Using Discipline Is Still Hard For Me With Charlie

You know, when people are training their dogs, they are often left wondering one thing; how do they punish their gun dogs? There are so many trainers out there and so many different styles of training that it can be rather confusing. If you listen to one trainer, you should never discipline your dog, another trainer may suggest using a squirt bottle filled with water or vinegar and another may approach training in a “spare the rod, spoil the dog,” type of mentality.

Thankfully, as gundog owners, we can really decide on what works best with our dogs, although I would never recommend or endorse the latter method of disciplining. Instead, my approach to correcting your gundog is much nicer and can be very easy to do both on the field and off the field and in this article, I will look at how to discipline your gundog so you see results without damaging the bond you have with your dog.

Regardless of how good your gundog is, there will be periods of time that you will need to either correct or discipline your gundog. While it may be more desirable to ignore a negative behavior, it is not the best for the dog and any behaviors that are ignored will lead to bigger problems for your gundog.

When you do go to discipline your gundog there are a few things that you need to consider.

1. Make sure you use an even tone. Many people make the mistake of yelling at their dog. This does nothing but make the dog cower from you. The dog is not learning to stop a behavior; instead they are learning to fear you. Instead of yelling, use a firm voice that is slightly louder than your normal speaking voice. This is the voice that should mean business and it should have a touch of harshness to it.

2. Don’t use bad dog. One habit that we always seem to fall in is using the term “bad dog.” Stop using it because many times you dog is not being “bad” it is simply doing something that is natural to it. The main reason behind using your voice is to break the behavior. For this reason, use a word such as “no,” so your dog will stop and look at you.

3. Never use come before you discipline. If you want to break the command of come, then by all means, ask your dog to come to you before you discipline. Remember we want to reward our dogs when they come to us so if your dog needs to be disciplined, you go and get him instead of calling him.

4. Don’t hit your dog. Hitting your dog never solves anything and will usually just cause more damage than if you had ignored the behavior. To make it a physical correction, calmly take the dog by the scruff of the neck and firmly pull on it. This should not be a shake but just a simple pull that alerts the dog that you are not happy. Do not hurt your dog when you do this.

5. Stay calm. Lastly, make sure you stay calm when you discipline your dog. If you are waving your arms and behaving in an angry way, your dog is going to feel really threatened. This will cause your dog to be scared of you and will damage your bond with your gundog.

Remember that when you do discipline your gundog that it is short. It shouldn’t be a punishment that will last for a long time but more of a quick correction that is forgotten by you shortly after it is done. Also, make sure that you only discipline your gundog if you absolutely need to. The best training only uses correction less than 5% of the time and the rest of the training is done with positive

If you have not already got our DVD you can get some great tips on discipline there

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When Your Gundog Is Young Do Not Rush Their Training

The first time I decided to train a gundog, I realized that it wasn’t an easy task. I mean, sure, the training was actually quite easy and the dog took to all of it without too much difficulty and I had a lot of fun training but I didn’t have a gundog overnight. What I learned with my first gundog was that if you want a properly trained gundog without any problems, then you should expect it to take a fair amount of time.

But often that is easier said than done and everyone, me included, would love to have a gundog overnight. The reality is that all of the best trained gundogs were not trained overnight and if you talk to many handlers, they still aren’t fully trained, even after 2, 3, or even 5 years working in the field. Gundog training is something that occurs over the life of the dog and while you may have a fully trained gundog at two years of age (or younger), you should constantly be working your dog to keep them in the best condition both physically and mentally.

Okay, I had a little of a rant there but the main point that I am trying to stress is that you should never rush your gundog’s training. Generally, when a gundog is being trained, there are a lot of levels and a lot of steps that need to be worked through. Rushing through one stage to get to the other can cause a lot of problems and these are simple:

1. Your gundog is unable to perform tasks in the field. It doesn’t matter how well a dog does something the first time in a training session, if you have rushed it, your dog may not be able to do that task in the field. This isn’t because they aren’t listening but is more because the excitement has reduced your dog’s concentration and your dog will have a hard enough time remembering a well enforced and practiced command that they will be lost on commands that weren’t reinforced.

2. Your gundog won’t listen. While this may seem the same as one, it isn’t. There are commands a gundog won’t know if they aren’t reinforced but there are also commands a gundog won’t listen to if the training was rushed.

