The Top 9 Dog Training Challenges and how the "Teach Me, Please" courses will help you.
Hunters will be very happy to have taken the time to teach their
dog basic obedience before going hunting. Not only does this
procedure bond the dog and handler but gets this special
partnership off in the right direction. This course will give you
the tools you need - a plan of action, a list of essential
equipment needed to do the job, how to use that equipment
and the strategy to develop your dog into a willing worker. In
order to control your dog you need to be able to anticipate
your dog's next move. You can only do this if you have been
working with him.
It can be an easy process by following the step-by-step
program. You will see how fast a dog learns over a two week
period at only 20 minutes a day. Lessons are laid out and each
day you review the day before and add new commands. It is
this process and by using the suggested equipment and voice
control that will capture your dog's interest and keep the dog
focused on you.
When your dog is out of control you can bet his nose has taken
over. This is the reason you will see the lessons being given in
parks and fields where there is lots of diversion. The course
shows you how you can get your dog to listen and obey no
matter if there are people and other dogs nearby.
Temperament needs to be taken into account when training a dog
so there are suggestions made on how to best handle the
different personalities. Firm commands along with positive
reinforcement makes it possible for most people to train. You
can begin with a puppy and prevent this out of control
behavior or you can gain control with an older dog whose
behavior is overwhelming you. Either way you will learn the
strategies and become a competent dog handler while
teaching your dog the skills. It all starts with the BASIC COURSE.
When your dog won't pick up the bird - that is a problem!!
Many dogs are born with a natural talent to retrieve or point and
are keenly interested in birds as young as 9 or 10 weeks.
However, many pups show no interest in birds, yet through
training, they can become just as eager and good hunting
dogs as the naturals.
For a hunting dog to be well-schooled he needs to learn how to
fetch on command, often referred to as the force fetch. The
Basic Course teaches this skill so you, the dog handler, will
know what to do whenever you get a refusal. For example,
during a training session your dog after retrieving a duck
refuses to pick up a pheasant. In this case you will use the
technique you have learned in the course to force your dog to
retrieve the pheasant. Lessons of this kind will develop your
dog into the reliable retriever you want.
The Basic Obedience Course is the foundation from which to
advance to the field work. To be sure the dog has a complete
understanding of the retrieve it is taught in segments. At the
end of the Basic Course the dog will understand and have the
desire to retrieve the bird. To see the BASIC COURSE Click Here..
Please click on the following topics
("BIRD" can be a TRAINING DUMMY)
The purpose of teaching a dog to "take a line" is to enable him to
take the most direct route to the bird. It is also the means in
which you can keep control when he is far from you in the field. It
will be well worth your time and effort to teach this skill as the
results will reward you over again in all kinds of hunting situations.
Line drills are introduced in the Field Course. This is the exercise
to begin the process of extending your dog. Line drill patterns
can be set up on a driveway or a park-like setting. In the video
you will see dogs performing this fun exercise. It is something
you can do in minutes and at the same time reinforce all of the
basic obedience skills. The Field Course shows how to extend your dog both on land and in water. It is the fundamental skill you need before teaching hand signals.
One of the wonderful benefits of teaching your dog lines (and it is
so easy) is that you can exercise your dog and combine that
function with line drills. Your dog will learn to love it. It is a way
where you will have CONTROL when the dog is off-leash and a
distance from you. See the FIELD COURSE Click Here...
For a dog to retrieve a bird he has not seen requires the perfect
understanding between dog and handler. The handler must
learn the hand signals that will maneuver his dog to the bird
and the dog must place his trust in the handler while ignoring
the powerful scents in the field.
The object of hand signals is to get the dog back on the right line
when he veers off. This is the most challenging because you are
changing the direction in which the dog wants to go. The dog
may have picked up a scent in the air or pehaps remembers a
bird he retrieved nearby. Only if a dog is trained to listen to you
will you be able to gain control and change his mind. In the Field
Course lessons covering this subject will give you the techniques
to teach your dog to stop and follow your hand signals.
Again, it can be a workout that will take only minutes a day after
you get the handling patterns set up.
After your dog learns this skill you can use it when walking your
dog off-leash or anytime you want to change directions to keep
your dog away from trouble.
Running your dog on lines such as a grassy area changing into a
cornfield or a field changing into a mudflat can cause problems.
Changes such as the above can act as a barrier stopping the dog.
Lines going through a stream or into a lake will be the biggest
challenge of all.
After going through the step-by-step lessons in the Field Course
your dog will learn to carry the line through fields into water and
beyond to retrieve the bird.
The lessons will result in your dog leaping off the bank into the
water because your dog will become so confident and eager to
go. You will be provided with suggested training workouts that
will incorporate this important point into the lesson.
You can read this either way - retrieves in cold water or
retrieves in water where the dog has not seen the bird fall.
First - after taking your dog through the entire course he wll be
breaking ice to retrieve the bird.
Second - this is the one you need to be concerned about. You
probably have had many occasions where a wounded bird has
landed far beyond the birds he has been retrieving. It is a must
that you get that bird but your dog has not seen the bird and has
no knowledge that it is way out there. This is where your lessons
will pay off as you send your dog on a line handling him
through the difficulties and placing him in a position where he can "wind" the bird.
After accomplishing a retrieve as described above you will come
home with extra pride in your heart and your dog will probably
get a steak dinner.
Building memory means remembering there is more than one bird
to retrieve.
Dogs can build memory by training on multiple marks. In the
Field Course you will see the proceedure of teaching your dog to
mark the bird. Instructions for all the participants (dog, dog
handler, and gunner(s) in the field) are carefully explained, You
will have a very enjoyable time as long as each participant
knows his job. You want to avoid the experience of an out of
control dog leaving you yelling from the line or gunners that confuse the dog.
You and your dog can have hours of wonderful fun if you set up
training sessions that include multiple marks. It is a way you can
include your family and friends in this great sport. Also, it is
something you can do all year. It is the way to keep your dog in
perfect condition between hunting seasons.
The Field Course will provide you with suggestions on how to set
up single, double, and multiple marks.
The gun is introduced in the Field Course. By that time your dog
is working with you as a team member and has built up trust in
you. The gun is brought into play in such a way that it only
excites the dog and clues him into the fact that there is
something for him to retrieve in the field.
Problems can arise with an extremely sensitive dog or one who
has a timid or fearful personality. One needs to be very aware of
that dog's particular temperament and train accordingly. The
Basic Course lessons along with the proper introduction to
marking the bird (explained in the Field Course) is the way to
prevent having a bad experience with the gun.
If a dog has already experienced some hunting trips and has
exhibited traits of being gun shy, that dog can overcome this
problem by following the training program.
It all begins with the
One of the difficulties in hunting situation is that the dog
becomes so excited working alongside other dogs as well as
hearing sounds of the guns from other hunters in the area
that all the training seems to go down the drain. This is the
reason that special lessons are set up in the Field Course to
prepare for this occasion.
However, it begins with lessons in the Basic Course. That is when
you introduce your dog to the "Stay" command. Practicing the
"Stay" command exactly as it is presented along with doing the
other lessons, as shown working in a group situation with other
dogs, will be the foundation for control in the field.
After advancing your dog to perform the exercises shown in the
Field Course, your dog will then be ready to honor another
working dog. This training exercise is the final step to control.
You will see in the Field Course group training sessions which incorporates all the lessons including honoring a working dog.
It all begins with the
