where to start ?

alibindahouse73 · where to start ?

i would like to work my pup but havent got a clue where to start Embarassed

??? any tips
thanks

guy

is this question - what does my dog need to know before it can work or do you mean how can i get work for my dog?

Annie as admin

No, Guy, I believe the question Ali may be asking is how does she start to train her dog for working. Ali, I presume you mean the new pup rather than Finn?
Firstly, until she can go out after her jabs are complete, you do simple short training sessions at home doing basic obedience. And any of the training books on the new website should help get you started. And come to the training days teh Club organises, at the moment 2 for beginners, February adn June, and another 2 or 3 for more advanced dogs later this year.
Plus any queries you have can probably be answered on here.
Hope that helps
Annie

guy

Ali, I posted before i read of new pup.

Everything you say to it is preceeded by its name. It will learn its name by default and understand 'name' means something is to happen so acts an alert.
Don't hold a conversation with it- except when cuddling when of course tone of voice is more important than what you say. Keep commands as simple as possible and as few as possible.

I would get hold of a small soft toy - beany baby type thing - I would keep it on a shelf out of reach and every so often during the day I would get it down and play with the dog with it. It would be 'my toy' that I 'allow' the pup to play with. When finished it would go back on the shelf.
Give some of its own chew toys to help develop the cheek muscles and help with teething. The only toy that has survived in this house is a four pronged rubber thing - always lands on three feet with one sticking up. it has survived four dogs and three years daily use so far. The only thing not to have been reduced to spat out bits within ten minutes.

Initially I would just want 'my toy' picked up and carried around. Lots of praise if it came to me with it. To encourage picking it up I would move away - even out of sight - torn between leaving toy and being at my side she is very likely to compromise and bring toy with her.

At meal time i would expect it to sit as its food bowl was put down - this from about day three. Easy enough to achieve as you hold the dog bowl above pups head - the only way it can look up easily is to sit. You can then squat down next to it to praise it (bowl in the air) and praise and stroke as you put the bowl down, if the dog breaks move the bowl away and next time make sure you have a light hold of a fold of skin. (as you stroke down its back you can time having your hand over its neck to get a hold with the bowl descending)

There is a post on here somewhere about how much free running exercise - which is not as much as they think they would would like.

Good quality food.

As I said this is what i would do - i look forward towards reading others tips.

johnhod

If you have any intentions of working your dog it has to do all the obedience stuff first (but with a very young puppy it needs to be time limited and fun). Look to the future and remember you are going to set this dog loose and it will have a great number of opportunities to disappear from sight. You need to know that it will respond to your commands at a distance (its life may well depend on it at some point).

Go for it though. There is nothing quite like watching a good dog doing what it was born and trained to do, especially when that dog is yours.

As Annie said, Im sure you'll get all the help you want at the Club's training sessions and from people on this forum

guy

Is...

Obedience - responding to a command with an automatic reflex - a bit like changing gear in a car you press the clutch but don't think about doing it.?

Mugi

Ali, you could look at the Steve Kimberley Book. It is a clear, consise and pictorial guide giving a loose plan of how to get started. It is easy to read and follow IMHO for someone who is just starting out. I will look out the full details again and post them although they are on here somewhere.

Also join the HPR forum, it was set up by novice(ish) at the time HPR owners who wanted to get more breed specific advice. There are now some very experienced contributors (plus a fair few from here Laughing

).

Chase has probably had more boundaries set in his life than any of my previous dogs, although his life is fun it is also pretty much run on the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) principle, so he earns pretty much everything and if he is naughty I withdraw attention. That started with very small expectations and now he is working harder.

My current manners exercise is he is put him in a sit as I walk through the conservatory on my way to the dog freezer. So he has to sit while I walk past him, through a gate, into the garage, rustle through the freezer, back out of garage, back through the gate and if he is still in position he gets his fav toy thrown for a quick game of fetch. If he has moved he gets put back in position and I keep him in a sit while I wander round the garden or give one of the other dogs a fuss, only when I release him does he get a pat rather than the more rewarding game. So this is teaching him out of sight stays, stay with distraction (the other dogs may well mill past him) and that doing as he is told gets him fun. It is amazing what you can achieve that will be of use in the field just in your daily routine.

I know I am only a novice trainer but once she she is old enough Chase and I would be happy to meet up with you if we can be of help.

Oh, one other thing - a harness and long line is a really worthwhile tool!

alibindahouse73

thanks for the replys .
I have a whistle for finn and when he goes out of sight i blow it and sometimes he comes back lol , is there a way to blow the blumin thing or do i just blow it lol sorry another dumb question ?

Mugi

You can do what you want with a whistle but you need to be consistent and decide what means what before you start.

