Thread: Dog training problems and answers

Wait, I thought El B once told me cooked bones were bad for dogs? De-bone then boil?

Originally Posted by Dougie

Wait, I thought El B once told me cooked bones were bad for dogs? De-bone then boil?

dont think that was me Dougie

Originally Posted by el borracho

dont think that was me Dougie

Cooked bones are brittle and hard and if eaten could cause all sorts of dramas... splinters stuck in the gums, splinters in the gut etc etc...

Yep, works well but has to be underused... over use it and they do work it out, but in the context of the "process" it sure gets them thinking with you and if you're smart you can keep them going with that mindset....

Hey Ruff I enjoyed that read, I agree with a lot of what you have said. Thanks for the read and tips, good stuff. Just try to keep my feelings out of it though, "I doubt you will accept" etc, from what I remember you have not met me. Honestly dude it sucks because I think you are really a great trainer and I admire your passion but I feel that if you want to get people on your side and introduce them to the 'light' of your methods, you seriously need to work on your manners.

Anyway! Thank you, I did enjoy that. And yes my boy is just turned 2years and is a soft dog, he is not overly confident. He is like a large Spaniel size (30kilo but quite muss!).

Originally Posted by Dougie

Hey Ruff I enjoyed that read, I agree with a lot of what you have said. Thanks for the read and tips, good stuff. Just try to keep my feelings out of it though, "I doubt you will accept" etc, from what I remember you have not met me. Honestly dude it sucks because I think you are really a great trainer and I admire your passion but I feel that if you want to get people on your side and introduce them to the 'light' of your methods, you seriously need to work on your manners.

Anyway! Thank you, I did enjoy that. And yes my boy is just turned 2years and is a soft dog, he is not overly confident. He is like a large Spaniel size (30kilo but quite muss!).

Firstly, don;t tell me how to post or talk about my manners. I'll do what I want. You do the same thing constantly so don;t be a blimmin hypocrite.

I have not a care in the world if someone wants to adopt my methods or not. I put them out there and if people want to use them they can. i also point out the methods liberally spread around that simply do not work. the rest is up to them. I am not the one with the problems, I'm happy, my dogs are happy, it's up to lothers to use what works or not, their choice to do so won't change my day.
Likewise you haven;t met me...

If I tried training with treats my dog would laugh at me --seriously I cannot get him to eat his dinner at night ,he eats only when he wants and I leave him to it.

Originally Posted by el borracho

If I tried training with treats my dog would laugh at me --seriously I cannot get him to eat his dinner at night ,he eats only when he wants and I leave him to it.

Any dog interested in treats while hunting is not worth feeding (except Labs )

the bottomless pitt=lab

To the question of a stop...

Obviously there's no distractions here but he'll do it the same regardless of what's going on

Ok, good idea....

Much the same, he is hunting the reserve at Waihi Beach riddle with Pheasants and Quail, but he is just going into new cover with no hot scent around him... oh yeah and this is steady to shot, not whistle. Doesn't do it as well now, hardly hears the shot

good info guys-i always hand held the cord.mind if im teaching quartering with whistle i still would hand hold a jerk the cord

Originally Posted by el borracho

good info guys-i always hand held the cord.mind if im teaching quartering with whistle i still would hand hold a jerk the cord

This will sound patronising but it's not intended to be, it's just the only way i know how explain the principle properly is start at the beginning.

Knowing a dog struggles to calculate.. i.e. it sees an empty piece of road, it sees a car 50 meters away heading in it's direction. It cannot calculate or rationalize that by the time it gets to the middle of the road the car will be there too. So it gets hit by a car. But, and here's bloody hoping, it survives and recovers. Having had the experience it now knows it exists, but it cannot "imagine" what might happen, it has to experience it.

How does that apply to the long line?

If your dog is wearing a long line it knows it has a long line on, it knows it is attached to a check chain, it knows it is dragging it. If you pick it up, it immediately experiences how you control it and it connects you to the rope and collar. The only real practical lesson in this is teaching it how long a piece of rope is. If you stand on it instead, it does not see how you do it and reacts in the way Pointer has described. So long as you won't overdo do it and proceed intelligently with similarly based methods the dog grows up believing you can reach out and touch it anywhere. You only have to disciplined enough not to show it you can't. In the beginning you have to change direction every time, and the split second the dog feels the rope come tight. In this way the dog relates having to watch your path of travel or risk a correction. and if you peep the turn whistle as you do it they learn to turn in few minutes. Just standing on it yourself and not moving will not communicate much, they need the body language to get it. Later when accustomed to this you can simply, as the dog powers away from you, give the pre-taught stop whistle and stand on the rope and bring the dog to a stop. when it stops and looks back at you hold up your pre-taught hand stop and re-blow the stop whistle letting him know he did the right thing. Let him wait a few seconds and then [I]do not call him in/[I] give a turn whistle and cast him off in the other direction. This puts him under no pressure so there no real negative with the stop. He continues on from the stop still having fun, still under your guidance. He is learning that fun, compliance and a lack of pressure come from happily following your requirements... of course be ready for the time the cocky alter ego turns up, but that's all part of the process. He will connect all the rest in a split second... careful guidance forward gives a great result. I never teach a dog to stop or go into a down while returning to me though, for several reasons... it's intimidating to the dog and carries high pressure with it. because of that it can, in some circumstances, be used as a correction. Because of this it's very easy to achieve. but lastly I can;t think of a single use for it in the real world.

Another point though To each their own but I wouldn't teach quartering on a rope personally. I'd personally go through the handling issues first, exactly like what is being discussed here until you have a really responsive turn whistle. Graduate the dog into hunting environments (Try to ease it into game, ideally the first couple of runs will be on barren ground.) and I'd walk out the pattern, then use the turn whistle and my body language to turn into the next cast etc.... The dog picks up on this very quickly, because at this stage it is a really fun game for the pup.

good solid advice Ruff and ill practice your method on the new bitch,sadly she will already be 13-14 months once landed without any training on her through some of the very formative months of puppyhood

From what I see people get way to flowery with training at times, then they confuse themselves and of course the dog.
First thing you've got to do is decide what the hound actually needs to do.
Every dog, and I do mean EVERY DOG needs to know when to stop, so of course that should be real high on the list and be the most simple. Myself stop is via a single dropping whistle. If it's a fine breed that I'm happy to put the time into then there will be hand signals added as well.
Then they all need to come, that around here now is a single raising whistle. Of course these two need to be THEconsistent, no matter what may happen. For me they first get the stop one and a few seconds to take that in then the come signal rings out.
Then there is all the other shit you can add, yes I've added it to dog's but frankly if the fucking thing is any good it will be on auto pilot and will know that shit already even though you may not...