump and hit one but it did not fall immediately but got carried south on a strong wind. The goose finally got back on track and began flying west, but it was evident that he was getting lower with each wing beat. Roughly estimating where the goose would land in the field I lined Sam on a blind retrieve and sent him. Sam aggressively took the line and was about three hundred yards out in the field on line when the goose entered his line of sight, I noticed that Sam kind of jolted when he saw the goose coming down, and then increased his speed as the goose neared the ground. I turned back East to await the next flight trusting that Sam would complete his task, which he did.
FLYWAY
What is your favorite duck or goose to hunt and why?
GOODISON
Duck hunting is my favorite water fowling activity. I am happy to harvest any species of duck anywhere, however, if I had to choose one it would be wood duck hunting on a small marsh with a well trained dog.
FLYWAY
What is one duck you haven't shot, but really want to?
GOODISON
Having never shot an Eider on the ocean it is easy to choose. I grew up on the ocean but back then fishing for sea fish was my passion and I would like to take my waterfowl passion back to the ocean and harvest an Eider.
FLYWAY
What is your greatest hunting memory?
GOODISON
I have so many great memories that it is difficult to single one out. My best memories of duck hunting do not call to mind ducks, they call to mind beautiful sun rises, great friends, well trained dogs at my side, wet socks, hard work trudging through marshes, setting decoys in the dark and chatting and laughing with my friends. Hunting for me is never about killing, it is about the entire experience.
FLYWAY
If you could go on a dream hunt with any 3 people, alive or deceased, who would they be, where would you go, and what would you be hunting for?
GOODISON
My dream hunt would be a duck hunting road trip where the next hunt was uncertain; sleeping in my truck, eating on the run, asking for permission and working for the birds. I never like to be handed a hunt “on a plate,” but instead prefer to test my knowledge, skill and experience against the prey and the elements. In my early years of water fowling I took pride hunting the same waters with hunters who had much more and better gear than I had, for me it was about good calling, decoy placement, concealment and of course excellent dog work. Some of the people I would like to hunt with would be Leo Tolstoy, he loved to hunt, and Stephen Hawking, although I tend to think he would not be a hunter.
FLYWAY
How long have you been retriever training, and how and where did you discover your passion for it?
GOODISON
Retriever training is a major part of my life. Early in my hunting days we had labs and we flushed lots of pheasants with them, however, we always hunted sugar beet or turnip fields. If my dogs did get on a pheasant scent in a wheat stubble field they just chased the bird at full tilt and would inevitably flush it far from where I was standing and screaming obscenities at them. When I moved to North America and really got into water fowling, my summers were somewhat boring so I decided to get a retriever. The rest in history because I soon got to know some great dog trainers and retriever training was a must for me from then on, that was 1989.
FLYWAY
What are some of the most common frustrations you encounter when retriever training?
GOODISON
Getting access to great training property is often difficult. Most of my retriever training is done within one mile from home on soccer fields and local parks with perhaps “once a month” excursions to great property. Having said this, my dogs usually take to the field extremely well because I make sure to be detailed in their training while at home. Good dog training does not always require the best property; you can be smart about your training and make sure to maximize the use of property when you have the opportunity. Anyway, my dogs retrieve on the best properties during hunting season and that more than makes up for a lot.
FLYWAY
What is the very first thing you focus on when you start training a dog?
GOODISON
The first thing I focus on, and this is the most important by far, wait for it… the dog! If a dog is not cut out for the work I move him on to a loving family. I work my dogs hard and have the utmost respect for them, but they need to enjoy the work, they need to adapt and learn new things easily, and they need to remember what they are taught. It is easy to train a dog to sit, here, or any other taught behavior; anyone can do that. I always look for something in a dog that I cannot train, but instead comes from “above,” as it were. If a dog has the right traits and attitude, something I cannot provide him with, the rest is easy. In addition to the dog I generally pay most attention to socializing puppies because that is the foundation of producing high performing dogs, if puppies are not socialized correctly their performance will never be maximized; it’s that simple. When you see dogs that were poorly socialized you can know that they will never reach their true potential. It pains me sometimes when I see dogs like this.
