bopper
05-04-2009, 07:44 PM
For those of you with a new pup, (or planning to get one) here's a page from my training manual that you may find useful in starting your gun dog.
I will be giving a hands-on training seminar in the lower mainland shortly, and the complete manual will be given to all participants in the two-day event. If you are interested in attending, please send me a p.m. for details.....
PUPPY BASICS
The four basic necessities to giving a pup a good start are:
1: Walking on a lead.
2: Socialization.
3: Learning to sit.
4: Chasing.
1: Walking on a lead. Have pup become used to wearing a collar. Then attach a leash and have him drag it around. Now hold the leash and walk with the pup, always on a loose leash and without any restraint. Don't keep walking if your pup starts pulling on the leash, this rewards his behaviour; he must learn that when he pulls on the leash he gets nowhere. If he wants to continue walking, it must be at your side on a loose leash.
2: This is an important time in your dog's development. A well-adjusted dog is the product of proper socialization, and results in a dog that is not aggressive towards, or frightened by, anything or anyone.
Dogs that have not been socialized are hard to train, cannot adapt to new situations and often become fighters or biters. Don't reward fearful behaviour; if you try to soothe, calm, or encourage the pup when he's frightened, you are rewarding behaviour that you don't want.
3: Once your pup is walking well on leash, it's time to teach the 'sit', which is probably the most important command he will ever learn. Stop and kneel next to the pup; hold on to his collar, push down on his rump and tell him to 'sit'. Do it a few times, walk him some more, then stop and work on the 'sit' command again.
4: Chasing. Use a squeaky toy, duck wing or small dummy. Tease the pup with it, get him excited and toss it. Don't worry about him bringing it back, just work on developing excitement and the desire to chase.
When you have your pup performing well at these four basic components, you are ready to move on to more advanced training.
I will be giving a hands-on training seminar in the lower mainland shortly, and the complete manual will be given to all participants in the two-day event. If you are interested in attending, please send me a p.m. for details.....
PUPPY BASICS
The four basic necessities to giving a pup a good start are:
1: Walking on a lead.
2: Socialization.
3: Learning to sit.
4: Chasing.
1: Walking on a lead. Have pup become used to wearing a collar. Then attach a leash and have him drag it around. Now hold the leash and walk with the pup, always on a loose leash and without any restraint. Don't keep walking if your pup starts pulling on the leash, this rewards his behaviour; he must learn that when he pulls on the leash he gets nowhere. If he wants to continue walking, it must be at your side on a loose leash.
2: This is an important time in your dog's development. A well-adjusted dog is the product of proper socialization, and results in a dog that is not aggressive towards, or frightened by, anything or anyone.
Dogs that have not been socialized are hard to train, cannot adapt to new situations and often become fighters or biters. Don't reward fearful behaviour; if you try to soothe, calm, or encourage the pup when he's frightened, you are rewarding behaviour that you don't want.
3: Once your pup is walking well on leash, it's time to teach the 'sit', which is probably the most important command he will ever learn. Stop and kneel next to the pup; hold on to his collar, push down on his rump and tell him to 'sit'. Do it a few times, walk him some more, then stop and work on the 'sit' command again.
4: Chasing. Use a squeaky toy, duck wing or small dummy. Tease the pup with it, get him excited and toss it. Don't worry about him bringing it back, just work on developing excitement and the desire to chase.
When you have your pup performing well at these four basic components, you are ready to move on to more advanced training.