3. Your bond with your gundog is affected. Rushing through training can ruin the bond that you created with your gundog. Usually rushed training is more work and has more negative reinforcement than positive. If your gundog doesn’t trust you then he will not take your lead or commands in the field.

4. It is harder to retrain. If you miss any steps in your rush to have a trained gundog, it can be next to impossible to reteach them. Once your gundog has established a way to do something, he will not want to go back to do it right the first time. This means that it is very difficult to break bad habits and, trust me; there will be a number of bad habits arising from rushed training.

All of these problems can mean two things; one, your gundog may be ruined and no matter how much training you reinvest into your dog, they will never perform to the fullest of their potential and two, you will become very frustrated with everything, which will further hurt your relationship with your gundog.

When you do train your gundog, take the time to do so and make sure that you train according to your dog’s schedule, not yours and definitely not the hunting season schedule. If you miss a season, don’t fret because it will come around again very quickly.

Make sure you start training when your gundog is about eight to twelve weeks but make sure that it is simply a fun way to pass the time. At this age it should never be about work. Also keep the training to short periods. A good rule of thumb is 15 minute sessions, one to two times per day. You can do this every day (optimal) but make sure it is no fewer than 3 days a week.

And remember, some gundogs pick this up within weeks, while others can take months to be properly trained. There is no sense becoming frustrated and it makes even less sense to rush it.

If You haven’t seen our Gundog training DVD which Ron shows you how to train a gundog, Go to Amazon Now to grab your copy

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You Need To Be Careful Not To Scare Your Gundog Puppy When Introducing Gun Shots

This is very important and you should read and reread the following excerpt from the manuel ‘Fancy Training For Your Gundog’ this is a very old and valuable book written over 150 years ago, and guess what, dogs still need to be introduced to the same gun shots now as they did then. And this way seems to work best.

While our gundog puppy is yet young he should be taught to love the sound of the gun. This can be easily accomplished if the proper course is pursued. In the first place we take a couple of old tinpans, and while his attention is attracted by something that interests him we strike them together, lightly at first, and if he appears to be afraid we are very careful not to add to his fright by a repetition of the noise anywhere near him, but take the pans to quite a distance from his pen and leave them, and wait a while before trying again.

Comparatively few dogs are gun-shy, and it is with these only that those precautions are necessary. After your pup has been carefully accustomed to the noise do not lay the gun aside as soon as you have accomplished your object, but let him hear the sound occasionally until his education is complete, taking good care that the discharge of the gun is at once followed by something pleasing to him his dinner, for instance or let it be a prelude to giving him his liberty, thus giving him to understand that the noise means something, and soon the noise, or even the sight of the gun, will cause him pleasurable emotions that he will never forget.

This manuel provided me with the groundwork which I trained Charlie from, I also recommend everyone with a gundog or who is thinking of getting a gundog to try these manuels out, they are available to download immediately if you want and have a 8 week guarantee where you get to keep the manuels and get your money back if you don’t agree they are invaluable.

Learn More about the gundog puppy training manuels now Click the Gundog Training

If you want the full 5 lessons sign up in the box above, next week i should have some pre training videos for all you gundog puppy owners so keep watching, if you want them first sign up for our per training videos below

Charlie My Cocker Hunting Dog Is Exellent At Flushing Phesants

I have had many emails from you who are having problems learning how to train your hunting dog to flush out birds. Some dogs are better than others at this. Spaniels are the number one choice for beaters who I known. They sometimes have to stop their dogs from hurting themselves. Not all spaniels are good at this though,

Charlie my cocker is OK at flushing but would have been better if I had him before he was 14 months old. I have known Labs who excel at flushing but they must be trained young. So whatever breed you have, you need to start training the art of flushing young.

6 Steps To Train Your Gundog To Flush

Step 1
When your dog has learned recall start introducing him/her to a little rough. Before you let her out of your car place 4-5 treats in a rough area about 20yards square.

Step 2
Let your dog have a few minutes play before you take her to the rough area where you put the treats. After about 5 minutes put his/her lead on and lead him/her over to the rough area.

Step 3
Tell your gundog to go-on or find while leading her to the first treat. Repeat with the rest of the treats keeping her on the lead and giving her a idea where the treats are hidden. Give her a fuss when she finds each treat.

