BASIC GUNDOG TRAINING
Extra training with your dog can be done with an aim in mind, for example being able to take your dog out shooting, but for many it is simply a way to increase the bond between you and your dog, and also to give some additional mental stimulation to your Springer because they are finding basic obedience a bit boring. Basic gundog training does not involve going out shooting, or having to handle and form of dead animal, it is simply a way to harness your Springer's natural instinct, and have a bit of fun at the same time.
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Even though Bess doesn't go out shooting she definitely enjoys having a go at gundog training, she's just doing what Springer's do best, having fun and trying to please. |
Items you will need to get started
A Whistle - the best kind is a plastic acme gundog whistle, this is because once you have trained your dog to the whistle, if you lose it, you can get another with exactly the same pitch.
A Dummy - gundog training dummies are weighted and stuffed to give a soft feel like game, however you can stuff an old sock, or use one of the Air Kong dumbells sold in the shop. Whatever your dog likes to get you started. Gundog dummies come it different weights, starting with a 1/2lb puppy dummy, ideal for beginners, and then a 1lb dummy, fine for the adult Springer.
Slip Lead - most gundog trainers use a rope slip lead to work their dogs, it is not essential, but one thing I find handy is that when I use the rope slip my dogs know what to expect, same as when use a half check for obedience, it makes a handy signal for your dog when your switch from a flat collar.
All of these items are available in my main shop site - www.gifts4gundogs
Something to simulate gunshot, I use a child's cap gun, available from toy shops, and unlikely to alarm the neighbours if you live in a built up area.
Getting Started
This guide is assuming that you have done your basic training, your dog will come when called, sit on command and stay for a short time. There is no point progressing to a new form of training when you have not mastered the basics.
Whistle Training
Training your dog to some basic commands in response to the whistle is not complicated if we think that the dog simply sees it as another command that you are introducing. With both a puppy and older dog food is a great motivator and when introducing the whistle why not start when you are calling your Springer for its dinner, use its name and follow immediately with 3 pips on the whistle, in no time at all the dog will be rushing to you with just the whistle signal, his is basic positive reinforcement, your Springer realises that to respond to the whistle will always equal a reward. Now move to your garden, and reward your dog when it responds to the whistle with some form of reward, either a titbit or praise. In no time you will find your dog has picked up the first of your whistle signals.
Secondly you may wish to start introducing a stop whistle. Call your dog, tell it to sit and then follow the command immediately with a single pip on the whistle, then praise your dog. Tell the dog to stay, take a few steps away and call the dog, trying again, to tell the dog sit, followed immediately with a single pip. Try this about 5 times, and then on the next go leave out the sit command, call the dog and just give the single pip. It the dog sits then give it lots of praise and a reward, if not give the sit command, followed by the whistle. Don't swamp the dog if it doesn't get it first time, try again later or tomorrow. If your dog sat for the whistle when training the next day still give the verbal command the first few times just to make it clearer to the dog, and hopefully by the end of the week the dog will sit whenever you give a single pip.
Hand Signals
This is also a good time to introduce hand signals to your dog, they are used in the field to guide the dog, but there is no point introducing advanced directional hand signals until you have the basics. Once your Springer is familiar with the whistle command to sit you can follow the same routine as above, but when the dog comes to you command to sit (voice or whistle) and raise your left hand. Like the whistle try the 2 commands a few times until you are confident the dog has been paying attention and then try calling the dog and just raising your hand, if the dog sits you've got it, lots of praise, but if not don't worry, you just need to keep trying, your dog may not have been paying much attention and you need to try and give them time to work it out.
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Willow is certainly paying attention, she must be thinking "slip lead on, whistle round her neck, mum must be going to do some of that training I love, any chance of a real pheasant this time?" |
The Stop Whistle
This is a very useful command, even if you are not intending to do any form of gundog training. There are instances when we are working our dogs, or just playing when we may need to stop the dog in its tracks, whether that be to stop it chasing something, or stop it from going onto a road.
You have already got the dog sitting to a single blast of the whistle when it is beside you, well the stop whistle is simply an extension of that piece of training. Allow your dog to romp about around you and when it is about 5 metres away from you, give a single blast of the whistle and raise your left hand at the same time. If your Springer stops and sits, go over to it and give lots of praise and reward, don't call it to you for the praise. If your Springer did not stop then you have rushed a bit ahead of it and you should take things a bit slower, try getting somebody to help you by holding the lead, let the dog romp about at the end of the lead, then as you are about 5 metres away blow your whistle and raise your hand, if the dog doesn't sit get the assistant to put the dog in the sit and step back, keep trying this until the dog sits on your single whistle and hand signal, then progress to a long lead or try off lead as before. Take your time with the stop whistle, don't try and perfect it in a few days, and don't be tempted to rush, slowly and gradually increase your distances from the dog and making sure that if your dog doesn't stop you take him back to the point you asked him to stop.
Gunshot
It is useful to get your dog used to the sound of gunshot, firstly in case you decide to have a go at some field trials or shooting once you have finished your training, but also if properly introduced it becomes part of your dogs socialisation and may help prevent fears of thunder and fireworks. At this stage your dog is so excited about going out and enjoying their training that they will accept a new sound or experience more easily, especially if the sound is followed by something fun. You can either get your Springer used to gunshot by using food rewards and praise, or allow them to make the association between the bang and something needing retrieved. At a gundog training display recently we were shown some young puppies, and whenever the handler threw something for them he would clap his hands, obviously the puppies quickly associated the noise with the item being thrown and this would make a gunshot less frightening later on. I like to start with the object being launched with the shot because if they are spooked by the shot sometimes the act of reassuring them can make them more fearful, whereas if they are immediately allowed to retrieve an article then they forget about the shot and have fun retrieving. Its best to try this with a friend, who can take the gun about 40 metres away from you, as you throw your retrieve article (start with a toy) get your friend to fire the gun, hidden and pointing away from you, then send your dog for the article and reward it when it returns, Don't make a big fuss of the noise, just reward the retrieve. Most Springers love the retrieve so once they figure out the noise means their toy then they will become used to it very quickly. Gradually let the dog get closer to the sound and you should then be able to get your dog to stay still when the toy is thrown, the shot fired, until you give the command to retrieve. If your dog is not happy with the noise then do not push your luck, you don't want to frighten your dog and you will just have to accept that training with the gun is not for your Springer, though you can continue with the basic gundog training. Take you time with a rescue dog, quite often dogs are rehomed from working homes for being gun shy, they may have been handed in to a rescue centre for this reason so if you try and introduce a quiet noise and they are scared then do not try and introduce it further, if you don't know what somebody did to the dog in the past then you don't want to bring serious issues to the surface.