Post by kninebirddog on Jul 2, 2011 21:01:42 GMT -6
Starting your pup in the field, again remember with young pups and young dogs always start by making sessions working within their attention spans. I like to start my puppies when they very young letting them explore open areas and investigate things. I also like to put out a good flying quail for them to find and play bump and chase with learning how to point for themselves. Letting pups learn things for themselves helps build confidence and desire. And if a young puppy happens to catch the quail and they carry it around this to me is a start, of letting a pup learn how to retrieve, getting them to retrieve can be worked on down the road. BUT, Once a pup has caught a bird it is a good idea from then on, to go to check cords so that they are not allowed to continue catching birds this then can lead to undesired behaviors real quick, but a pup from 5-12 weeks of age I do not worry to much about on one or 2 catches and do not make an issue of it either.
I will start pups on a chain gang and let them watch and learn with older dogs being taken out and then they can also hear gunshots from a longs ways in the distance. When you go to approach a pup to take them off the chain gang, move towards them when they are standing still for the pointing breeds or sitting still for the retrieving breeds. If they begin to bounce around stop advancing towards them if they try and lay down I will back away from them. With time patience and consistency they will learn to stand still when approached. Remember each day you start to train you will be starting from square one with each day the steps going quicker from step 1 to step 2 and so on. These are some of the foundations which are prescribed through the HuntSmith methods.
As the pup grow we will use a tethered pigeon for training session with a group of us one will have their pup point a bird while the other pups back then rotate so each pup has a chance to point a couple of times and back a few times.
Then when the pup is about 4 -6 month of age we will introduce the launchers and let them run and find the pigeon if they bust in on the bird we will pop the launcher in helping them to learn to point. Then we will go back to the check cord to help them learn to stand for the flush as they mature. All training is with in the realm of the pups/young dog’s attention applying to much pressure to fast will lead into undesired habits and behaviors as the mature.
When seeking methods to work by
Team HuntSmith Dog Rules Which are words to live by Rick and Ronnie Smith teach with this philosophy which when apply can help anyone be a better handler with their companion hunting dog. I believe and use the HuntSmith methods in our training program.
Dog Training Strata-Gems
• Whatever you allow a dog to do; you teach a dog to do.
• Never give a command you are not willing to, or in position to, enforce.
• There are no time tables or short cuts, dogs (and trainers) proceed at different paces … “it takes as long as it takes” and “you can pay me now or you can pay me later”.
• Proceeding too fast will more often cause more problems than proceeding too slow.
• Dogs learn through Consistent Association and Repetition (CAR).
• You can’t make a Bird Dog without birds.
• Dogs respond better to physical cues then they do to verbal cues. Keep voice and whistle commands to a minimum.
• A high Prey Drive will solve a multitude of sins. There is no such thing as a dog with too much prey drive.
• Dogs don’t grow out of behaviors they grow into them.
• Allow a dog every chance to succeed. You should never set your dog up for failure (unless you are aversion training).
• Don’t confuse range with obedience.
• Try to always end a training scenario on a good note; this is as much for the trainer’s
confidence as it is for the dogs. Nothing builds confidence like success.
• You can hunt or win with any dog except one that is lost; you need to always have control of your dog.
• Never miss an opportunity to train.
• No dog was ever trained through frustration or anger. If you are frustrated then you are doing something wrong. Quit, think it over and start fresh another day.
• Always have a plan before going to the field and always be willing to modify the plan.
• Find a good training system (one that has proven results) and stick with it. Changing systems mid stream or “mixing and matching” will lead to confusion.
• Learn to read your dog; he’s got a lot to tell you.
• Timing is everything; anything that interferes with your timing interferes with your training.
• The dog is a pack animal; you must be the pack leader. That is the ONLY way your dog will respect you.
• Distance, Duration, Distractions. Keep them to a minimum when you introduce a command to a dog and then slowly increase each individually as the dog becomes more familiar and comfortable with the command or the learned behavior.
• Control your training environment. This includes dogs, birds and people. Anything that you can do to better control the environment will result in a superior training session.
• The best trainer in the world can only get 100% of what is “in” the dog back out. The better the genes, the higher the potential of the dog. The better the trainer the better the chance of getting 100% out of any given dog. No matter how great you think your pup is, “you can’t teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and irritates the hell out of the pig”.
• Anticipate your dog’s next move and be ready. The second you take your eyes off of your dog or put yourself in a position to not be able to correct him, he will digress and you have missed an opportunity. If you should miss an opportunity, let it go and learn from your mistake. No correction is better than an ill timed correction.
• Keep it light and fun for both you and the dog. We all have good and bad days, if you or the dogs are having a poor outing, quit for the day. If you have a string of bad days, find a good pro and get some advice!
• Like any other discipline, it’s easier to train a dog with the proper tools. This includes collars, leads, electronics and most importantly information. Skimp on the quality of any of the tools and you are skimping on the quality of the training. If you want a good dog, be prepared to invest in good tools.
• Always use the lowest amount of stimulation possible while still maintaining compliance. If you are getting to the point where the dog twitches or vocalizes on electronic stimulation, immediately go back to mechanical stimulation in the yard before returning to the field. Electric stimulation simulates mechanical stimulation. Stimulation is not about pain. (http://www.teamhuntsmith.com/Docs/dogrules.pdf
).