FLYWAY
What are some of the most important commands to teach your hunting dog when you start training?
GOODISON
Sit is by far the most important command for a retriever; this command is the foundation on which all other commands are built. This should be the first command taught in a structured manner. Many people will build this command into “Stay” which in my opinion is a waste of time. In my world sit means sit until I release you, that in effect is stay. There is no reason to cloud the issue with extra commands. This brings me to another point, people often think, at least they behave as though, their dogs have Phd’s in English. Dogs do not understand complex sentences. If you want a dog to sit then just say “sit,” nothing more is needed. When you begin saying “hey buddy, sit, sit, sit that’s a good boy sit” and your dog finally sits, you are doing something wrong. Sit means sit, if the dog does not sit when you command him to do so go to him and make him sit. It is imperative that you enforce all commands and that you keep the commands simple and clear.
FLYWAY
When you talk about "steadiness" and "control" with your dog, what exactly does that mean and how important is it?
GOODISON
This is an interesting question and perhaps has different meanings on opposite sides of the Atlantic. When I competed in Europe my eyes were opened in relation to steadiness. One competition that comes to mind had seven dogs in a final run off series and we were expected to stand in line and with dogs sitting at our sides while about thirty birds were shot just in front of our dogs. The least whimper or break would be an automatic disqualification, all dogs passed. From the earliest ages, dogs are expected to honor at least two other dogs while competing at novice level. I began competing in Europe after training my European dogs the North American way and I enjoyed lots of success, but I then began to choose what I loved about the American way, and blend it with what I loved from the European way. Now I always try to attain the steadiness of European labs and couple it with the lining abilities of the American labs. From my perspective a steady dog should remain by your side until commanded to retrieve, no matter what happens, it’s that simple, but not always that simple to achieve. I take steadiness seriously but must admit that I am having issues with one of my “high” dogs right now. He has been steady but it is easy to see that he is just one retrieve away from a break. Control is another issue. Because we desire straight lining highly controlled dogs I think we loose some hunting instinct because we never test for it. I like to control my dogs, I expect a lot from them, but my main focus is hunting so I have to balance control and hunting instinct. All my training and efforts in relation to dogs right now are focused on hunting and I train for things that field trials would never value. For me, it’s all about enjoying myself in the field with my dog. When I train both my labs right now I train them together, they both heel at the same time, they both mark the same birds but only one of them will be sent on the retrieve, they both mark doubles but sometimes I send one dog for the go bird and the other for the memory bird because I want to hunt them both together this fall. Many people will emit cries of anguish when they hear me say that I usually do not force my dogs, I don’t have anyone else force them either. We have gotten to a point now where we force retrievers and never ask the question, does the dog have strong retrieving instinct? It is my opinion that the Europeans do a better job of selecting good breeding traits, we do a better job of training high levels of complex skills. I guess I would have to say that I am somewhere in the middle, I truly love the hard hitting straight lining American dog, but there is something to be said for the steadier European.
FLYWAY
Have you ever hunted or visited Minnesota?
GOODISON
Many years ago I traveled across Canada and America hunting and sight seeing, my return trip took me through Minnesota. It has always been a dream of mine to hunt ruffed grouse in Minnesota and I hope to fulfill this dream sometime during this season or next.
FLYWAY
How can visitors to this website purchase your DVD or get more information on your training techniques?
GOODISON
Just visit the web site at www.canadianwingshooter.com and there is a link there and articles to help dog trainers with training issues. Over the summer I will be adding more articles and You Tube videos of dog training. I have just posted a short clip of “Training Retrievers for Hunters” on you tube, just search the title or canadianwingshooter. Thank you for the opportunity to submit this interview and I wish you all a great season.
Minnesota Flyway would like to thank David Goodison for taking the time to answer our interview questions.
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