In my case, I had to wait for the dog to age a bit. Duncan is an 11 year old chocolate lab who just became a good fishing companion about a year ago. I tried in the past, but, being a lab with a serious prey drive, I could never get him to settle. His bird duties have been taken over by his niece, Pearl, so now he is my buddy on the stream. He has calmed down in his old age and will quietly sit in the water next to me (as long as it's not moving too fast) as I fish. When fish are caught, he dutifully inspects them before they are released. All it takes is a frequent pat on the head, some kind words, and a few treats and he is happy. Best dog I've ever had the priviledge to be around.