Gundog Fixer Upper: Correcting Common Mistakes

Gundog Fixer Upper: Correcting Common Mistakes

By Ryan Eder

We all make mistakes. So do our dogs. Most of us train our own hunting dogs and due to lack of time, knowledge, experience, facilities and all around “know how” there are holes in the results of our effort. What are some of the common mistakes that our dogs will make and how are they caused? How can we fix them? I would like to look at critical “holes” in our training, and in our dogs that can make or break your hunting experience.

Furthermore, for each issue we discuss, I will propose a fix that you can do with your dog to help the issue. Remember, a dog is never “finished”; we can always work with them to sharpen skills as well as teach new ones.

Stick to the basics!
I’m a broken record, but recently I attended a retriever field trial seminar with two of the top trainers and handlers in the game; guess what they attribute a great deal of issues that arise in training and competing to? You guessed it; the basics. Michael Jordan shot free throws daily. Why? He wanted to stay sharp, to build good habits and always work on eliminating bad habits from his technique. Basic obedience needs to be the same. If a dog cannot be sharp and polished at your side, they certainly will not perform at their best in the field and at a distance.

On-lead obedience should be revisited often. Establish the SIT command, Here/Come command, Heel command and so on. If you are training a pointing breed and do not work on Sit, then work on Whoa. Either way, have a high standard and correct the dog for unnecessary movement, unsteady behavior, etc. I like to use a choke or prong collar and a short lead for this. If your dog is conditioned for the electronic collar you may incorporate that tool as well. I use both, but sometimes prefer the manual corrections with the lead and choke/prong collar.

When I say “high standards” I simply mean to expect very sharp, precise compliance with your commands. When you tell your dog to sit, the dog should sit quickly, hold that sit position firmly and not break from it until commanded to do something else. Ideally, in my opinion, when I am walking a dog at heel and instruct them to sit, they should plant their hind end on the ground and sit even if I continue walking. Strive for this level of compliance and you’ll see much steadier behavior in the field.

No barking on the bus!
One thing no one enjoys in the blind is a noisy dog. As a trainer, I also hate when a dog barks constantly on the truck or trailer while waiting their turn. Believe it or not, crate training early in a dog’s life can help mitigate this issue because we teach dogs to spend time alone, and be a bystander at times rather than the center of the universe every day. Dogs tend to express themselves two ways; physically or vocally. Those are the two ways they release energy. Remember, energy can come from excitement or anxiety. In addition to crate training, I firmly believe dogs should learn patience and control in their basic obedience training. Work them around other people and dogs; make them sit while another dog works near them. Group classes or group training sessions are great for this.

Additionally, socialization is a big part of reducing a dog’s anxiety. Common logic suggests the more a dog is exposed to something, the more tolerant they will be. Try to expose your dog to all kinds of places and situations to desensitize them and reduce the chances of anxious behavior. This is especially true when it comes to gunfire, birds, and overall hunting scenarios. If you see any issues during training, you can bet they will occur in the field. Do not rush the process; expose your dog to these factors slowly and pay close attention to their obedience, composure and control during these sessions.

Not every bird is yours!
To build on the previous point, a major mistake we all make is throwing a bunch of retrieves for our dog. You might ask why is this an issue? Don’t I want my dog to get a ton of retrieves? Well, yes, but we need to teach our dog to be composed. If from a young age they get every bird or retrieve they see, then how can we expect them to honor other dogs and not be overly excited every time it happens in the field? It works wonders to have some birds, especially in your dog’s first season, get picked up by you while you make them sit steady and watch. It is also critical to expose them to the idea that not every bird is theirs in training. Have them honor other dogs, watch marks thrown and not get them. You will have a much more balanced and composed dog later in training.

If you have further questions regarding any of these issues, you can contact us at www.southforkretrievers.com