I use rapid repeated pips for recall, two pips for turn and a single long pip for stop/sit.

If you don't think your command is going to work then don't use it - all you are teaching is how to ignore your call.

For pup the best is to start with the recall whistle, get her food bowl ready and then pip your whistle and call her into the room where the food is going down. In the garden as soon as she is heading in your direction pip your whistle and praise her as she arrives either with a fuss, a toy or a food treat. Have your whistle around your neck all the time and anytime you get chance pip her as she is heading your way. She will soon get the idea.

Knowing your life is pretty busy with the boys, Finn and soon pup too it is going to be a juggling act trying to train her away from Finn and without distraction so take every opportunity you can, pockets filled with some dog treats at all times and a whistle and you will be surprised how many times you can practice.

Mugi

Oh and embarrassing story - but true Embarassed

.

When I first started training the springer recall I got an Acme 210.5 whistle and tried my recall, I could never get a consistent call and thought I was hopeless. I didn't dare admit I couldn't use a whistle so struggled for ages with Freddy not knowing what I was doing.

In the end I admitted to a friend (and she still laughs at me) my struggles and she got me to blow the blasted thing. After picking her up off the floor and letting her get over her fit of laughter she presented me with a new and unbroken whistle - we never looked back!!!!!!

I now have a fair few 211.5 whistles dotted in house and car and training bags - you can never have enough cos you will still not have one when you need it!!

guy

FWIW I think that is actually a good question.

I control the air through my whistle with the tip of my tongue - tongue blocks hole no noise, tongue removed noise. This rather than controlling the noise by the diaphram. Also by moving lip over exit hole. I always blow my whistle with the sound hole pointing down - bits of saliva often fly out - which is not pleasant when walking into the wind :-) The sound also reflects off the ground so travels better - rather than off the clouds.

I tend to 'talk' down the whistle. so when I want them to 'stop' I am whistling a noise that is like 'down' and the recall is 'come in here'. hunt (for a dummy) for instance is 'look there' whilst 'get on' is just 'on'

Thinking about it stop might be better whistled as 'sit' as that will sound very similar to the intonation of a verbal 'sit'

Easier for me to know what I am asking - Does that make any sense?

Ghilliegumdrop

Guy, Beanie toys can and do get torn....beans all over the floor and in dogs belly. Much better to get a soft dog toy and not risk the beans Exclamation

[ Been there, done that Twisted Evil

] and yes, I did mean the pun Wink

Patricia

I start my pups with obedience. Heel, recall-voice and whistle combined-Sit, etc...wait. always 1 yard away then increase. In the garden and then out. Practice without distraction and other anaimals about. Always short training sessions. 10 mns.
When the obedience is digested, you can increase lenght of distance and difficulty of exercise.
I teach the stop whistle later and sit them still on the lead. Then lenghten. If naughty, I always use a long line, so the pup does not get the opportunity to disobey.
If the basic is not instilled, you will pay for it later Rolling Eyes

The Plum

I start my pups off very early with both free hunting and retrieving. Since getting a brittany to hunt is rarely a problem ( Laughing

) I watch carefully for any signs of the retrieve being refused in favour of the hunt. Should that occur the hunt goes onto the back burner for a while. In my experience Brits always hunt but they do not always retrieve.

I watch carefully as a pup hunts and begin to introduce tiny bits of training from around 12 weeks old, sometimes earlier. I don't introduce sit or sit to whistle this early but the recall whistle will have been in use from day one during play and during feeding.
All I do during a hunt when I want a pup to turn but not to actually return to me is abbreviate that recall whistle - the pup has less to learn that way so things go faster. E.G. my recall whistle is two "pips" blown close together then a tiny pause then a repeat of those two pips - sounds a bit like - " Peep-peep---peep-peep---peep-peep"

While training the turn during a hunt, only the first two of those pips are blown but the puppy gives you favourable anticipation , it anticipates the recall so it turns for just the two pips. By that time I will be moving,shoulder turned and probably arm outstretched in the opposite direction and usually the pup quickly learns that this is a great game and goes dashing off in my new walking direction.

I like my dogs to think of me as they hunt, to include me in their game and I give them every chance to enjoy themselves with me as the focus.
Far, far too many Brittanys hunt very well - for themselves !
To my way of thinking a dog should go out and hunt with iniative and with flair but still be willing to listen and look to me should I ask for it.

The other extreme is the dog that is trained to hunt in a regimented manner, they do the job but often at closer ranges and they often lack style ,flair call it what you will - something is lacking. These dogs do a sort of obedience trained form of hunting, to my eyes it is not pleasant ,certainly not thrilling to watch.

The Plum.

alibindahouse73

Does anyone use Dokken Deadfowl for training?

Mugi

alibindahouse73

aww bless he is soo cute