Photo from Jessie’s photo album: http://www.showme.net/~tlem/Keel%20Ft.%20Drum/PhotoAlbum.htm 

Here’s what happened. Sunday, I needed a midnight snack and accidentally left 1/2 of the pumpkin pie on the kitchen table over night. When I got up in the morning, the foil cover was off and the pie plate was as clean as can be. Allie, my 2 year old lab was sleeping contentedly, sprawled out on the living room floor with a full belly.  What should you do? Come uncorked? Discipline the dog? What?

In this case the right thing to do was to do nothing at all. If I would have snatched her off the floor and disciplined her, it only would have been confusing. She would have linked the discipline with her sleeping on the floor, which she does every day.  The same exact thing applies when house training a puppy and you find a mess long after it occurred, or when in the field with a dog and it comes back after ignoring you for 30 minutes. Timing of correction is critical; keep in mind that a dog’s association period for learning is about 2 seconds long, so consequences (rewards or corrections) need to happen immediately.

What I plan on doing with Allie and her table jumping pie eating tendency is to set her up. She would never jump on the table when we are up and around; she has made that association that such an action is not acceptable. However, she has learned from Sunday’s reward that once we are in bed, such an action is acceptable. I plan on putting her e-collar on (a positive thing for her - it means we are going out to run or train and have fun) and then leaving some tasty treat on the table while we go to bed. Then I will slip outside and watch for a while through the window. The moment she jumps on the table I will hit her with the collar. If I get too cold outside before she commits the offence, I will go in put the food up and wait for another day to set her up.

The principle here is in order to properly train your dog, timing is critical; you must catch the 2 second window after the action (positive or negative). To do so later than that only confuses the dog.

We are currently working with a young (6 mo.) German shorthair pup that had essentially no human socialization. Frankly, this dog is a wreck, but there is something about her that is really loveable. She has a sweet disposition in her tail-tucked way. The owner took her on rather than seeing her put down, and we are trying to see what can be done with her. It is a real challenge because the standard things we work on don’t even enter into the equation yet. We have had to step way back and work in small baby steps. Just getting her to come out of the dog house to greet us has been a major victory. We have been using classical operant conditioning and clicker training techniques, along with lots of socialization with us, the kids and the other dogs.

Sam & Travis were great help while training yesterday. We are working a young black lab (rescue dog) getting his first experience on birds. He did a great job and was really keyed up on game and would readily find the downed bird. My concern with the dog was his cooperation and willingness to bring the bird back. He’s pretty focused on looking out for himself. We’ll see if we can work him through this.

                           Photo: Unknown - one of those that circulates around the email universe. This dog is not the one described below, but fit the blog article well.

  What should you do when your dog retrieves some nasty dead thing? The answer, praise them. This may sound weird, but here are my thoughts. 

I have a Brittany I am training on a long-term basis (> 1 year). The dog has been the carrion finding-est dog I have ever seen. If there is anything dead in the field when we are out for our runs, she will find it. She likes to parade around with the stinkiest things, then go sit under a bush and work on them. Over the last year, I have resisted the urge to scold her for it and take them away. Rather, I would praise her for retrieving and call her to me. Based on a solid foundation for the come command, she would come, but would hold her head away from me and get ready to resist. I praise her for coming, give her a pat and send her on her way with her treasure (usually a dead jackrabbit part, or deer leg). Then I would resume our run at a fast pace and she would usually drop the item after she realizes it is slowing her down and she is falling behind.

Over time, I started to gently take things out of her mouth then give them immediately back and let her have them to run off with. Now, this dog does two things I like: First, she retrieves all game she finds in the field, whether or not it is directly shot in front of her. Second, she retrieves directly to hand without balking.

After she is 18 months or so, I will probably still take her through the trained retrieve (force fetch) to solidify her retrieve, but for now, she has developed a wonderful natural retrieve. I am certain that if I would have scolded her for picking up carrion and ripped stuff away from her that she wouldn’t trust me and wouldn’t have the natural retrieve that she now displays so proudly. I also regularly get her parasite medication and don’t let her lick my face. (Eeew)

As you can see Jinx is coming along nicely. He has some reluctance to hold a large rooster pheasant, but he is getting it. This guy is a fast learner. He readily understands what is asked of him and is a pleasure to work with.

I have been working with a beautiful German shorthair pointer, Jinx on the trained retrieve (force fetch). Jinx is coming along nicely. I started on the table using the ear pinch, getting him to hold dowels, wooden dumbells (photo above), bumpers, then graduating to a hammer (held far down the handle, it’s awkward and difficult to hold), and a metal pry bar (again, uncomfortable and difficult to hold). With Jinx confidence and previous training, and his ability to learn, he is coming along quickly. However, it’s important not to skip steps, so the foundation is properly laid.

Walking the dog on lead, seems easy enough, right? For many people, walking the dog on leash is a frustrating experience; one where you match your strength against the dog’s pull. Thinking about the leash differently may help your dog understand you and help you to have a better experience walking the dog on the leash.

Most people think of the leash as a control device for the dog. Put it on and pull him into place. The problem is that more often than not, the dog uses it to control you by pulling you around. It often becomes a struggle of strength between the two of you. A big strong guy might be up to the task, but often times, it’s just not worth it for a lady to walk the family dog, especially if it is one of the larger breeds of gun dogs. 

