This month we will start a five (5) lesson program on
teaching the WHOA command. This program follows the one developed by Paul Long
in “Training Pointing Dogs” first published in 1974. This is an excellent
training manual and I recommend it highly for all pointing dog owners. Paul’s 5
lesson program eliminates the need for barrels and place boards used by many
trainers in teaching a dog to be steady on point. These are good methods. However,
Paul’s system has your dog WHOAING on the ground immediately, where you want it
to, and not going through the series of steps required in barrel and place
board training. So let’s get started!
The WHOA command is the most important command for pointing
dogs to learn. It is the absolute foundation for having a solid field
performer. Mastering this command will help you solve many issues such as
creeping, “roading” and teaching your dog to point on scent vs sight.
We start with the HEEL command. Your dog must HEEL at your
side consistently before embarking on WHOA training. Please see attached photo
of combination slip lead (neck) and cinch with snap lead (flank) hookup. I
recommend heeling on left side for right handed shooters and right side for left
handed shooters.
This system gives you control both on front and rear of dog
and will teach it to not pull ahead or lag behind. Give the command HEEL and
walk forward with the dog. Make outside and inside turns keeping the dog in the
above shown position. I like to use a figure 8 drill to teach the dog to remain
in proper heeling position. Once the dog HEELS consistently when walking
forward or turning, you can proceed with the WHOA command.
Lesson # 1
Command HEEL, take 5 steps and command WHOA stopping
immediately. Remain stationary a few seconds, then command HEEL and move
forward and stop again after 5 steps. Repeat this HEEL/WHOA drill and vary the
amount of steps between the HEEL/WHOAS once the dog gets the ”hang” of it. We
do this so the dog does not anticipate when to stop but remains attentive to you
during the drill. Incorporate the inside and outside turns into the drill. You
will repeat HEEL/WHOAS 100 times per training session. Sounds like a lot but it
really does not take that long. I recommend you do this drill every day until
the dog responds consistently. The dog MUST perform this drill “off lead”
before going to Lesson # 2. Be patient and remember that dog training is one of
the most extreme examples of “delayed gratification”.
See you next month!
