We have come to the fifth and last lesson of the five lesson
program featured in Paul Long’s book, “Training Pointing Dogs”. If you have
been diligent in following this program you now have a fairly well trained dog.
This last lesson “puts icing on top of the cake”.
Your dog is now HEELING and WHOAING anywhere you command it
to stop. The dog comes to you consistently when you command it to do so. You
have been working the dog on the check cord and you will continue to do so. The
time has come to teach your dog to stay without moving where WHOAED as you pick
up or kick objects in front of him. Now is the time to teach this, not when the
dog is pointing live game.
As always, start by review all four of the previous lessons.
Then after HEELING for about thirty feet, command WHOA. Look for some small
object on the ground and reach down for it. The dog will lean forward, or step
forward, to help you. Command WHOA! If the dog disobeys give him the benefit of
the doubt. HEEL him about thirty feet and command WHOA and STAY and reach down
for another object. If the dog moves to help you, command WHOA harshly, and set
him back in his original position. Then finish by picking up the object. Repeat
the procedure by HEELING 30 feet, commanding WHOA, and picking up the object.
Do this until the dog consistently WHOAS and does not move when you lean down
and pick up an object.
Most dogs, whether introvert or extrovert, pick up on this
readily because they have previously thoroughly drilled in what WHOA means. The
only thing you have to overcome here is your dog’s interest in your movement.
Now we will make the training a little more difficult and
your dog’s obedience more certain when live game is introduced. How? By
introducing a dog treat as a distraction. I like to cut up beef sticks into
small bites as the scent of the beef will be the distraction. HEEL your dog
about 30 feet, Command WHOA and STAY. Walk out in front of the dog a few feet,
toss the dog treat. The scent of the treat will entice him to move. If he does,
command WHOA, and pick up the treat. Repeat the process. If he insists on
moving, set the dog back to his original position. As in previous lessons, use
the bop tube to correct him. You probably will not have to use it. Do not try
and walk the dog past the treat and have him ignore it. This does not
accomplish your goal, which is for the dog to point and remain steady while you
move in to flush a bird. In your dog WHOAING and you moving forward and picking
up the treat is a step in that direction.
When the dog responds well, occasionally pick up the treat
and give it to him as a reward for good work. When you have completed these
five lessons, your dog has completed his yard training. In fact, your dog is
now 80% completely trained.
You have your dog under control. He has thoroughly learned
the essential commands. He also has thoroughly learned that failure to obey
your commands results in unpleasantness. He has learned that this
unpleasantness is caused by his disobedience and not by anything else. A dog so
trained will not become a blinker, that is a dog that avoids birds when scented
to avoid unpleasant consequences. Later, when your dog breaks commands while on
a bird, he will not associate his punishment with the bird. Rather, he will
associate it with his act of disobedience.
You are now ready to move onto field training and serious
bird work. You will find that the diligence and time spent on these five
lessons will make your field training go much smoother and quicker.
Stop by again next month for we will begin our field
training series for pointing dogs. See you then.
CJ, Shawnee &
Duchess