For more information:
The First Few Months of Training Are Critical
E-Collars - An Effective Tool But Not a Magic Wand
The Twenty Minute Gun Dog
Training a gundog is not as difficult or time consuming as most people think. The key is to have a plan and work at it consistently. In this issue we will show you how to turn your retriever into a solid gun dog before next season working just twenty minutes a day during the week and a little extra on weekends.
Dogs are very similar to children in a couple of ways. Just like small children, young or untrained dogs tend to have very short attention spans, and they learn better in a structured environment. Therefore, the quality of a training session is much more important than its length. To ensure that you get the most out of as little training time as possible it is important that you have and follow a step by step training plan.
The following outline is based on the training plan that we utilize everyday in our professional retriever training program. It has been adapted for the individual amateur trainer who wants a solid gun dog and not necessarily a competitive retriever, and is as follows:
Foundation TrainingBasic Obedience: Collar Conditioning: |
Advanced Yard WorkSteadying |
Field WorkPattern Blinds |
This plan is designed for a puppy or young dog that has a well developed desire to retrieve, good socialization skills, and is ready for formal training to begin. For information on pre-formal training please see the retriever column in our Spring 2006 issue.
Additionally, each step of this plan builds on the previous step. While it is certainly possible to vary the order in which some of the minor steps are taught, for best results the plan should be followed in the order that it appears.
Foundation Training
Just as in constructing a house, training a solid gun dog starts with building a good foundation. Foundation training includes basic obedience, collar conditioning, and force-fetch. The goal of this early work is to set the stage for later training by turning him into a polite and cooperative citizen.
While the amount of time that it will take to complete the foundation training process will vary from dog to dog, your goal should be to complete this phase of training in about ten to twelve weeks. The first four weeks should be devoted primarily to obedience training and collar conditioning (see Spring 2007), and the last six to eight should concentrate on the force fetch process ( see Spring and Summer 2008).
Your timeline for foundation training should look something like this:
Week 1: Walk at heel once or twice for 10 to 20 minutes a day throughout the week, and take a couple of longer walks on the weekend.
Week 2: Work on the sit and here command during each weekday training session, and have at least one extended session of up to one hour on the weekend.
Week 3: Collar condition the dog to sit throughout the week, and take a long walk without collar pressure on the weekend.
Week 4: Collar condition the dog to heel and here during the week, and take a long walk with minimal collar pressure on the weekend.
Weeks 5 thru 8: Force fetch training on the table during the week combined with long walks with little pressure on the weekend;
Weeks 9 & 10: Force fetch training on the ground throughout the week, and a long walk on the weekend.
Week 11: Throw marks in the yard each day using both ducks and dummies and demand hand delivery. On the weekend introduce the dog to marks in the field with someone else throwing if possible.
Week 12: Work on walking fetch daily, and throw lots of marks on the weekend.
At the end of the first twelve weeks take a good look at the overall foundation that you have built for your dog. Should you feel that any element is weak, spend a few extra days working on it before moving on to advanced work in the yard.
Advanced Yard Work
As the title implies, during this stage of training most (but not all) of your work will be done in your yard. Referring the above training plan you will see that this phase of training consists of five major parts. With most dogs the first four will take about one week each to cover. The amount of time required to complete the final and most complex portion, pile work, will vary. In most cases all aspects of pile work in the yard can be completed in 6 to 12 weeks.
An example timeline would be as follows:
Week 13: Using a long leash work on steadying the dog in the yard each day throughout the week. Control all breaks with the lead and do not let the dog complete any retrieve that he does not remain steady for. Go to the field on the weekend and demand steadiness on field marks.
Week 14: Work once or twice daily for ten to fifteen minutes throughout the week on multiple marks. Start short and simple and increase complexity as the dog becomes more adept at counting. Go to the field on weekends and continue with multiples.
Week 15: During this week you should introduce the dog to gun fire in conjunction with marks in the yard. On the weekend throw numerous single marks while firing at them in the field. Demand steadiness.
Week 16: Combine multiple marks in the yard with gunfire each day to teach your dog to swing with the gun. Spend a day in the field on the weekend throwing singles and multiples while firing at them. (For a more complete look multiple marks and gun fire see the Winter 2005 issue).
Weeks 17 thru 24: Pile work in the yard should be covered on a daily basis, starting with simple baseball (three handed casting) and ending with the swim-by procedure on water. (See Winter 2004/Spring 2005)
Work on multiple and single marks with and without gunfire in the field on weekends.
At this point your work in the yard is essentially over, and it is time to move to the field. However, going to the field may not always be possible on a daily basis. On those days when it is not practical or possible to go to the field try to avoid more pile work. Instead play casting, counting or steadiness games in the yard to help sharpen your dog’s skills.
Field Work
During this phase of training almost all of your dog’s work will be done in the field. This stage is often more practical in nature and should focus to a large degree upon the situations in which your dog will hunt. For instance, if most of your hunting is done in water filled with logs and dead timber you should not do all of your water work in a pond devoid of cover.
About six weeks should be devoted to this training prior to taking your dog hunting with the following timeline:
Weeks 25 & 26: Work on pattern blinds on land during the week, and marks on the weekend.
Weeks 27 & 28: Work mainly on pattern blinds on water with a few pattern blinds on land throughout the week. On the weekend intersperse marks within the pattern blinds.
Week 29: Concentrate on a few cold blinds throughout the week. Mix these up with known pattern blinds and a few marks. On the weekend go to a new place and run marks with cold blinds.
Week 30: Each day try to introduce the dog to an element that it may encounter while hunting. For instance, if you hunt out of a boat work the dog out of it on a daily basis in the yard. On the weekend take you dog to your favorite hunting spot and work on marks and cold blinds in that atmosphere.
The prospect of building a decent gun dog from scratch can seem to be an incredibly difficult and time consuming task. However, with a good plan and twenty to thirty minutes each day it can be done. Many of the best gun dogs I have seen, including the first Grand Hunting Retriever Champion and Master Hunter I ever trained, were built by an amateur trainer with little time, a good plan, and a whole lot of desire.
