"Training with Live Birds"
The sandhill cranes are circling above and we've seen several flocks of snow geese glistening in the evening light. The cacles of cock pheasants re ringing throughout the countryside. It is late October in South Dakota--a perfect time for developing a bird dog.
Indy, a young vizsla, is doing her owner proud. Carol has brought her two vizslas to hunt pheasants with us and for some trainin on wild birds. In just the first few days...
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"Electronic Training"
A few years ago I attended the Outdoor Writer's Association of America's annual conference on behalf of Nova Scotia tourism. I had flown two of my dogs to the gathering, as I was scheduled to do some training exhibitions. The dogs performed admirably with tail-wagging style, and after the event two members of the audience approached me. They complimented me on the dogs, then commented on how nice it was to see dogs trained without an electronic collar. Well, guess what? I do use an electronic collar.
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'Whoa' Isn't for the Birds
Holding Point is the most important job your pointing dog has. A pointing dog that busts birds before the sportsman can approach is best relegated to cleaning up table scraps. If you aren't going to train your dog to hold point, leave it home while you go hunting.
Teaching a pointing dog to hold point and stand birds with style and intensity depends on a solid foundation of the "Whoa" command.
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"Hunting in Range"
At the top of my most frequently asked questions list is: "How can I get my dog to hunt in range?" A close second comes from aspiring puppy owners: "How big do your dogs run?"
Here I'll impart some "tricks of the trade" for getting your dog to hunt for you rather than you having to hunt for it. I'll also explore a few myths regarding big-running dogs.
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"Conditioning and Feeding for Optimal Performance"
This past June in St. Louis, Nestle Purina hosted the Sporting Dog Summit, where top trainers and handlers from across North America share their expertise and experiences. The list of 27 attendees read like a Who's Who of professionals at the top of their respective game and included Mike Lardy and Danny Farmer, nationally recognized retriever trainers; Gary Brown, a beagle field trialer; Robin Gates, who runs all age endurance stakes; Tim Whitaker, who competes with black-and-tan coonhounds. As well as George Tracey, Colvin Davis, Billy Wayne Morton, Delmar Smith, and many more.
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"The Forced Retrieve"
In dog training there is no such word as "democracy." Sending a dog to retrieve a crippled greenhead from icy waters or a downed hot-footing
peasant from a slough is not an optional request. The dog should not have a choice of complying based on the water tempersture, cover thickness, or simply whether it feels like working.
Neither should the hunter have to throw rocks to a floating bird and plead with the dog to fetch; nor, worse, jump into the water to show the dog how to do it. And bringing back crushed birds unfit for the table is unacceptable as well. The solution to all these problems is the forced retrieve.
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"Teaching Backing"
In the world of fine pointing dogs, a gentlemen's shooting dog is expected to go back, or honor, the point of its bracemates. A dog that fails to back another's point and rushes in to bust a bird or steal a point is the equivalent of a street urchin eating caviar with his fingers at a blacktie affair.
Many a re-invite has been forfeited due to an ill-mannered pointing dog that refused to go back. Teaching your dog to go back is easy. Unlike some other training exercises, this one doesn't take thousands birds, hundreds of acres of property or unlimited time. The investment in effort is minimal once the initial groundwork is complete.
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"Avoidance Training"
Praise and biscuits are great. They make our dogs wag their tails, which brings smiles to our faces. Wouldn't it be great if a few treats and "attaboys" would make your dog exhibit exemplary obedience and control in the field or duck blind?
The reality is that gundog trainers must incorporate pressure into their training programs if they expect to enjoy any kind of control in the field.
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