Step 4
The following week repeat the exercise but leave her to find the last 2 treats herself. If she has not found the treat after about 3-4 minutes help her, but do not get annoyed. Your dog may get this the first attempt or it may take weeks of practice.

Step 5

Over the next few weeks give her less and less help hopefully after a few weeks you should let her off her lead to play and she will find the rough to get her treats. Cut the number of treats down but keep giving her fuss.

Step 5
If possible get some dead birds or rabbits and put them in socks then in the rough. This will give a smell for your dog to scent. Introduce your dog to the smell before you leave the car to place them. Place a few treats also.

Step 6
Take your gundog somewhere where there is some game and through a couple of treats around the edges. Tell her to go-on and your dog should start to use its nose to find the birds. As long as you have been giving a fuss and encouraging in the training, she should have no problem adapting to flushing on the shoot.

Warning

Do not rush your dog when training, if it takes 6 months don’t worry it will be worth it. If it takes 3 weeks you are lucky but on another discipline like retrieving your dog may take longer to learn.

If you want more info on how to train your hunting dog from start to finish we can help you. At present we are filming our new training program , which you get a 10 minute video each week taking you step by step through the training process of training your new gundog. Plus you get a training chart to follow and fill in as you go. Click Here to get on the early bird’s hotlist Now! You even get free Pre Training Preperation Videos

If you are having this problem with your Labrador gundog or any hunting dog, you need to do more whistle training. Below I have posted a short clip of whistle training.

It came from a DVD we did showing how to train a gundog from start to finish. The star of the DVD is a dog called Kayla; she was trained by Ron at 10 months old as her previous owner could not cope with her. I think you will agree Kayla has turned into a great Labrador gundog.

If you would like a copy of the DVD, click below, it’s sold exclusively by Amazon

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Things to make sure of when whistle training

• You should buy a 210.5 or 211.5 whistle (use the same numbered whistle all the time)

• One long toot on the whistle means stop

• Two quick toots means return

• Make sure you use the same types of sound at all time

• Train your dog when its young, the sooner he gets use to the whistle the better

Here is a extract from the book ‘Fancy Training For Your Gundog’ on whistle training in the field:

When our pupil has become so well established in the knowledge of what is required of him that he will, when at quite a distance from you, instantly stop at the signal of the upraised hand and retain his position until given permission to move, we will advance him another step, and teach him the meaning of that other sound of the whistle, that we have mentioned as being used to attract his attention.

We always use for this purpose two very short, quick toots, with the second one following the first instantly. As the meaning of this signal is entirely different from the one that he has become accustomed to, so should the sound be also so different that he can never mistake the one from the other, not for an instant be in doubt as to what is required of him when he hears the sound of the whistle.

As much depends upon first impressions, we will take good care that we start right, and that we let him hear the first sound of this signal at an opportune moment, and as we wish to teach him that this sound is only to attract his attention, we will be very careful that he is not looking toward us, but wait until he is at some little distance from us, and looking the other way.

At the same time care must be taken that he is not particularly engaged about anything that would tend to distract his mind. At just the right time you should sound the signal in a short, sharp, quick way, but only loud enough for him to hear distinctly, At the instant he casts his eye in your direction, raise your hand as a signal for him to To ho. Be very sure that your hand is raised at the proper time, for, as we have remarked before, first impressions are very important, particularly in this lesson, and he should instantly see and obey your signal, thus learning if this course is always pursued that the two short blasts mean nothing in themselves, and are only a warning to call his attention to something of importance that you wish him to do.

You will find it necessary to vary this or he will come to associate this signal with your command of To ho, and at once stop when he hears it. Now we wish to train him so thoroughly in this that, when we come, a little later, to teach him to quarter his ground, he will not slacken his speed at the sound, but merely turn his head in your direction, and quick as a flash obey whatever signal you may give him ; therefore, when you repeat this lesson, instead of raising your hand for him to stop, command him to charge.

Of course you will see that he is near enough to hear you plainly. Perhaps it will be as well at the next trial to sound the long note as soon as he looks around, and call him in, not forgetting to abundantly caress and praise him when he performs his task in a pleasing manner. We think it a very good plan to always have in our pocket something good for him to eat, and when he minds this long note and comes in quickly, we reward him with a bit of something substantial as well as with fine words.

This is a little more advanced but a excellent extract from a excellent book. For your copy Of this great manuel Click on Labrador Gundog