Simple as these rules sound it is so easy to forget simple basics which can help make a session go smoother by getting a small step right. It many times isn’t the amount of training as much as it is the quality of training at each session which can make for good sessions, Up until a pup has matured there is many things that can be done to lay a solid foundation for future training, with out the need of trying to make them a fully broke dog. There is no such thing as fully broke dog but there are many super well trained dogs. These dogs become very well trained through seasons of repetition and handlers which never miss an opportunity to train. By being a constant leader your dog will be a better constant companion.
Most of the foundation we use are that of Rick Smith. www.huntsmith.com/
you can find where there will be a seminar near you.
I will start pups on a chain gang and let them watch and learn with older dogs being taken out and then they can also hear gunshots from a longs ways in the distance. When you go to approach a pup to take them off the chain gang, move towards them when they are standing still for the pointing breeds or sitting still for the retrieving breeds. If they begin to bounce around stop advancing towards them if they try and lay down I will back away from them. With time patience and consistency they will learn to stand still when approached. Remember each day you start to train you will be starting from square one with each day the steps going quicker from step 1 to step 2 and so on. These are some of the foundations which are prescribed through the HuntSmith methods.
As the pup grow we will use a tethered pigeon for training session with a group of us one will have their pup point a bird while the other pups back then rotate so each pup has a chance to point a couple of times and back a few times.
Then when the pup is about 4 -6 month of age we will introduce the launchers and let them run and find the pigeon if they bust in on the bird we will pop the launcher in helping them to learn to point. Then we will go back to the check cord to help them learn to stand for the flush as they mature. All training is with in the realm of the pups/young dog’s attention applying to much pressure to fast will lead into undesired habits and behaviors as the mature.
When seeking methods to work by
Team HuntSmith Dog Rules Which are words to live by Rick and Ronnie Smith teach with this philosophy which when apply can help anyone be a better handler with their companion hunting dog. I believe and use the HuntSmith methods in our training program.
Dog Training Strata-Gems
• Whatever you allow a dog to do; you teach a dog to do.
• Never give a command you are not willing to, or in position to, enforce.
• There are no time tables or short cuts, dogs (and trainers) proceed at different paces … “it takes as long as it takes” and “you can pay me now or you can pay me later”.
• Proceeding too fast will more often cause more problems than proceeding too slow.
• Dogs learn through Consistent Association and Repetition (CAR).
• You can’t make a Bird Dog without birds.
• Dogs respond better to physical cues then they do to verbal cues. Keep voice and whistle commands to a minimum.
• A high Prey Drive will solve a multitude of sins. There is no such thing as a dog with too much prey drive.
• Dogs don’t grow out of behaviors they grow into them.
• Allow a dog every chance to succeed. You should never set your dog up for failure (unless you are aversion training).
• Don’t confuse range with obedience.
• Try to always end a training scenario on a good note; this is as much for the trainer’s
confidence as it is for the dogs. Nothing builds confidence like success.
• You can hunt or win with any dog except one that is lost; you need to always have control of your dog.
• Never miss an opportunity to train.
• No dog was ever trained through frustration or anger. If you are frustrated then you are doing something wrong. Quit, think it over and start fresh another day.
• Always have a plan before going to the field and always be willing to modify the plan.
• Find a good training system (one that has proven results) and stick with it. Changing systems mid stream or “mixing and matching” will lead to confusion.
• Learn to read your dog; he’s got a lot to tell you.
• Timing is everything; anything that interferes with your timing interferes with your training.
• The dog is a pack animal; you must be the pack leader. That is the ONLY way your dog will respect you.
• Distance, Duration, Distractions. Keep them to a minimum when you introduce a command to a dog and then slowly increase each individually as the dog becomes more familiar and comfortable with the command or the learned behavior.
• Control your training environment. This includes dogs, birds and people. Anything that you can do to better control the environment will result in a superior training session.
• The best trainer in the world can only get 100% of what is “in” the dog back out. The better the genes, the higher the potential of the dog. The better the trainer the better the chance of getting 100% out of any given dog. No matter how great you think your pup is, “you can’t teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and irritates the hell out of the pig”.
• Anticipate your dog’s next move and be ready. The second you take your eyes off of your dog or put yourself in a position to not be able to correct him, he will digress and you have missed an opportunity. If you should miss an opportunity, let it go and learn from your mistake. No correction is better than an ill timed correction.
• Keep it light and fun for both you and the dog. We all have good and bad days, if you or the dogs are having a poor outing, quit for the day. If you have a string of bad days, find a good pro and get some advice!
• Like any other discipline, it’s easier to train a dog with the proper tools. This includes collars, leads, electronics and most importantly information. Skimp on the quality of any of the tools and you are skimping on the quality of the training. If you want a good dog, be prepared to invest in good tools.
• Always use the lowest amount of stimulation possible while still maintaining compliance. If you are getting to the point where the dog twitches or vocalizes on electronic stimulation, immediately go back to mechanical stimulation in the yard before returning to the field. Electric stimulation simulates mechanical stimulation. Stimulation is not about pain. (http://www.teamhuntsmith.com/Docs/dogrules.pdf
).
Simple as these rules sound it is so easy to forget simple basics which can help make a session go smoother by getting a small step right. It many times isn’t the amount of training as much as it is the quality of training at each session which can make for good sessions, Up until a pup has matured there is many things that can be done to lay a solid foundation for future training, with out the need of trying to make them a fully broke dog. There is no such thing as fully broke dog but there are many super well trained dogs. These dogs become very well trained through seasons of repetition and handlers which never miss an opportunity to train. By being a constant leader your dog will be a better constant companion.
Most of the foundation we use are that of Rick Smith. www.huntsmith.com/
you can find where there will be a seminar near you.