The warm weather is coming, time to get your puppy out and introduce her to water. With proper introduction, most dogs will love the water, especially the retrievers and longer coated dogs. There are all sorts of ways to introduce your dog to water, all depending on what type of waterbody you have at hand. The key is to check any aprehension you may have; make crossing or swimming the water seem as a routine thing. I usually try to introduce puppies to water between three and five months, provided the weather is warm enough. Warm weather is important, because you want your dog to have a good experience. I usually just put on the hip boots and wade out into the water and call the dog along. They’ll hesitate at the shoreline, pawing the water, but usually following before too long.

If reluctant, I pick them up, being careful not to give the impression I’m chasing or threatening (just routinely picking them up, as if I were putting them back in the crate as usual). Then, I carry them out and set them in the water where it’s deep enough to get their belly wet. For a timid dog, usually this is enough, just getting wet. If not, next time carry them a bit deeper and then deeper still.

Another way is to use a favorite toy, stick, or retrieving bumper and toss it close enough that they really want it, but just far enough to make them swim. A lot of times, I’ll cross the water and call them and get them to swim across to me. Yet another way is to get out when it is really hot and run the dog for a ways until they are hot and they realize just how good it feels to get all the way in and cool off.

Anyway you do it, make it fun.

I love to swim with the dogs, you just have to watch out for their nails. When they swim, they splay out their toes and their nails are in max scratch mode and will leave nice tracks down your chest, legs or back. As they come close, just gently divert them to the side.  

 

 

I am often asked if I think someone should “force fetch” their gun dog as a matter of standard training (even if their particular breed, or individual dog loves to retrieve). My answer is yes. Along with making the retrieve a command, it can do a lot of others things for the dog, like boost their confidence, soften a hard mouth, establish a solid platform for more advanced training, plus it makes for polished, classy field work. Without a doubt, you can take them through the force fetch training and maintain and even strentghten their passion for retrieving.

Above is a photo of a wonderful, big running german shorthaired pointer named Rat during the force fetch training. If a dog is willing to hold this ugly, uncomfortable metal sprinkler, he will hold anything.

 

This is not something I have given much thought to until someone specifically asked me the question, “is safer to have a collar on your dog or not?” I have always had a collar on my dogs and thought that was just how it should be. So I gave this some serious thought. This person’s argument was that it was safer not to have a collar on the dog, in case the dog was swimming and got a foot up through the collar, or was hunting wide and got the collar caught on a limb or a fence.

Here are my thoughts on the matter. If your dog was a farm dog out in Arthur County, Nebraska he may not need a collar (trust me, this is some empty country – beautiful, but empty). Otherwise, dogs need collars in today’s world. Here are a few reasons why: First, a collar acts as a handle on the dog. Often times you need to get a hold of the dog, when a truck is zipping by, when you encounter a rattlesnake, meet another hunting party with dogs in the field, or any other myriad of other things you encounter. Without a collar, people end up grabbing the dog’s tail, a handful of skin, or other inhumane and less effective methods.

Second, a collar on a dog says that it is someone’s and not a stray. A collar on a dog with a reward tag and phone number is the very very best way to get a lost dog back. When you are on an extended hunting trip in Arizona or South Dakota and your dog turns up missing, the best way to get him back is to have a collar and tag. Microchips help once they hit the shelter, but the family at the farmhouse that finds him can call you directly as soon as they find him.

If your dog can get a leg through their collar, or a limb can fit up through it, the collar is way too loose. You should be just able to get three fingers under the collar. If you are using a e-training collar, it should ride even higher on the neck, right behind the head and to ensure consistent contact with the points, you should just be able to fit one finger under the collar.

In my opinion, the ability to get physical control of the dog and the information provided on the collar in case of a lost dog is well worth the small risk of a dog getting caught up by the collar in a life threatening situation.

The type of dog collar is really a matter of personal choice. I like the looks of a leather collar, but they do not hold up as long as nylon ones. As for durability, the best collars I have found are the plastic coated nylon collars. No matter which collar material I use, I prefer one with a center ring, because of the ease of clipping on a lead. I just ordered six collars from Scott’s Dog Supply and they came with engraved brass nameplates. I was pleased with the quality and their service.

Recently, I was asked by a new pointer puppy owner what he should be working on with his new puppy. My answer may have been a bit of a surprise. I think the most important thing he could do with the puppy is to properly socialize it. I’ll point out here that my focus on gun dogs is in developing well mannered hunting companions. There are two critical phases of canine development. The first is between 4 and 6 weeks old, and the second is between 6 and 12 weeks. During this time it is critical to understand these phases and treat the puppy accordingly.

The first phase is the pack socialization phase. During this period, the puppies begin to venture around and out of the litter box more, their teeth emerge, they start on semi-solid food, and are weaned. During this period, the dam spends less time with the pups and as a consequence, they begin to focus on each other. It is during this period that dogs learn how to relate to other dogs. They begin to establish a hierarchy, and learn proper canine social behavior and communication. Puppies taken from their mother or littermates before 6 weeks often have serious behavior problems as they mature.

The second phase is the human socialization phase. During this phase, the puppy’s focus should be on people and the human environment. Most gun dog puppies should be taken between seven and eight weeks of age. It is critical that the breeder begins the human socialization with the puppies during this stage. The new owner should continue this work. If there is ever a time a dog should not be stuck in kennel in isolation, now is it. This is where the dog’s connection with humans is largely established. We do everything we can to develop hunting companions that are team players and a pleasure to be around.

During this period you should purposely focus on eye contact and facial expressions. Pups are very focused on the face; spend two minutes with a puppy and you will see this. This is where you begin to establish a strong partnership with your dog. You can also begin to work on come, sit and heel with your new puppy, but by far, the most important thing you can do is socialize the puppy. Spend time with the dog, get him into new surroundings and let him experience new situations. Don’t put too much pressure on him, but get him out and about. Kids are excellent at socializing puppies; they fondle, chase, and love them up. Neither seem to be able to get enough, the kids or the puppies.

Here are three keys to dog training: keep training sessions short, focus on one thing at a time, and focus on small steps where you know your dog can be successful.

Keep training sessions short; the key here is to keep them short enough that you have your dogs full attention. Just like you or I, they learn best when you have their full attention. If you have gone 5 minutes and see that they are still with you and excited to learn, keep going, if not, stop.

One way you can stretch out your training sessions is to take a fun break part way through. In an energetic, but deliberate tone, tap your dog on the shoulder and give the “break” command to let them know that you are done with the training and they can have fun for a minute, then do something fun and energetic for one to three minutes. Do something the dog enjoys, not related to the training, but where you know what the dog’s response will be (The idea is that the dog will have fun and let off steam, but will be contained and you won’t have to chase it down or scold it for anything. Stay upbeat.) I will throw some retrieving dummies or tennis balls, run around the house, or some other upbeat activity. This activity seems to clear their head, keep them excited and help them continue with the training.

When you are training, focus on one thing at a time. It is important that you clearly understand what it is that you are trying to train. Decide on what the final product is that you want, break down the steps to get there and focus on one aspect at a time. For example, if you want your dog to come, circle you on the right side and sit at heel when you command “come”, you have to break it down into steps, focusing on one aspect at a time, then chaining them together to get the desired result. If you are working on having him circle and sit, don’t worry that the dog may not be sitting exactly parallel to you. Polish that after you have some of the other steps down.

Finally, you want to build success upon success in your training. Success promotes learning, while failure promotes more failure. All dogs want to please; I believe it is in their pack nature. If your dog fails at task, back up and shorten the task to ensure that the dog can succeed. Always end your training on a positive note.