Controlled Confidence
Controlled confidence – that’s what you should be aiming for in a gun dog. Sure, self-reliance carries a great deal of confidence but hinders team-work. Even packs of wild canines have learned their individual roles to enable the pack (team) to carryout successful hunts. Likewise, total (human) control hinders confidence and canine learning during the relatively complex variations experienced in hunting wild game (birds). It is our job to provide the pup with a sense of both – controlled and confident.
Indeed, the dog that wishes to do well by its human counterpart carries a greater sense of confidence when it feels it is meeting with the human’s approval. Being consistent in your training and communication is how a dog learns to be consistent in its performance. Using multiple terms for the same command creates a breakdown in communication and causes a confused (insecure) dog.
Exposed to hunting situations without a thread of confidence, the dog will often cower alongside you. Either because you’re the only thing familiar or having learned that heeling has pleased you in the past. (If the pup has worked on heeling, of course.) Conversely, if a pup has always been given free-rein to run through forest and field, how can it be expected to know that it is supposed to be working with you when that time comes?
Again, the brains of a toddler and the physical prowess of an athlete means that disaster is almost sure to take place – and in an instant. You should have been keeping the pup in control inside the house by means of basic commands, a watchful eye, and a portable kennel. Beginning with kennel training to develop a dog’s sense of “place” and patience. When applied correctly, this goes a long way toward preventing undesirable behaviors such as separation anxiety.
When will you know it’s time to apply control outside? When the pup is too fast to watch or catch!
Please believe me, keeping a pup in control early will save a ton of heartache later. If you haven’t read anything but my musings, read articles and books by trainers like the Smith’s (Demar, Rick & Ronnie). There are many others but their dog training and philosophies, I find, most effective. Here’s an example found in Gun Dog Magazine’s website:
Gun Dog - Can a Bird Dog Be a Family Pet? - By: Ronnie Smith & Susanna Love
NOTE: Unlike many online “authorities”, I did not read this article then pretend that its lessons were purely my own. In fact, my blog was complete and I was researching something completely separate when I located the article on the Gun Dog website. I found it interesting that the two philosophies were so close that I wove it into this message as an additional resource. I give Mr. Smith full credit for his work.
Here, I begin with noise conditioning.
Noise Conditioning:
More about confidence than control, a pup that ignores loud activity or associates loud noise with a positive sense (feeding), is gaining confidence. Steps include but are not limited to:
• Hand-Clap: While calling its name, calling to feed, during play retrieve, etc.
• Once pup is totally enjoying its meal, clap hands two or three times, at a distance. Ignore any reaction. Move closer with each feeding until you’re able to clap after you set the bowl down with no reaction.
• Unloading dishwasher, louder than normal cupboard closure, etc. with pup in kennel or nearby.
• Loud children play, etc. while pup is kenneled or nearby.
• As pup shows acceptance, you may step it up with clapping the soles of shoes, wood blocks, etc. – distant, at first.
Goal: No more than a glance toward source of (reasonably) loud noise. The association of sharp sounds to positive, or non-threatening, outcomes.
Collar Conditioning:
The collar is your main point of contact; by directing the head the body should follow, is the thought. The collar should be broad (not a thin nylon strip), adjustable and, my preference, can be clipped on/off. I have two collars per dog, one for daily use and the one for hunting is orange and solid plastic - doesn’t collect burrs. Do not use a harness-style which enables the dog to pull and, therefore, complicates (defeats) the process of training a pup to heel and whoa. Steps include but are not limited to:
• A collar is the main point of contact and allows a more effective way to control your pup than grabbing skin, tail or ears!
• A neck collar creates a single contact point, more effective than chest harnesses that offers the dog an increased advantage and encourages resistance.
• Place an appropriately sized neck collar loosely around pup’s neck but doesn’t allow the pup to back out of it. If it’s a young dog, check fit often due to relatively rapid growth.
• Pup will scratch at it a bit; just another one of life’s little annoyances. Distract pup with a toy or other form of play.
• Attach a name-plate with contact info on to the collar with rivets – dangling name tags will catch on things and rip away.
• May wish to take off the collar before kenneling for the night – week one.
Goal: Happy association with a collar.
Leash Conditioning:
After pup has gotten used to its collar – a couple days – attach a light leash to the collar. The leash, and later the check cord, are going to be the most important foundation tools you will use for training a pointing dog. It will be the tool necessary for training compliance to “Here/Come”, “Heel”, and “Whoa”. Steps include but are not limited to:
• Let pup drag it around.
• Once in a while, step on or grab the leash as pup trots by. Be careful not to jerk or stop the pup on a dead-run!
• Later, attempt to pull pup around – only for short moments. Children enjoy this exercise.
• It may seem cute, but never allow pup to grab the leash in its teeth and attempt to pull you around! Not only will it destroy the leash, it may cause hard-mouthing or release issues during retrieve or it may be a power-grab by the pup. In any case, it should not be tolerated.
• Never leave pup alone with an attached leash or rope!
Goal: At this point, in preparation for future walks and check corded field work, we are just conditioning pup to accept this item as part of its world.
Additional Resource:
Pup’s first leash is usually seen as an annoyance from the pup’s perspective.
Next: “Timing is Everything.”