Instead of thinking of the leash as a control device to pull the dog into position, think of it as a communication tool to let the dog know when he is in correct position, or when he is out of position. I absolutely love the Delmar Smith Command Lead for the initial leash (heel) training; however a properly fitted choke chain collar will also work. Place the command lead, or choke collar high on the neck, right behind the ears. If you feel carefully high on the sides of a dogs neck there is a small depression, followed by a small spinal process that bumps out. Proper placement of the training lead/collar is right in this depression.

Once the lead is in place and the dog is on you left side (most common), give the command (“Heel!) and step off crisply with the left foot. You are the leader here; you decide where you are going, at what speed, and just what will be sniffed, marked, etc. Hold the leash up, or just slightly to the side of the dog’s neck with just enough pressure to keep the lead in the groove behind the head. When the dog starts to get out of position, give a crisp snap on the lead, then return to the normal light pressure to let the dog know he is getting out of position. You are not pulling the dog back into position, rather telling him through the leash that he is not following your lead. If you find that the leash is slipping out of the groove, you are trying to control the dog with the leash and pull him back into position.

When the dog is challenging your authority by getting out ahead of you and pulling on the leash, turn a sharp 90 degrees to the right, giving the lead a crisp pop to let him know he is out of position and not following your lead. Similarly, you can 90 to the left, snap the lead and bump him with your knee to let him know he is out of position.

I would like to stress the position of the lead/collar close up behind the head and the fact that if the collar is constantly slipping out of this position, you are trying to control the dog by pulling him to heel. If he is pulling, he is asserting his dominance over you.

I think that for many dogs, it feels good to pull, something like a sled dog driving against their harness. This is fine for a sled dog, or a team of horses, but not for your dog you are walking around the block, or down the two-track to a good looking hunting spot.

photo: Steve Ford

“I just got a new puppy, what should I do?” I have gotten several of these calls over the past month. Some of them are brand new hunting dog owners, but most have had a dog or two, but want this one to be the one. I always enjoy these conversations; hearing why a hunter selected a certain breed, or an individual pup from a given litter. I usually have a couple of suggestions:

First, and by far the most important, socialize the dog. Get the dog out and around everything and everybody. I can’t emphasize this enough, get the dog exposure to every novel thing you can imagine (cars, trucks, trains, old people, young people, crowds of people, black people, white people, other dogs, cats, trampolines, blowing plastic bags, you name it). A well socialized dog is one that will be confident in novel situations, will learn readily, and will make for a pleasureable dog to hunt with have around.

Second, learn about dog trianing by reading (and watching). Read books about dog training and seek to understand the principles behind the method. My caution here is to find one method that resonates with you and stick with that method, don’t jump around trying everything you happen to be reading that day. It will just confuse the dog. One of the reasons I like books, is that the author is able to describe important aspects of training, as well as, provide tips and techniques that you might not otherwise percieve. On the other hand, I like watching training videos, because you can see and visualize the principles being taught.

Third, learn by doing. Get out and try the training methdos described. Find someone to work with you. You can spend years (and several dogs) learning it the hard way by yourself, or find someone to learn from. A training partner or club can be a great way, because it provides the incentive to regularly train. You also have several people to discuss ideas with, and to learn from. You also get to see the training of several dogs along with your own.

Finally, (and I wish I were getting paid to say this - at least a free subscription guys!) I suggest a subscription to gun dog magazine. I really like their publication. They routinely have great articles that both provide ideas and give me the inspiration to keep working.
http://www.gundogmag.com
Best of Luck with your new pup!

I had the pleasure of working with two beautiful weimaraners today, one from Washington state and the other from Salt Lake City. They both were very well socialized, well mannered dogs that had a strong desire for birds.

We got as early a start as we logistically could. It went very well, with each dog working quite a few birds, but by noon, it was HOT and we had to call it quits. We had a great time and you could see the dogs loved getting out and working birds.

Training birds during the dog days of summer is possible, but you have to start early and plan on finishing before noon. Another challenge with training this early in the summer is that birds can be difficult to obtain. Birds are typically too young to train with. I try to keep some older birds on hand for summer training before the young ones are fully feathered and ready to go.

The kennel box (airline crate) is one of the greatest aids for training and caring for dogs. A lot of times we forget what it was like before they were out there. Now, for between $35 to $90 you can have a well made, durable, light weight, safe den for your dog. We use them for transporting dogs, house training aid, safe zone, sleeping in at night, and a backup summer dog house.

The best way to get your dog used to them is start when they are a puppy.  Use them for house breaking the dog and as their sleeping quarters. They quickly learn to love them. They see the crate as a cozy den.

If you haven’t used them since the dog was a pup, they may be reluctant to go in. Here’s a trick. Take the dog by the collar and give the command to kennel. Steer the dogs head into the crate by the collar. If they are reluctant, wrap your arm around their hips (see photo) and lift their back legs off the ground, direct them where you want them to go and they should go right in. This trick will work for directing the dog anywhere they don’t want to go. With out their back feet to dig in and push against, they loose their fight. (The slick metal table top at the vet has the same effect.) I believe I learned this tip from one of Bill Tarrant’s books and it has served me well.

Once you get the dog used to going in the kennel by lifting his back legs off the ground, then you can just begin wrapping your arm around the dog and touching their underside, then soon you should be able to simply command and give a gentle nudge. Try it. It works like a charm.