Dog Training

[brlewis]

This is a 18 month old Brittany female ( tri color). She has been pretty much this broke since she was a 12 weeks old puppy. She has a sister that was about this broke also. The video is a hunting trip about two week ago. We found her pointing so she had been pointing about a minute before the video starts. I also asked her to relocated because they could not flush the bird. What is your opinion about training this type of dog. I have not put an E collar on her or pushed her training. This pass weekend I killed 18 birds over her. I think sometimes people push training from a young dog. Most times they take the hunt out of the dog.

 

[GLS]

Pretty dog and doing great. I resisted an E-Collar but after having Abby bounce from bird to bird without coming when called, something she would do normally, it took 5 minutes to train to drop what she was doing and come when called or whistled with the e-collar in place. Where one has been useful to me has been when Abby starts baying hogs. If I hear her barking which she only does with hogs, I whistle, hit the tone button and she can't come to me fast enough. When she was young, we got lucky with a hog encounter. I had an experience this week with a dog that didn't have an e-collar and she ran a brute of a boar past us which would have been ugly if the hog had turned and fought. Fortunately the owner was able to call her off when the pair ran between us. She was on his heels with her too close to shoot him. He was one of those solid black, long-snouted, thick chested, thin-waisted hogs, as round as he was tall. The dog wouldn't have survived his attack. I also have my Britts clad in Kevlar vests when in hog territory. Better safe than sorry. Gil

 

[trad bow]

Looks like he off to a great start. Everything Gil said is spot on. Most people do rush their puppies and I’m biting at the bit wanting my pup to start but he’s only 4 months old. I’m just carrying him for walks in the terrain we will be hunting and focusing on his obedience training.
Jeff

 

[nrh0011]

I'd say you're a few steps ahead already. Dog handles nicely.

 

[Nimrod71]

I have trained dogs since 1975. E collars are great tools when used correctly. You can really mess a dog up if they are not used correctly. They are only to be used once the dog knows what they are to do, in other words after they have been trained. I use them to correct bad habits or to prevent them from becoming a habit. Once you know the dog knows what they are to do but fail to follow commands it is time for the collar. If you use a collar always start at low power and only use when necessary, when you know the dog knows what you want and fails the command.

 

[Killinstuff]

The problem is pen raised birds and you kicking around in the bush. Dog's suppose to just stand there while you and your partner fumble around? Ridiculous. She's wanting to jump in there and do the job you're failing at. Understand, it's not dogs fault at all in that video. She's saying "hey boss, there's the bird" and you're not holding up your end. If she's whoa broke all you have to say is "whoa" and she should stand tall. But zapping her cause you're not honoring her point is the wrong move. She breaks cause she thinks she's wrong in her point and wants to be sure she was right.

 

[trad bow]

To many people that use e collars don’t really know how to use them. Train them verbally till you know that the dog understands what you want is the way I do it. Then I don’t need to use the e collar as much. GPS is more important to me but I’m an old coon hunter use to big running dogs. I say this knowing they are a ton of people better qualified than me on training bird dogs.

 

[nrh0011]

Like said above, I rarely use them unless the dog disobeys a command they know. You can ruin and/or confuse a good dog real quick like with an e collar.

 

[28gage]

Always start at lowest setting and move up till you get a response. Don't want a yelp just a twitch of the head enough to know the dog is feeling the correction. Only use (except for chasing trash) when the dog knows the command and has been doing it for you consistently. It's a tool that less use is the best use.

 

[OEB0630]

Everyone has a different opinion on what they want out of a "finished" dog. Whether a meat dog, or a testing dog, I still use an e-collar. What other way do you have to give any sort of correction from more than arms length away?