You may want to train your own, but will you end up with a dog that actually benefits your hunt, or one that just looks good riding in the pickup?
One of the things I suggested in the last Unleashed (“Buying Experience: The Started Gundog”), was that hunters should consider going with a started dog, rather than a puppy, because of time restrictions to get the job done on your own. I also said that potential puppy owners should really question whether they have the knowledge base and skills to train a birddog properly. Let’s ponder that a little further here.
Most of us can get a dog to do the basics. Sit, heel, stay, blah, blah, blah. But training a gundog to perform reliably and with style each and every time you put him on the ground isn’t something that’s easily explained. (Hell, that’s part of the reason we’re putting out this column and dissecting these subjects from every angle possible, because the Internet’s granted us a forum in which we can cover the minutia of life with a gundog that even whole books can’t seem to get to.)
At its foundation, successful training means first understanding what a finished gundog truly is within each of the hunting dog genres, those being retriever, flushing, pointing, tracking, treeing, and coursing. Now, I started with a puppy, read a ton of books, thought I knew what he needed to do. But then I met gundog trainer George Hickox (whom we’re getting to here shortly), and after a decade of friendship and learning from him, I can tell you that I didn’t know butkiss about finished dogs then. I also figured out, thanks to George, that most amateurs don’t really have the first clue about what defines a finished dog (George and I will get to that definition in a later installment).
That’s okay, and I think most amateur birddog owners are blissful in their ignorance. As a group, we’re generally happy enough to have a dog that finds and fetches up a bird or two or trees a mountain lion or coon (though for the sake of this column, the focus will mostly be on birddogs), one that doesn’t run off into the next state, and one that also pulls double-duty as the family pet. But it can be soooo much better! And once you find out just how much better a truly finished dog is to hunt with, you’ll wonder how you ever hunted with a dog less schooled. It’s like going from a rotary phone attached to your wall to an iPhone—there’s that stretch of learning how the new gadget works, but then the light’ll come on and you’ll never look back.
But this is why we have both Steve Jobs and professional dog trainers. They do know. And until or unless you acquire their knowledge, the difference between what you will do as an amateur trainer and what a reputable professional will do will manifest itself in the retriever that sits in the bow of the boat, trembling as he scans the sky for fowl, versus the dog that chews a duck into hamburger before he drops it at your feet.
Still thinking that a pup’s the way to go and you can get him trained correctly? Then take this “litmus” test. Grab a book or two on gundog training and watch some DVDs—there are lots to choose from, and many are quite excellent (just make sure the books are modern, authored in something like the last five years, because a tremendous amount has changed over the decades in the dog training world). Once you get through them, you’ll either have had one of those “Ah-ha! Now I get it,” moments, come to a clear understanding of how much you really don’t know, or be completely baffled as to how to take that new dog of yours and get him to do anything besides eat and sleep. If it’s the latter two, seek professional help and buy a started or finished dog.
Potty Time
Often, when I’ve talked with folks considering a started dog, one of the first issues raised is house-breaking. For some reason, the task is viewed as being more difficult with an older dog than with a puppy. I’ve found it’s actually easier.
Most started hunting dogs you’ll consider purchasing will have been raised in a kennel and probably been on dog trucks, and they will have learned to control themselves in those environments. Most will not soil their run where they sleep or feed, for instance. Even fewer will soil the box or crate on a truck. Too, those beyond those first few months of age have the capacity to control their bladders in a way puppies most certainly do not.
These are all advantages to getting a more adult dog to do his business outside. To get the job done once you’ve brought an older, kennel-raised dog into the house, start by crating the dog at night, making sure you’ve aired him beforehand. In the morning, snap a leash on him before you let him out of the crate and take him outside immediately. You’ll establish a pattern this way, and you’ll soon be able to extend that morning let-out until you’ve fixed a cup of coffee or even gotten breakfast. As for accidents in the house, sure, they’re going to happen, but unlike puppies, which just squat and drop without notice, most dogs by three or four months of age give off body signals that they’re about to let go—a humped back, circling around, sniffing at corners or edges. Keep an eye on your new charge so you can shoo him outside the minute he gives indication, crate him when you can’t watch him, and in no time you’ll have a house-broken dog.
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