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.

 

One of the things I work on early in training and continue throughout the training process is walking at heel. It is so nice to have a dog that will reliably walk at heel when you are in the field walking to or from a hunting spot. Similarly, when you want to take the dog out for a walk, or go on a run it is nice to have the dog right beside you keying in on you.

One thing I commonly see, is a dog straining at the end of a leash, pulling for all they are worth and their owner bracing themselves trying to control the dog. If there are two things that commonly make a hunting dog and the hunter’s spouse at odds, it is this lack of leash control and jumping up on people. Luckily, these are things that you can cure in short fairly short order.

In order to train the Heel command, the first step is to use a lead that will ride in the correct place, high on the neck, right behind the ears. A collar is important to have on the dog (see post on March 11, To Collar, Or Not? ), however, as far as heeling the dog, they ride too low. They ride down near the base of the neck where the dog has the most pulling power (think of a yoke for horses or a harness for sled dogs – they are placed for maximum pulling). Place the lead right up behind the ears, high on the neck where you have the most control.

I really like the command lead, also called the Wonder Lead from Rick & Ronnie Smith. It looks like a roper’s piggin string, but has a rubber stopper which you adjust to allow the neck opening to spring open to the right size and no larger. This command lead is sized perfectly to stay in the groove behind the ears and skull and in front of the first vertebral process. Other devices that work well are the choke chain, prong collar, and the pinch collar (a flat and wide leather collar with dull spikes on the inside and a spring open metal core). 

The key is this: think of the leash and collar as a communication device rather than a control device. If you try to simply control the dog by pulling it into position all the time, what you end up with is a constant battle for control (dominance). Also, by allowing the dog to constantly pull, you are inadvertently training the dog that when they are hooked up on a leash, they are supposed to pull. On the contrary, put the lead correctly in position, confidently give the heel command and head out. Keep the lead slack except to pop the lead to communicate to the dog when he is out of position. Early in the training, purposely set the dog up by walking straight for a ways, then when the dog is distracted and starting off on their own tangent, turn 90-degrees and walk away giving the leash a crisp pop again letting the dog know that the are out of position. Establish clear, decisive leadership and the dog will naturally follow.

 

One of the things I am working on is giving a command once and once only, then following up to ensure that the command is followed.

This is easy to forget and drop back into old habits, and give the command two or three times. Usually you give the command the first time and when they don’t respond, give the command again louder or with more growl in your voice, and even once again. I try to remind myself that this just trains them to come on the third command when you’re frustrated.

One command and then enforce.

I am regularly asked if I use e-collars or electronic training collars in my training program. My emphatic answer is “yes, absolutely!”  I use them for two reasons, first, I am able to give a dog feedback (positive – turning the collar off, or negative – turning the collar on) at the exact instant that it is needed. Dogs ability to chain an action with a consequence is very short (< 2 seconds), and with the collar you can reach them at that exact moment. The second reason is that I can reach them at any distance, whether it is three feet, 50 feet, or 500 yards. 

That said, I use the e-collar very lightly and only as a teaching tool, never as a control. If you are using an electronic collar as a way to control your dog, you’re abusing it. I have heard it sometimes called a dog’s hearing aid. I rank this thinking somewhere near pelting the dog with bird shot at 50 yards to get them under control. A good way to ruin a bird dog, rather than bring out their best.

Two months ago I purchased the Dogtra 202 gold – two dog e-collar system and have been very pleased with it. The collars are very small and light as well as being water proof. They seem to hold a charge for a long time and with the dial setting, they can go from no current gradually to a very strong one. The transmitter is small, hangs nicely on its lanyard around the neck and is quick and straight forward to use. I haven’t yet taken advantage of the page (vibrate) button feature, but suppose it could be useful.

I also have a Tri-tronics sport 50 e-collar that I have used for about five years. I liked this collar and found it easy to use. One thing I like about my new collar over this older one, is that the power settings are infinitely adjustable with the dial, as opposed to only 5 click settings on the older Sport 50 model. I noticed that the new tri-tronics sport series have 10 click settings for a finer range of adjustments. I am sure these new collars are nice, as Tri-troincs products are always quaility. I also liked the idea of being able to marry additional collars to your transmitter in the field. Although, I don’t know how practical this is. I’m not going to let my hunting buddy take the reins on my dog no matter how much I like him, nor is he going to do that for me.

I also have an old Tri-tronics collar (~1990) that you have to change the contact points on the collar to change the intensity level. It was a pretty good collar in its day. The problem is that in changing situations (distractions) you can’t increase the power to fit the need.

One of my training partners purchased the same Dogtra trainer that I have in the one-dog model and has really liked it. Another training partner is getting ready to purchase the DT H2O 1800. I look forward to seeing this collar in action, so I have another one to compare between.

I think most of these collars are comparable. The things I look for are receiver size (small), adequate range (my opinion is that ½ mile is plenty – beyond that and you can’t see your dog to properly know when you should correct and when you shouldn’t), ease of use, range of power settings – especially at the low end, and finally warrantee service.

I went to the Weber Retriever Hunt Test this last weekend and had a great time. The group there was very enjoyable to run with. They were supportive and helpful to each other and made for an all around fun day. It was held at the Harold Crane Waterfowl Management Area on Willard Bay, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, UT. 
I have to say, all of the dogs were well behaved and well trained. It was a real pleasure to see the master dogs work.  If you would like to see a few more of my photos from the even, click on the link here to go my flickr photo account.

 

I’ve written about introducing dogs to water before, but I guess with the beautiful weather we are having I have been thinking this over. We got back from a hard run this moring with all our tongues dragging from the heat.

A great way to introduce puppies to water is to get out and run with them until thir tongues are hanging and their hot. This in and of itself is great physically and mentally both for you and them. Run them on a lead, or if they will follow, let them run along with you. Finish your run with them on lead at a water body deep enough that they can swim. Lead them right out to into the water up to their bellies. Let them drink for a minute, then, before they cool off too much, lead them out deeper until they are swimming. Let this be their reward at the end of a long hot run. They’ll learn to love it and see the water as a great reward. (Summer is almost here!)